Entering the golden age of mobile browser apps

Before jumping into this week’s article, I wanted to ask if you know anyone thinking about launching a startup. If so, please ask them to contact me on LinkedIn or submit a pitch through our website. We’re eager to connect with gaming and consumer startup founders. ✌️Here’s this week’s article for you.Right now, a huge opportunity is emerging for mobile browser apps. Let me explain why. But first, let's take a step back and look at the broader landscape of mobile applications being downloaded from app stores. Many have recently speculated about the potential decline of dominant app stores run by Apple and Google. In early 2024, Epic Games launched its own web store in Europe, and it's believed that other major players, including Microsoft, will follow suit with their own app stores.Consider this: giants like Epic and Microsoft possess […]

Joakim Achren September 27

Journal

Where do you think most start-ups get stuck?

Where do you think most start-ups get stuck? 90% of them, unfortunately, fail. While this is slightly different for game startups;The majority of them fail.Here are some top reasons:> Weak Unique Selling Point,:> Lack of product growth know-how,:> Co-founder leadership,:> Good idea, terrible execution,:> Inefficient monetization (too early or too late),:> Technical Issues,:> Horrible pitch decks. Like really bad. No, market saturation is NOT listed,Because guess what:It's not the market, it's you. What is the outcome? We gonna see a lot ofsuccessful gaming startups in the near future.The future is bright, for those who work and believe! Don't you think?Cheers!

Gökhan Üzmez September 27

Journal

Hamster Kombat is bigger than Monopoly GO and Royal Match

Hamster Kombat is bigger than Monopoly GO, Royal Match, and many of my favorite games. 😳 But how? We all know the story: a mix of greed, virality, and referral marketing. It’s easy to get caught up in those talks about the second wave of play-to-earn hype and the future of gaming and Web3…But let us focus on what’s happening right now—the impact of this viral clicker on Telegram. 🐹Today, with 110M MAU, Hamster Kombat now makes up 15% of all Telegram users, according to AppMagic.So what did these insane numbers do for the messenger? — Helped the platform reach 700M MAU and brought in millions of new users 🆕— Popularized the Telegram App Center and flooded it with tap-to-earn projects 📈— Drove millions to download Tonkeeper wallet, greatly expanding the TON ecosystem 🔗Find out more in our latest article!

Andrei Zubov September 27

Journal

Slingshot Hook: The Evolution of a New Trend

🎉 Slingshot Hook: The Evolution of a New Trend 👇 Guess what's making a comeback from the "ancient history" of gaming? The classic slingshot mechanic! It's been out of the spotlight for a while, but it's exciting to see this tried-and-true feature from Angry Birds being reinvented in creatives.From Dice Dreams using it in their ads (congrats to SuperPlay for joining the Playtika family!) to its recent appearance in Evony or Royal Match.Evony is quite an interesting beast. They run a ton of creatives and are already iterating on the Slingshot hook. Looks like this is the next big thing on the menu for multiple games!And now, even Royal Match is experimenting with this and incorporating the Slingshot Hook in their creative testing.Plus, a big surprise coming from Century Games recently. This is a new creative for Whiteout Survival (very […]

Matej Lancaric September 27

Journal

Subculture Games in Korea: Successes, Failures, and Future Outlook

Subculture games are titles that target a niche audience or a specific fandom rather than aiming for a broad, mainstream market. These games attract a devoted fanbase that tends to deeply immerse themselves in the game’s characters and world. This immersion often results in a unique spending pattern, where players are willing to invest significantly in the game to enhance their experience. The genre itself often draws inspiration from Japanese anime, manga, and game culture, making it particularly appealing to younger generations. Recently, this genre has rapidly grown in Korea’s mobile game market and has also garnered attention in the global gaming scene. SHIFTUP and Nexon’s Bright Future Among Korean game companies, SHIFTUP and Nexon have notably succeeded in the subculture genre. SHIFTUP’s Goddess of Victory: NIKKE has achieved global success, captivating players worldwide with stunning graphics and compelling storytelling. […]

Myoungwon Kim September 26

Journal

Royal Match: The Secret Event

I’m a big fan of Royal Match, especially their LiveOps and Feature system so I couldn’t miss their latest event. However, I have mixed feelings about it: as a Player – I absolutely love it. as a Producer – I was surprised by this NEW feature. Are you curious to know WHY? Let’s dive into it below. NEW Event ‘Super Duke’ A/B-testing We’ll dive into this Event in more detail soon, but before that, I want to share with you some interesting information: First, I got access to this Feature at the start of August. However, by the end of the month, they had Turned it off. Additionally, not all Players had this Feature. For example, my friends didn’t have it. Discussions in the Facebook fan group revealed that only a few players could try it (more on that later). This leads us […]

Olha Semykina September 26

Journal

287.000 Digital Visual Artists in USA Alone

There are 287.000+ Digital Visual Artists in USA alone, 68.000 on LinkedIn. What do these Game Artists do though?Game Art is crucial in every game. WHY?Because they make EVERYTHING you see on screen.Working in every aspect of the game;From idea to design, and to development.Here are some of the titles and what they do:✦ Art Director↳They decide how the game should look and feel, ↳Oversees the visual style of the game.✦ Concept Artist↳They draw ideas of in game assets and how theyshould look like before anyone makes them.✦ 3D Artist ↳They make the characters and worlds in the game look like real 3D objects you can walk around.✦ Animator↳They make characters and objects move.<insert I like to move it move it 🎵 song here>↳Animators bring characters and assets to life.✦ Technical Artist↳They make sure the game runs fast.↳Act as a […]

Gökhan Üzmez September 26

Journal

Top AI Tools for Game Development:

Here are the top AI tools for game development: 1. Runway ML - AI-powered video editing and VFX tool for content creators.• Link: https://runwayml.com2. Meshy 3D - Generates 3D models using AI for faster game development.• Link: https://meshy.ai3. Leonardo AI - AI tool for creating detailed 2D art and game assets.• Link: https://www.leonardo.ai4. GPT o1-mini - Text generation AI for creating dialogues, scripts, and narrative• Link: https://openai.com5. Ludo AI - AI for automating game design concepts and brainstorming ideas• Link: https://ludo.ai6. Cascadeur - AI-assisted animation tool for smooth and realistic character movements.• Link: https://cascadeur.com7. Inworld AI - AI-driven tool to create intelligent and interactive NPCs.• Link: https://www.inworld.ai8. Nvidia ACE - AI platform for realistic NPC interaction and behavior in games.• Link: https://www.nvidia.com9. Aiva AI - AI music composition tool to generate soundtracks for games.• Link: https://www.aiva.ai10. ElevenLabs - AI-powered voiceover […]

Anton Slashcev September 26

Journal

Satisroom: Perfectly Organize by FALCON Game Studio

🚀 RISING IN THE CHARTS 📈”SATISROOM” BY FALCON GAME STUDIO Last week we were surprised by a new leader in worldwide game downloads. 🥇💫 “Satisroom: Perfectly Organize” by FALCON GAME STUDIO 💫Released in July, “Satisroom” blew through millions of downloads in September.Do you want to know the secret of this skyrocketing growth? 🤔👇 Go through the slides below and find out. 👇All data from AppMagic. 💯

Carlos Pereira September 26

Journal

Super Smart Advertising of Last War by Rivergame

This is super smart advertising by Rivergame's Last War 😁. By getting the actor Antony Starr, the marketing team cleverly created situations in the ads that heavily imply his major role (Homelander from The Boys series) even though, they probably don't have the rights for the series 😅, just for the actor. Despite not having the superhero costume, just by adding his signature laser eyes and his "unique" humor, you won't even notice that this is not Homelander. It fits really naturally, no Batsuit or Spiderwebs are needed to instantly recognize your favorite "superhero" 😎. Lately celebrity & IP crossover advertising in mobile gaming has seen an uptick, especially with the Squad Busters launch campaign, Royal Match Cameo usage, and now with the Monopoly GO Marvel in-game event. Maybe by the end of the year, we won't have fake ads […]

Jakub Remiar September 26

Journal

Voodoo x Hasbro Collab is Back in Mob Control

The Voodoo x Hasbro collab is back in Mob Control, and I’m loving it! 🎉 Bringing Transformers into the game feels like the perfect fit. With characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron, this partnership takes the player experience to a whole new level. 🚀 Not only does it make the game more fun, but it also shows how smart Voodoo is with their hybrid monetization strategy. By adding a huge franchise like Transformers, they're giving players more reasons to engage and maybe even make a few extra in-app purchases. 💸What do you think? Is this the kind of crossover that keeps you coming back for more?

Michael Kopelovich September 26

Journal

Mobile Ad Spend in US by Industries

Simple, although very powerful data showing changes in the mobile ad spend in US by industries (based on eMarketer). Why it is important?▪️ Growth: It shows how verticals like Retail, CPG are getting strong on Mobile. ▪️ App Monetization: With approximately 80% of mobile ad spending occurring within apps, this shift indicates a change in app monetization strategies, especially towards hybrid models. This is crucial for mobile games, as increased non-gaming ads within them signify a move towards true hybrid monetization with potentially lower cannibalization rates. Since eCPMs for these ads might not be tied to in-app purchase probability, it allows for diversified revenue streams.▪️ Industry-Wide Shift: This trend reflects the adoption of data-driven strategies, user acquisition (UA), and measurement techniques, previously common in mobile gaming, by other sectors like retail. ▪️ This is evident in the job market, where […]

Mariusz Gąsiewski September 25

Journal

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