Journal

Imagine a worse version of whatever newsletter you read converted to a Tweet thread, then converted to a corporate slideshow.

Q3 was tough for hypercasual. Downloads of top games dropped by 20-50%. Full report on hypercasual games in Q3:

🎉 Slingshot Hook: The Iteration of a New Trend👇 Evony has emerged as a significant player in leveraging the "slingshot hook" within its marketing creatives. The company is actively iterating on this concept, releasing several new versions each month that include:▶️ More Heroes: Introducing additional characters to engage players.▶️ Mjolnir Integration: Incorporating the legendary hammer may raise legal considerations. (lawsuit in 3..2..1..)▶️Alligator Elements: Adding dynamic wildlife interactions to enhance visual appeal.Why Is It So Effective?The slingshot mechanic is a compelling visual tool that captures audience attention almost immediately. Despite minor delays—such as waiting for alligators to appear—the concept is straightforward and easily understood. It provides instant feedback, tapping into the audience's appreciation for tension and release dynamics, which can lead to increased engagement.What's the Next Twist?There is already an expansion on this hook, and Evony appears to be intensifying its focus […]

Review Radar #6 📡 is back with 13 games that we already covered on the podcast in the last 3 months, as we keep them on our "radar" 😅. Get the latest status updates from big names such as Peak, Supercell, Zynga, Netmarble, miHoYo, AppQuantum, ABI Game Studio, Space Ape Games, 😎. Peak game's Match Factory hasn't peaked 😅 yet and is still scaling up scoring the studio a hattrick of 3rd successful big hit 😁. On the other hand, both Wood Nuts & Bolts and Chrome Valley customs are scaling down, probably because of the fierce opposition from Century Games's Truck Star 🚚 for the latter. The Banana Steam game is still keeping around 350K average monthly CCU as it seems bot farms just won't let go of this dream to waste 😅🤖.Supercell's SquadBusters is keeping stable numbers, with […]

🚀 Mobile Ad Placements: Current Trends in Ultracasual and Hypercasual 📈 Mobile Game design trends evolve similarly to UA creatives but on a larger 2-3 month cycle, with UA driving game design. Here are the three ad monetization trends currently in use:1. New Remove Ads Buttons 🛑✨ - New ways to integrate “remove ads” options which include; Slider, to match iPhone settings 📱, and remove ads multiple pricing options for 1 week to forever.2. Hiding Content behind Rewarded Ads 💲🔒 - Games like Nut Sort, Magic Tiles Piano 3, and Car Jam hide a considerable amount of content behind rewarded ads. Anything from 6-34 rewarded ad views are needed to unlock content 🎁.3. UA Design Driving Game Design 🎨 - The famous “only 97% can beat this level” messages from UA creatives have been added in CryptoGram to encourage users […]

How to Find the Perfect Game Idea Spoiler: It's not just about having a 'cool concept'.It’s about aligning key areas:• Fun Concept – A 'toy' that’s enjoyable to play• Team Expertise – A project your team is capable of building successfully• Players' Demand – Gameplay that players want and are excited to play• Monetization Potential – A genre with the potential to generate profitTrue success lies at the intersection of all four.Hit that sweet spot, and you’ve got your next big game idea.

I’ve been playing Royal Match, and I have to say, the chest opening animation and rewards are absolutely fantastic! The chest jumping, the smooth animation, and the way the rewards are presented (plus the amount!) make it such a satisfying experience. It’s just the right balance—nothing over the top, but enough to feel really rewarding. 👏 Dream Games really nailed it with this feature. It’s those small touches that make a huge difference! 🎉

The untold truth about game live ops: How you think you should use your data:✦ Manually trigger campaigns, ✦ Segment users by static groups,✦ Send the same offers and missions to all players,How you actually can use data:✦ Personalize game features and offers in real-time:↳ Based on player behavior with different goals.✦ Create live segments that dynamically update: ↳ For tailored marketing and user experience.✦ Automate journeys with trigger-based campaigns:↳ To live player behavior for smoother engagement.All can be easily done with Dive Make your players WANT to play your game.Don’t force them.Cheers! PS: Sending a quick message to Hadara Alook is a beginning on your data result driven journey.hashtag#videogames hashtag#gamedevelopment hashtag#data hashtag#tech

How We Can Help Here are a few reminders of how we can help—and thank you for subscribing: CREATIVE STRATEGY for new and established games that are stuck: watch my talk from Google GameCamp or reach out.GAMEPLANTM diagnostic: I had three meetings at PGC Helsinki today, tackling how to cut through the noise. We’ve helped companies such as Huuuge Games, Etermax and Netflix with the strategy that delivers results. About GamePlan. GROWTH & CREATIVE PROGRAMS: After the diagnostic phase, we offer implementation programs covering marketing analytics, user acquisition, ASO, and creative communication. Book a call How to Choose Your AI Note-taker Did you know professionals spend over 20 hours a week in meetings? Before AI, note-taking was manual and often disruptive. But now, with AI meeting assistants, you can automate transcription, task management, and summaries, freeing up time for what […]