Stop blaming the Saturated Market for your failed game

Stop blaming the ‘’saturated’’ market for your ''failed'' game, and.. Get back to the drawing board.Because, you may be wrong all along. -You can’t make another match-3, it’s a red ocean.🙃🙃-Match3D? So many attempts, it doesn’t work.🤭🤭-Fine, but you can’t make another block puzzle😉😉We have 6 NEW games made in the past year,Dominating the most downloaded charts.All have a flawless gameplay and Actually creative marketing departments.Most importantly,They didn’t appear out of thin air!These developers worked hard:- Based on rock solid data,- Mastered the gameplay,- Engineered level funnels,- Evaluated the data for results...Results are not coincidental. It's science based creativity!So, next time before blaming the market,Make sure you have taken the right steps.Does ''saturated market'' even exist?

Gökhan Üzmez September 16

Journal

Interesting Yoga Puzzle: Strike a Pose

🌟 Yoga Match by Holago Games led by Can Hülagü, Taygun Savaş and many more is a puzzle game that brings a fresh twist to the block match genre! 🧘‍♀️🧩 Instead of the usual shapes or colors, you’re sorting people into yoga poses! 🙆‍♂️🧘‍♀️🧍‍♂️ It’s a brilliantly executed concept that’s super fun and visually different, even though the mechanics are simple. ⏳ Within a limited time, you’ll need to strategically sort each person onto their respective yoga mats on the grid. 🧩🏃‍♂️ It’s both relaxing and challenging—perfect for puzzle lovers looking for something unique! 💫

Vamsi Penmetsa September 16

Journal

Roadmap to Improve Game LTV

A roadmap to improve a game's LTV isn't as complicated as it sounds. Here's a straightforward process to follow:1. Nail short-term retention first. ↳ Focus on optimizing the onboarding experience to hook players2. Drive high engagement. ↳ Make a compelling and fun gameplay loop 3. Then, focus on long-term retention. ↳ Add new content and features↳ Create strong progression and goals to keep players invested over time4. Convert players into paying users. ↳ Create resource shortage and offer tailored starter packs 5. Increase payment frequency. ↳ Add time-limited deals or season passes to encourage consistent spending6. Raise the average transaction value. ↳ Offer high-value bundles and adjust prices based on player segmentation7. Explore additional revenue streams. ↳ Experiment with ads and subscription tiers through A/B testing → The challenge lies in the execution. • Each step offers multiple approaches. • […]

Anton Slashcev September 15

Journal

Let’s wrap up the week with some news headlines.

Finale: Let's wrap up the week with some news headlines.No, not the unity runtime fee - something bigger: A new model from OpenAI. One of the biggest flaws of AI so far has been its logic and math performance.The previous model, 4o, scored 13% on the math olympiad problems.The newest one just released, scored 83%.(Funny enough, similar to the math olympiad score I had back in high school 🤓 )This is probably the Q* project they've been teasing (or being leaked).But what's the significance? Why is this relevant? Don't we already have calculators?The thing is, predicting words is one thing, logic is a completely separate pattern that can lead to better chain-of-thought reasoning that can answer tasks more effectively.The current model is said to perform as well as PhD students in physics, biology, and chemistry.Let's tinker around and see what […]

Gus Viegas September 15

Journal

24 Pre-order iOS Games

I've been keeping a close eye on 24 pre-order iOS games. Some I follow because I love their graphics,some for their high level of innovation,and others because I think the publisher could have a big influence.I believe these are the games we'll be talking a lot about in terms of iOS performance soon.

Yagiz Gur September 15

Journal

New Game Dev Reality Check

New Game Dev Reality Check. "Publish fast" isn't always wise.Deadlines? Budgets? Players don't care.Quality beats panic releases. Here's why:1. Assuming you know players' tastes?❌ Wrong.Real insights come from player research.2. Big games = better games? ❌ False.Focus on core gameplay.3. Rushed launch? ❌ It's just "publishing crap."No polish = failure.

Sergei Vasiuk September 14

Journal

Skip-Its in Ad Monetization in 2024

Skip-its, also known as skips, skip-its, and tickets offer the player an option to earn an in-game reward from a rewarded video ad without watching it. At the heart of most hypercasual and casual mobile games is the traditional ad monetization model - a necessary, though often maligned, source of revenue. Players often find themselves in a love-hate relationship with in-game ads: they’re a ticket to various rewards, yet they interrupt the flow of gameplay if not implemented correctly. However, the rise of 'Skip-Its' is challenging this norm, introducing an option that allows players to bypass ads for a small fee, yet still reap the rewards as if they had watched them. This concept presents a different angle to player interaction with ads; it is a major shift in user experience that introduces new dimensions in revenue generation and user […]

Božo Janković September 14

Journal

Live-Ops Features Starter Pack

Live-Ops Features Starter Pack Here is a list of references from top games for each feature:𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀• Piggy Bank• Double & Tripple Offers • Rolling Offer• Starter Pack Offer𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀• Happy Hours• Daily Quests• Race Tournament• Solo Tournament• Win Streak • Milestone Tasks• Time pressing challenge𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀• Daily Bonus• Push Notifications• Album Collection𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀• Partners • Clans • Friends• Team Tournament 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 \ 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲• Board Minigame• Treasure Hunt Minigame• Plinko• Slot Machine / Wheel Minigame• Puzzle𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀

Anton Slashcev September 14

Journal

Trend Alert: Downhill Skateboard

⚠️ TREND ALERT ⚠️ DOWNHILL SKATEBOARD 🛹🛣️ 👇 Read my review 👇 Do you know what Downhill Skateboarding is? 🤔Downhill skateboarding is an extreme sport where riders race down steep hills at high speeds on longboards.It involves a combination of skill, precision, and control, as skaters navigate through winding roads, often reaching speeds of 50-70 mph (80-113 km/h) or more. 😱The goal is to maintain balance and control while descending, using techniques such as tucking, carving, and drifting to manage speed and handle corners.One of the champions of this sport is Ambroise Trauet. 🏅He has starred in award-winning films such as “Perseverance” (“Best Film” at Festival du Film de Montagne 2023, available on Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios) and “Free Solo”. 🎬👏Ambroise has a solid presence on social media, but it was the video “Tuck, slide & grip” published […]

Carlos Pereira September 14

Journal

How A/B Testing Transformed SSSnaker’s User Acquisition

In the ever-evolving world of mobile games, A/B testing icons, screenshots, and creatives are crucial for reducing CPI and boosting user acquisition. 🚀 Take SSSnaker by Habby, for example. They’ve been constantly experimenting with different A/B tests, and guess what? The same strategy doesn’t always work across different stores! 🏪🔄 In fact, Play Store and App Store icons and screenshots can have different impacts on user behavior and conversion rates, so it’s important to test separately for each platform! 📱🛍️Recently, SSSnaker ran A/B tests with ad creatives that resembled the old Blocks vs Snakes game by Voodoo, which was released 4 years ago. 🐍🎮 They even changed their Play Store icon and screenshots to align with this new style, completely transforming their game's visual appeal. 🌟 We often see 4X strategy companies doing this, but SSSnaker is a fantastic case […]

Vamsi Penmetsa September 13

Journal

If it’s growing well, why are my eCPMs declining?

In the past, I frequently wrote and presented about the opportunities in ad and hybrid monetization. This led to questions like, "If it's growing so well, why are my eCPMs declining?". Such questions are challenging to answer, but it's important to understand one key point. Ad monetization has wider adoption and lower concentration than in-app revenue. This means the barrier to entry is lower, and the potential for competition in the long tail (when we simply add ads without innovation or a strong data-driven approach) is even higher than with in-app purchases.Here's data comparing Data.ai (in-app revenue) and Apptica (ad distribution) among top 1000 games and apps on iOS and Games. While comparing different datasets isn't straightforward, and tools have limitations, the difference is quite apparent. Data inludes worldwide data for 9.2023-8.2024 (last 12 months).Once again, ad and hybrid monetization […]

Mariusz Gąsiewski September 13

Journal

When selling your game, watch out for common pitfalls

When selling your game, watch out for common pitfalls that can jeopardize the deal and hurt your chances of success. Here are three of the most common mistakes that you can avoid to ensure a smoother, more secure sale:1. Sharing data too early. Validate buyers' intentions before granting access, as some may just be fishing for data.2. Transferring funds prematurely. Always use secure methods like escrow services to protect your transaction.3. Stopping UA efforts. Maintain metrics even after listing the game to keep it attractive to buyers.It's also important not to test new features or make significant changes to your game during the sale process. You don’t know how these changes will affect your conversion funnel and decrease the game’s valuation!

Peter Fodor September 13

Journal

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