Intrinsic Studio Culture: The Key to Successful Games

In the games industry, studio culture often risks on becoming a byproduct of fast-paced development cycles, shifting priorities, and external pressures — leading to extrinsic motivations playing big part in building games. Similarly, given the current economic conditions, especially job market’s situation, there will be extrinsic factors in the play more and more within the industry — as sometimes people just need a job to make a proper living, whilst any type of opportunities just come more rare. While there isn’t nothing wrong with these sides, given the circumstances and that there can be successful businesses focusing fully on the extrinsic side of things on top of the covered circumstances; overall I think that companies can do better on this front to build more sustainable future for the games industry. So, this is where we get to the discussion point […]

Antti Kananen March 16

Highlights

Jobs in Mobile Gaming: 15 March

» 1161 Jobs in Mobile Gaming this week Data from Gamigion.com/jobs Dev Art Product Marketing Business Data QA Dev Senior Director of Engineering Scopely Technical Team Lead (Client) Scopely Technical Director Unannounced Title Scopely Sr. Director, Engineering - Head of Game Tools Scopely Staff Engineer - Monopoly GO! Scopely Lead Software Engineer Scopely Platform Account Engineer Scopely Technical Lead of Analytics Engineering Scopely Senior Director, Engineering - Yathzee With Buddies Scopely Senior Engineer - Monopoly GO! Scopely Senior Software Engineer, Supercell ID Supercell Senior Game Programmer, Brawl Stars Supercell Senior Game Tech Programmer Supercell Software Engineer 2- Full Stack Zynga Engineering Manager 2 Zynga Software Engineer - Ad Monetization Zynga Mobile Game Engineer […]

Gamigion March 15

Highlights

Google Expands Mobile Gaming to PC

Google Play is making all mobile games playable on PC by default! Ahead of the GDC, Google announced new updates for Mobile & PC Gaming, including expanded support for Mobile Games on PC, New Dev tools & Upcoming Game Releases. Mobile Games on PC by Default Google Play will now make all mobile games available on PC automatically. Developers can opt out if they choose. Optimized games will have a special badge, while others will be marked as playable. Google Play Games for PC is also adding support for AMD-based laptops and desktops and integrating into PC start menus. New Developer Tools Google introduced several updates to help developers bring mobile games to PC: A new SDK for native PC games on Google Play Games with in-app purchase support. Updates to Play Console for easier build distribution across mobile and […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 14

Highlights

More Revenue, Less Fees: Samsung’s 80/20 on Galaxy Store

Samsung Revolutionizes Mobile Gaming with 80/20 Revenue Share & Cloud Gaming Innovations Samsung is shaking up the mobile gaming industry with a game-changing 80/20 revenue share model for games on the Galaxy Store. Announced just ahead of the Game Developers Conference, this move significantly undercuts Apple and Google’s standard 30% cut, aligning more closely with Epic Games' developer-friendly 12% model. Empowering Developers with Cloud Gaming Samsung’s mobile cloud gaming platform is redefining how developers scale their businesses. By eliminating the need for downloads, the platform allows players to jump straight into gameplay, enhancing user acquisition, boosting revenue potential, and simplifying game development with an extensive suite of software development kits (SDKs) and tools. Since launching commercially in North America in November 2024, Samsung’s cloud gaming service has already driven significant success. Take Vizor, the developer behind Klondike Adventures—since joining Samsung’s […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 14

Journal

Mobile Gaming Rebounds in 2025 with AI & Emerging Markets

The mobile gaming market is bouncing back in early 2025, showing clear signs of growth, according to Adjust’s latest Gaming App Insights 2025 report. After a turbulent period, the industry is finding its footing again—driven by evolving monetization strategies and AI-powered personalization. Global Gaming App installs rose by 4% YoY in 2024, with emerging markets leading the charge. LATAM saw a 9% increase in installs, while MENA followed closely with 7%. Hyper-casual games dominated install share at 27%, though they struggled with retention, while strategy games surged with an impressive 83% install growth. AI is also reshaping user acquisition, helping developers fine-tune their ad strategies for better engagement. “After a period of market volatility, mobile gaming is back on a growth trajectory,” says Tiahn Wetzler, director of content and insights at Adjust. With mobile-first adoption booming in LATAM and MENA, […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 14

Highlights

Angel Portfolio Playbook: What Failures and One Exit Taught Me

I had been a founder for over 15 years and in 2019, I felt like I wanted to take the leap into the startup investing side. Inspired by Jason Calacanis's book "Angel," I wrote my first check to a game studio founded by former Next Games colleagues of mine. After starting with small $5K investments, I eventually created an angel syndicate with 200+ gaming professionals before launching F4 Fund in 2024. Between 2019-2023, I made 34 angel investments. Note that I’ve stopped doing new angel investments after we started F4 Fund. Currently, in March 2025, the portfolio looks something like this. 1 exit (returned more than 1x of total invested capital) 4 companies doing extremely well, 4 that struggled but are now growing 16 with markups of 30-300% 7 gone to $0 (plus 4 more likely in 2024) 2 survived […]

Joakim Achren March 14

Highlights

Tripledot’s Big Gamble on nearly $1B Acquisition

𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗘: 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗼𝘁’𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 Tripledot’s nearly $1B acquisition of Applovin's studios is a massive gamble but reflects the shrinking pool in the hyper-to-hybrid publisher game. With this move, Tripledot radically shifts from 1% IAP to majority reliance. Meanwhile, peers like Voodoo and Homa slug through slow hyper-to-hybrid transitions. Rather than incremental growth, Tripledot opted for transformative growth overnight, betting they will learn, grow, and wield a zoo of studios and genres. Tripledot's filings reveal an astounding 98% ad revenue share, which brought in over $300M last year. Yet margins languished at a frustrating 15%, explaining the strategic necessity of shifting toward IAP and hybridcasual for better cost leverage and valuations. This is another reminder that gaming's unique economics differ significantly from traditional subscription models like Netflix or even software more broadly.Eric Seufert’s recent "Economics of Mobile Gaming" highlights […]

Phillip Black March 14

Journal

Alternative App Stores: The Post-DMA Opportunity

In the world of alternative app stores, all eyes have been on the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Last week marked the deadline for compliance by @Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. However, predictably, no substantial changes have been made, and the status quo persists. While pressure from the European Commission or other governments may eventually force some movement like in Brazil recently, Google and Apple have historically found ways to implement half-measures that prolong their dominance. A prime example is Apple, which introduced a “core technology fee” on every download (among other dissuasive measures), making alternative app stores financially unviable for both the app store and the developers. Another example is Korea’s mandate requiring Play Store to allow third-party billing. Google complied "technically" by allowing and reducing its revenue share from 30% to 26% (!?), rendering third-party payment adoption […]

Laurent Pawlowski March 12

Highlights

Scopely to acquire Niantic’s Games, including Pokémon GO!

$3.5B deal is official now! Scopely, the U.S.’s top mobile games company, is set to acquire Niantic’s games business, bringing "Pokémon GO," "Pikmin Bloom," and "Monster Hunter Now" into its portfolio. This move strengthens Scopely’s commitment to community-driven play, expanding its reach to over half a billion players in 2024. Massive Growth and Engagement Niantic’s games boast over 30 million MAUs and generated $1 billion+ in revenue in 2024. "Pokémon GO" remains a global juggernaut, ranking in the top 10 mobile games yearly since 2016, with 100M+ unique players in 2024. The combined portfolio will create one of the largest player communities in the world. Last Week: 3.5$ Billion Deal: Pokémon Go maker Niantic to Sell its Games Division Scopely’s Vision for the Future Scopely, known for "MONOPOLY GO!," "Stumble Guys," and "MARVEL Strike Force," aims to enhance the longevity […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 12

Highlights

Applivery Secures Strategic Investment from Supercell

Cloud-based app distribution powerhouse Applivery has landed a strategic investment from Supercell. The funding will accelerate Applivery’s mission to enhance device and software management across Android, Apple & Windows platforms. A Perfect Match “At Applivery, we empower companies with seamless, secure control over their devices and apps,” said CEO César Trigo. “Supercell’s trust in our technology validates our vision and fuels our drive to push innovation even further.” Supercell’s Developer Services Lead, Vadim Liman, echoed the enthusiasm: “The Applivery team has built something remarkable. As we sought a trusted partner in app distribution, Applivery stood out. We’re excited to deepen our partnership and support their growth.” Supercell’s Head of Investments, Jaakko Harlas, added: “This collaboration is off to a fantastic start. Investing in Applivery was the natural next step—we believe in their vision and are eager to support them on […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 11

Highlights

Tilting Point launches new $150M UA fund for Game Devs

Keep control & Scale faster. Mobile Games Publisher Tilting Point is rolling out a massive $150 million User Acquisition fund, designed to supercharge developers without the usual publishing constraints. Unlike traditional deals, developers retain full autonomy over their marketing. Tilting Point steps in only when requested, offering financial backing for growth without meddling in strategy. This is the company’s third major UA fund, following similar initiatives in 2016 and 2018. Early beneficiaries include Mythical Games, Begin, and a soon-to-launch web-based gaming hub. A Proven Growth Engine “With over 200 successful games, we’ve seen firsthand how impactful our UA funds can be,” said Tilting Point CEO Kevin Segalla. “It’s a powerful tool, letting developers scale efficiently while keeping their capital focused elsewhere.” CBO Asi Burak added: “We pioneered this model, and its strength lies in truly flexible, unlimited spending—while ensuring developers […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 11

Highlights

AI Gaming & UGC: Liminal Experiences secured $5.8M

Liminal Experiences, a fresh gaming startup blending AI with user-generated content, secured $5.8 million in funding to revolutionize storytelling in games. The round includes backing from industry giants like Bitkraft Ventures, Riot Games, and OTK Media Group, with Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill also investing. CEO Brendan Mulligan envisions Liminal as a game where players don’t just play; they create. With AI-powered tools, users can craft immersive RPG adventures, design characters, and build worlds alongside friends. Inspired by childhood imagination, Liminal removes coding barriers, allowing anyone to shape and share interactive stories. “AI in gaming is controversial, with concerns over job replacement and ethical debates,” Mulligan. “Most studios quietly explore AI, leaving the public conversation to outsiders. We believe in AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human creativity.” Liminal provides a platform for both original stories and beloved […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 11

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