#GameDev

Here is the WORST way to generate game ideas: (avoid it at all costs)1. Open the top-grossing charts.2. Pick two random top games.3. Mash them together, Frankenstein-style.↳ Get a clunky, unplayable game, appealing to no one.Yet, I see so many studios still follow this terrible pipeline.Here’s how to do it right:𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.Look for blue ocean opportunities:• Genres growing year over year.• Low oligopoly index (top 5 games have <50% of the market).• High success rates for newcomers (reaching 1M+ in revenue or downloads).𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲.𝟯. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 • Their strengths and weaknesses.• Dive into player reviews. Learn what they love and hate.• Study the ads. Ads often highlight what players want but rarely get.↳ 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦.𝟰. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 […]

10 Live Ops traps to avoid I teamed up with Sergei to break down the most common mistakes in Live Ops and share tips on improving them:1. Over-focusing on a single metric 📊 Track retention, engagement, and happiness—not just revenue. 2. Event overload 🔄 Too many events burn players out. Space them out. 3. Copy-paste strategies 📋 What worked before might not work now. Adapt and test. 4. Ignoring feedback 🗣️ Complaints = insights. Use them to catch problems early. 5. Over-relying on whales 🐋 Cater to all players, not just big spenders. 6. Content drought 🌵 No new content? Players leave. Keep it fresh. 7. Inconsistent updates ⏰ No schedule = frustrated players. Be reliable. 8. Misusing A/B testing ⚖️ Bad tests, bad data. Test properly to improve. 9. Weak onboarding 🛠️ Confusion = churn. Make onboarding fun and […]

10 Game Genres to Avoid in 2025 (backed by data)𝟭. 𝗣𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲-𝗥𝗣𝗚 (https://lnkd.in/eXaSg-Fg) • New Games Released in 2024: 39 • Games Reached $1M IAP Revenue: 0 • Games Reached 1M Downloads: 0 • Success Rate (Revenue): 0% • Success Rate (Downloads): 0% • 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗜𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗣𝗚 (https://lnkd.in/eSU2EBSG)𝟮. 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵-𝟯 (https://lnkd.in/eCK7KeAx) • New Games Released in 2024: 284 • Games Reached $1M IAP Revenue: 2 • Games Reached 1M Downloads: 7 • Success Rate (Revenue): 0.7% • Success Rate (Downloads): 2.5% • 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵-𝟯 𝗧𝗶𝗹𝗲 (https://lnkd.in/eVdgx3fu)𝟯. 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 (https://lnkd.in/ebZmjNAm) • New Games Released in 2024: 1,143 • Games Reached $1M IAP Revenue: 0 • Games Reached 1M Downloads: 11 • Success Rate (Revenue): 0% • Success Rate (Downloads): 1% • 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 (https://lnkd.in/emagsy63)𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 (https://lnkd.in/etqA8wBD) • New Games Released in 2024: 344 • Games Reached $1M IAP Revenue: 11 • […]

Here are my 2025 Product trends for Mobile Games predictions 😎 you can watch/listen to the whole episode on our channel 😁 or read the TLDR bellow 😅 🔷 Adapting proven Steam games into MobileLast year we saw great success of the Supermarket 🛒 simulator games adapted by Game District and many others and this trend will continue. Another example is the adaptation of the Backpack Hero mechanic. 50/50 there is gonna be a mobile version of Helldivers 2. F2P version of Balatro is a done deal for sure (The mobile premium version makes $100K a day 🤑). I guess 5 teams are on this already. Palword-like monster fighting and collection mechanics are already seen in China. It will be probably Q2 when they hit the western mobile market. 🔷 Casual Genres DisruptionBecause the traditional puzzle match 3 🧩 market […]

HYBRIDCASUAL’S TIMELINE 2021/2022First hit Hybridcasual games released by leading Hypercasual publishers, such as “Squad Alpha” & “My Little Universe” (Estoty Riga LLC/SayGames) and “Mob Control” (Voodoo).2023“Hypercasual is dead” (PocketGamer.biz) - Hybrid blows up in the gaming media press. Big Hypercasual publishers run specific launch programs for Hybrids. Hypercasual structured studios are moving towards the Hybrid. Puzzle is hot. Rising new hit titles.2024Good development practices, with consolidated processes (from weeks to months), long-term retention as a KPI, and game design features, such as depth layers, collectibles (e.g. city builder), etc. Hybrid moves into other game genres (e.g. Shooters, Runners, and Simulators). New Hybrid studios.2025LiveOps leaps in quality.Big Hits (+$10MM IAP / month).Take a look at the images below and compare the LiveOps schedule for “Royal Match” and “Block Jam 3D”. I don't believe that the Voodoo puzzle aims to achieve the […]

Live Ops Holiday Events Cheatsheet Based on Playliner research, here is a list of the most popular holiday and event themes:--- 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 ❄️ ---𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 🎄 (𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿) Thematic attributes: • Snowy landscapes, festive lights, and winter wonderland maps • Holiday soundtracks and cozy loading screens Features: • Holiday pass with exclusive festive skins • Gift-giving mechanics (Advent Calendar-style) • Story-driven quests with holiday spirit 𝟮. 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 🎆 (𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗰 – 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗻) Thematic attributes: • Fireworks, glittery effects, and countdown visuals • Festive city-themed locations Features: • Special currency resets for limited-time items • Collection mechanics for unique celebration tokens • Story-driven event: Celebrate heroes and fresh beginnings 𝟯. 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 🏮 (𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗻 – 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗯) Thematic attributes: • Red lanterns, firecrackers, and gold decorations • Lantern-lit streets with themed décor Features: • Themed pass with […]