gamingindustry

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 […]

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 […]

👋 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 […]

🕹Gamedev history: The unexpected impact of Dota on f2p RPGs in Asia. 🐔💤 Once there was a game, capitalized greatly on the Dota lore and content, had collab with Assassin creed 2 and placed major mark on f2p RPG genre in Asia. Gameplay was about going into battles with Dota characters, doing ultimates and leveling heroes with same items just like in Dota. The name of the game was Dot Arena.✨ It seems that the overall idea of dota-like progression is later impacted other games in the genre a lot. Many of modern f2p RPG often designed and structured in the rather similar way (e.g. Blue Archive). (but for now it is more a guess than a proper research 🧐) The Dot Arena was an instant hit, the core idea was super familiar to the players and capitalization on the […]

🚀 Dive into the latest edition of Creative Decode - the 5th edition! In this fresh issue, Ivan Razmakhov, AdQuantum’s Creative Production Director, unveils the secrets behind the ad creative for the Archero mobile game by Habby gaming studio, soaring to #8 on Meta Audience Network in February, according to Sensor Tower 🏹Discover the ins and outs of this captivating ad and explore Ivan's expert analysis: https://lnkd.in/duq4cxKvhashtag#CreativeDecode hashtag#MobileGaming hashtag#AdAnalysis

How to build a PvP game with Esports and hardcore competitive features. 🎮🏅Checklist for beginners. During working on the PvP game it is often tempting to go towards advanced competitive gameplay or even eSports-related features. Especially when team members are passionate about it. Is it hard to implement? It's not very difficult to do, but to make everything work together - that is the main challenge. Especially when it goes to the monetization and user engagement parts.1.🏆Great and popular games have better chances in the Esports field. And it is not working in reverse: games can support Esport and compete perfectly, but that will not make it popular and interesting if it can’t bring some features to stand out in terms of gameplay and overall looks. So it is important to build a good game in the first place.2.🚀The game […]

Want to keep your live service game healthy? FOCUS ON THESE METRICS!I've spent 12 years in the gaming industry. From collecting players' data to ensure game performance results.Here's the truth: ☝ 20% of your game’s metrics drive80% of your game’s performance.Here's a metrics breakdown for you.📊 GrowthThink Monthly Active Users. Blending newbies, core, returners, churners.📊 RetentionThe crystal ball for future success. Watch players at 1, 7, and 30 days.📊 EngagementMeasured in active days.Smiling curve: where power users shine.📊 MonetizationUnderstanding the 'why' behind the spend.The meat of revenue, from ARPU to MPU.📊 Lifetime Value - The North StarIt's not just about the time spent in-game,but the value players bring during their play.Analytics aren't just numbers. They're the story of your game's world, told through data.

7 years ago Guns of Boom was released to global launch. A mobile f2p shooter with emphasis on easy controls and bright cartoonish style, 100M+ downloads.🚀🐄💥 I was there, as part of the team making the final push possible. Shooter genre on mobile already had some notable games at that time: thriving slow-paced tactical shooters, as well as shooters tailored for the tastes of lesser audiences. The goal of Guns of Boom was daring: to build an accessible and appealing shooter for everybody. Fast, but simple. With complex core mechanics, but without gloomy hardcore vibes. 🚩At the beginning of 2017 GoB already had polished core gameplay and good tech. But the question was: is it enough? Is the game really standing up to be a hit? In terms of advanced gameplay, player motivation, and UX there were uncertainties. COD and […]