Mobile Gaming and Apps in CEE

I was building reports on various regions, but I wasn't sharing much about Central and Eastern Europe (CEE region), even though I'm from there and work primarily with that region (I added some additional countries too).. Of course, CEE countries aren't priority markets for most mobile gaming and app companies, but I thought it would be valuable to offer more perspective on our region. For that reason I made it quite detailed (and long as the consequence).➤ CEE countries can be a very interesting niche for many companies, especially smaller ones that struggle to compete in Tier 1 markets.➤ If you are from any of the markets covered by the data (Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Greece, Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania, Latvia), these reports should be useful for understanding the dynamics of mobile gaming and apps market in your country […]

Mariusz Gąsiewski May 27

Journal

The Real Issue with AI Prompting (Not What You Think)

The internet is flooded with generative AI prompt courses and libraries. Numerous “experts” claim this skill set will soon be highly sought after. I think that’s BS. Here are two major reasons why I don’t believe this: 1. Prompting is Not Natural The necessity to write a prompt in a certain structure is a very temporary phase of technology. Do you know anyone who uses sophisticated queries in Google? I guess not, because smart engineers figured out how to present relevant results based on very simple natural language. Prompting courses will become obsolete before you can blink as the technology will become more human-centric. To prove my point, just check the newest ChatGPT 4o, which allows great and near real-time natural voice conversation. Midjourney prompting in Discord is also a very nerdy and temporary interface which, I bet, will change […]

Peter Fodor May 27

Journal

AI makes the One Person company more possible than ever.

AI makes the One Person company more possible than ever. Not only is a work-from-anywhere, single-person company 100% doable, it’s now easier than ever to get started and grow 📈Yes, you still have to be an expert in your core niche, but genAI makes you close to an expert in every other discipline necessary to run a business. Need help with:- Marketing - Accounting- Legal- Coding- Graphic Design - Administration - Customer Support - Etc. GenAI has your back 🤖It can fill in the gaps at 1/1000th the cost of hiring an actual professional. As AI agents continue to improve, a solo company will become more and more like a 5, 10, 50+ person startup. There has never been a better time to be a solo entrepreneur.

Jon Leslie May 27

Journal

Embracing Self-Compassion and Growth

I have often found myself trapped in a cycle of self-criticism. My low self-esteem makes it hard for me to feel proud of my work. I tend to focus on what I could have done better instead of recognizing what I did well. This habit of seeing only my mistakes instead of celebrating my successes has been a significant challenge for me. It has taught me how important it is to be kind to myself and recognize my achievements, no matter how small.To everyone who struggles with self-doubt: take a moment to appreciate your hard work and the positive impact you make. Remember, perfection is an illusion; growth comes from learning and evolving. Celebrate your wins, even the small ones – they are the building blocks of your success.

Elizaveta Savenkova May 27

Journal

The Power of Communication

I’ve remembered today that one of my colleagues described the way I talk to people as “Graceful Communication”. Nowadays, effective communication is more critical than ever. Whether we are interacting with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders, the tone and approach we use can make a significant difference. When engaging with clients and customers, a calm and friendly demeanor builds trust and fosters long-lasting relationships. It shows that we are approachable, understanding, and genuinely interested in their needs. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also encourages positive word-of-mouth and repeat business. Communication that is supportive and respectful creates a healthy work environment. It promotes collaboration, boosts morale, and increases productivity. When team members feel valued and heard, they are more likely to contribute their best ideas and efforts.Pushy and aggressive communication can lead to unnecessary stress, misunderstandings, and conflicts. While […]

Elizaveta Savenkova May 27

Journal

Power of engaging your audience before a big launch

💡 Have you ever considered the power of engaging your audience before a big launch? 🎮 Wuthering Waves 🎮 will be released globally on the 22nd of May and is set to be a corker of a game. however, the developer KURO Games has a fantastic pre-release site where you can gain echoes (in-game characters) by signing up and completing tasks! It's a beautiful way of building and engaging with your fan base before launch. 🕹 User acquisition can be run to the website, where the user would sign up to create an account that carries over to the mobile when the game is globally launched. 💥 This is a nice example of creating a running start for a global launch! hashtag#gaming hashtag#mobilemarketing

Adam Smart May 27

Journal

Release & Transfer Roundup: First Half of April 2024

TRACKING RELEASES & TRANSFERS# 1 HALF OF APRIL, 2024 Hi, Hybrid and Hyper friends! 😍Today we're back with another…💫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 💫I bring you the main launches and transfers from the Hybrid & Hypercasual market in the first fortnight of April.I highlight 3️⃣ titles.✅ “Stack N Sort” by VoodooInspired by Lion Studios's new puzzle hit "Hexa Sort", "Stack" brings square pieces instead of hexanes. 🟥🟧🟩🟦The square pieces change the gameplay as the player has fewer movement options.On the other hand, the French publisher 🇫🇷 has replicated some important elements from "Hexa", such as the stylish game art.With high penetration in the coveted North American market 🇺🇸 , "Hexa Sort" became a game to overcome."Stack N Sort" was developed by HE Games and transferred to Voodoo's account on April 10th. 🗓️✅ “All in Hole” by Homa"All in Hole" is […]

Carlos Pereira May 27

Journal

Voodoo’s Model to Indie Gaming

I was recently asked about the indie PC game publishing space and why no Voodoo-like company exists in the PC gaming ecosystem. It's a great question, and I wanted to spend some time thinking about it. A note for those unfamiliar with Voodoo: Voodoo is a French company that popularized the rapid development and testing of hyper-casual mobile games in the late 2010s. They developed games ready to ship in just a few weeks, then relied on early KPIs to determine if they were engaging the audience and generating a return on ad spend. If the results were positive, they'd continue development and invest more in user acquisition. So why doesn't this rapid development model exist in PC gaming? There are several factors, but the key one is the current distribution method for PC games. Steam dominates the PC gaming […]

Joakim Achren May 27

Journal

10 years ago I decided to start working on f2p games.

A kind of anniversary: 10 years ago I decided to start working on f2p games. 🏆🎮It was a difficult decision that I weighed for six months. F2P's reputation was worse than it is now, mostly it was represented by browser and mobile casual games. I wondered: is there a way for such games to be as fun and engaging as retail titles for PC? With those thoughts I applied to RJ Games and got work at "UnderControl" - browser tactical RTS in modern setting. And never regretted this decision. After all: I've always dreamed of working with RTS, the genre on PC was mostly non-existent, Clash royale was't released yet.At RJ from the one side the team was struggling with soft-launch that gone wrong: project was on the brink of closure when I joined (or it felt this way). Game […]

Sergei Zenkin May 24

Journal

Hypercasual Games with Over 250M Downloads

In the dynamic world of mobile gaming, hyper-casual games have carved out a significant niche. Their simple yet addictive gameplay has captivated millions of players worldwide. Today, we celebrate the titans of this genre—games that have surpassed the remarkable milestone of 250 million downloads. These games, released by renowned global publishers, are not just popular but have set benchmarks in the industry. Let’s dive into the list of these hyper casual hits. Top 24 hypercasual games in terms of downloads 1) HELIX JUMP - 514 million + downloads Helix Jump by h8games led by Oleh Khromov , Oleg Batrakov , Roman Drovikov and published by Voodoo , led by Alexandre Yazdi , Laurent Ritter , Alexander Shea , Thibault de Vésinne-Larüe , Oriane Mainard , Alvaro Duarte , Gautier BAILLY . Helix Jump is an addictive game where players navigate […]

Vamsi Penmetsa May 23

Journal

Merge Games Market History & Full Overview

👋 Let’s look at the top 2 Merge Games Ad Monetization strategies. Right now the undisputed leaders in the Merge Category are Magmatic Games Ltd’s Travel Town ($620k/day IAP) and Mircofun’s Gossip Harbour ($350k/day IAP). 💰 Travel Town according to Sensor Tower boasts a DAU of 1.5m and is mediated on Google AdMob. The current Rewarded ad placements are Energey replenishments when you run out of energy capped at 4x per day and after level 10 pop to unlock bubbles on the merge board. About 40% of users should interact with these placements roughly bringing the IMP/DAU to 3.2 meaning a daily ad revenue of around $100k or 15% of overall revenue (Estimate!).💹 Gossip Harbour’s DAU is slightly lower at 500k users and is mediated on AppLovin and has a heavier focus on ad revenue. Currently, there are 4 Rewarded […]

Felix Braberg May 20

Journal

AppLovin’s Modern Community and The Power of Game Narrative

Making a successful Match-3 is one of the most challenging tasks a mobile game developer can tackle. To succeed, you need a top-of-the-line game engine in addition to an engaging and differentiated metagame, and, even if you have both, you need a robust UA campaign to entice players. You will be competing against some of the most profitable game businesses out there with some of the heaviest war chests possible. You need a lot of stars to align and hopefully don’t run out of money in the process. That’s why so many of the top Match-3 games belong to a handful of developers. The top of the charts belong to: King with their Candy Crush games, Playrix with ‘Scapes games and Fishdom (still going strong!), and Dream with Royal Match. AppLovin is coming right after them with Project Makeover and […]

Ahmetcan Demirel May 20

Journal

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