Journal

HYBRIDCASUAL IS ON FIRE 🔥”FARM JAM” BY APPSYOULOVEParking Jam Puzzle is having a great time! 🧩🚗Many innovations are being launched, some of which have been well-received by gamers of the genre. 👍That's the case with “Farm Jam: Animal Parking Game” by Appsyoulove.“Farm Jam” mixes the mechanics of Parking Jam with Matching Pair.Including a metagame like Royal Match, but with a farm theme. 👩‍🌾🌽🐄This blend brought freshness to the subgenre! 🤩The game's highly polished game art stands out. 👩‍🎨🧑‍🎨With funny moments, such as onomatopoeia sounds and the little pig's belly-up spin. 🐖🥰The game has been climbing in recent months. 📈According to AppMagic, “Farm Jam” has accumulated US$10MM in IAP revenue and 22MM downloads.Boosted by promising metrics such as stickiness of over 15% and session length of 18 min (“Royal Match” is 17 min).And high penetration in Tier 1 countries, 87%. 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇬🇧In […]

Balatro is currently doing $40K a day 🤑 on mobile as a premium game! as it launched there on Sep. 26th. Already past $1,8 Mil. in less than a month and 300K+ downloads. We couldn't ignore this design masterpiece so here is the rundown 😎Originally published by Playstack & developed by Localthunk, Balatro was released on Feb. 20th on Steam as a premium game for $14.99. With more than 44K reviews and a 97% positive rating currently, it is one of this year's big indie hits. In August PC Gamer reported that it already sold past 2 Mil. copies, which we can assume is then around $30 Mil. !!! 💰. Then it launched now on mobile for $9.99, in pretty much identical condition as the PC. Now it is literally #2 on mobile premium grossing charts, right behind Minecraft. The […]

AppsFlyer’s 17th Performance Index offers valuable insights into the incentivized ad space, highlighting a strong year for rewarded providers. Here are my top 5 takeaways for gaming UA:Rewarded channels continue to gain importance for gaming UAiOS2023 : No rewarded channel made the top 12 global platforms by install volume.2024: Exmox, Adjoe and Adaction now rank 13-15, showing they’re gaining relevance and starting to compete with the big players.Android2023 : Three incentivized networks were in the top 20 global platforms by install volume: Mistplay (10), Tapjoy (12), and Adjoe (13).2024 : Five incentivized networks made the top 20: Mistplay (10), Adjoe (11), Tapjoy (12), Adaction (19), and Gamelight (20). Adaction and Gamelight made solid gains.Mistplay faces challenges:Mistplay held onto the 10th spot in 2023's Android Global Volume Ranking, but there was no improvement in 2024.Mistplay still has no iOS product (its […]

10 Popular Monetization Features for Mobile GamesBased on the Playliner research, here are the top approaches developers are using to boost revenue:1. Starter Pack • A low-priced bundle ($0.99 to $9.99) offered in the first 30 minutes of gameplay. • Huge discounts (50%-90%) to attract early players.2. Rolling Offer • Offers with multiple deals, some free. • Unlocks deals in a sequence, keeping players engaged over time.3. Build Your Offer • Players choose rewards before purchasing. • Option to buy the entire bundle at a discounted price.4. Choose Your Offer • Multiple bundles targeting different spending cohorts, encouraging higher spending.5. Double & Triple Offers • Premium bundles with currencies and boosters available in the store. • Store is accessible from the beginning of the game.6. Shop Bundles • Short-term offers (less than 24 hours) regularly appear in the game store.7. […]

14 game development dos and don'ts from my perspective.Game development is a serious business,Often people oversee major mistakes,Lose time on minor details.🆕 For new game developers📝 I listed my go-to advices:⛔ Try not to do:↱ Monetization focus↱ Ignore the competition↱ Ignore player feedback↱ Trying to appeal to everyone↱ Spent too long time perfecting↱ Recruitment focuses on early-stage↱ Overlook marketing and user acquisition✅ Try to do↳ Understand your audience↳ Collect an early feedback↳ Analyze the market early ↳ Study your competitors↳ Work with a small team↳ Engagement focus↳ Rapid prototype

High ARPU vs Low ARPU: What's Driving the Difference?Here’s the breakdown:𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗔𝗥𝗣𝗨 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 💰 • Game Start: Immediate action or engaging intro that hooks players • Onboarding: Short, interactive tutorial integrated into gameplay• Core Loop: Addictive gameplay mechanics that encourage repeat play. • Generosity: Regular rewards and bonuses for active players. • Progression: Levels and rewards that feel achievable. • Goals: Clear short- and long-term objectives for players to strive toward. • Ads: Optional, minimal interruptions that offer rewards. • Game Balance: Skill-based success with balanced matchmaking and economy• Engagement: Daily challenges and fresh content to keep players involved. • Updates: Frequent updates with new features and bug fixes. • Feedback: Listening to players and communicating clearly. • Performance: Smooth gameplay, fast load times, minimal bugs. • Interface: Clean design, intuitive controls.𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗥𝗣𝗨 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 😕 • Game Start: Long loading […]

Cup Heroes: Voodoo's new hybrid casual hit, making 🤑 $160k/day! Steady growth with ad placement excellence. What about their UA? uff! 👇 Cup Heroes makes around 50% of its revenue from ads, making it a true hybrid casual game. There are 29 ad placements in 1 run = 15 waves that the player encounters. With 45-50 minutes played daily, averaging five sessions per day and around 7.5min per session, that’s almost ad juggernaut. (wink wink, Felix!)This is a detailed review of Cup Heroes by Voodoo, discussing its hybrid casual gameplay, performance metrics, monetization strategies, and user experience. We explore the game's growth trajectory, retention rates, and how it compares to Mob Control other titles in the market.Discussing the effectiveness of decoys and rewards in gameplay, the impact of skill randomizers on player experience, and the creative approaches used in-game advertising.But […]

How Last War and WhiteOut Survival Expand Their Player Base 📈Take a look at the Top 10 4X strategy games in the image below. Notice how far ahead the Top 2 games are from their competitors. And the year-on-year growth? Absolutely insane! 🚀What’s driving this success?— Popular, engaging settings 🌍— More of the casual mechanics 🎯— Fresh visuals and more dynamic gameplay 🎨— Stronger appeal to female players 👩‍💻Want to know more? Read the new article on AppMagic, written in collaboration with Olga Sobolevskaya, Game Market Analyst at MY.GAMES, whose insights lay the foundation for this research into evolving trends in 4X games. The link is here.