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Korean Indie Games: Pioneering Global Success

Korean indie games are making waves in the global gaming industry. In recent years, several Korean indie titles have gained recognition and acclaim across the world. Let’s explore some of the standout ones. The Devil Within: Satgat Developed by Newcore Games, The Devil Within: Satgat blends traditional Korean culture with a post-apocalyptic narrative, creating a unique and immersive gaming experience. Set in a fictional Joseon era, the game tells the story of ‘Kim Rip’, a loyal bodyguard betrayed by his comrades and driven by a desire to restore justice in a world overrun by demons. The game draws heavily on Korean historical themes while incorporating dark fantasy elements. The title Satgat refers to a traditional Korean hat worn to protect against rain, snow, or sunlight, adding a cultural layer to the game’s aesthetic. The Devil Within: Satgat has received numerous […]

Myoungwon Kim September 12

Journal

New Korean Game Releases in Late 2024

As we enter the second half of 2024, the Korean gaming industry is gearing up for significant changes, with several highly anticipated titles set for release. This period is crucial for developers as they aim to build on the successes of the first half of the year while strengthening their business strategies through new game launches. These new titles will span multiple platforms, including mobile, PC, and consoles, as companies push to expand their global presence. Many of these games leverage popular IPs or bring fresh innovations to the market, offering players diverse experiences. Nexon: Mobile Adaptations of Popular IPs and New Genre Challenges Nexon is preparing to launch several highly anticipated games in late 2024. Among these is Mabinogi Mobile, a mobile adaptation of the beloved Mabinogi IP, which originally debuted as a PC MMORPG in 2004. Known for […]

Myoungwon Kim September 5

Journal

The Buzz Around Pearl Abyss’s Upcoming Game ‘DokeV’

Pearl Abyss's DokeV, an open-world action-adventure game, gained widespread attention after its 2021 Gamescom trailer. As Crimson Desert nears completion, Pearl Abyss plans to focus on DokeV development, with more updates expected soon.

Myoungwon Kim August 14

Analysis

Mobile Game Monetization & Design Insights: September Recap

Hi everyone, Each week I share examples of the most interesting monetization strategies, UI experiments, and live-ops features I come across in mobile games. This week brought a mix of creative offers, new UI patterns, and some clever reward mechanics. Here’s a quick recap! Mob Control – Back to School Offers Mob Control leaned into seasonality with a “Back to School” themed offer. Instead of just pushing a standard pack, they wrapped it around a moment players already relate to. It’s a reminder of how powerful timely hooks can be — they create urgency and make the content feel fresh without changing the core offer too much. A few weeks earlier, Mob Control did something similar with their “Tour De Mob” offer, clearly inspired by the Tour de France. Again, the content itself wasn’t radically different, but by tying it […]

Michael Kopelovich September 13

Game Radar

Don’t Miss These New Mobile Games – September 5 to 11, 2025

Hei, Hallo& SELAM! Here are the notable mobile games released between Sep 5 - 11, 2025 and why they might be worth your attention. Curated weekly by Gamigion. Enjoy! 👉🏻 Also, check August 29 to Sep 4, 2025 releases, some great games you don’t want to overlook! 1) Underwatermelon: Fruit Merge Genre: Merge Puzzle | Store: App Store | Publisher: Netflix, Inc. 🔵 App Store Download Link: https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/underwatermelon-fruit-merge/id6740869246 2) Train Cargo Genre: Hybrid Puzzle | Store: App Store | Publisher: Follow Circles 🔵 App Store Download Link: https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/train-cargo/id6749944152?l=tr 3) Block Crusher Genre: Hybrid Puzzle | Store: Google Play | Publisher: Virtual Projects 🟢 Google Play Download Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?gl=TR&hl=tr&id=com.vp.games.blockcrusher 4) Screw Jumble Genre: Hybrid Puzzle | Store: Google Play Publisher: 37GAMES 🟢 Google Play Download Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?gl=US&hl=en-US&id=com.global.cxls.google 5) Pencil Jam Sorting Genre: Hybrid Puzzle | Store: Google Play | Publisher: VGames Studios 🟢 Google Play Download Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?gl=TR&hl=tr&id=com.vgames.penciljamsorting 6) Age of Choices Genre: Action RPG | Store: App Store | Publisher: Hot Yeti Studio OU 🔵 App Store Download Link: https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/age-of-choices/id6749622512?l=tr 7) Monkiddo: Office Madness Genre: Arcade Runner | Store: App Store | Publisher: FCS Tech 🔵 App Store […]

Gamigion September 13

Highlights

A Knock to Music Mobile Gaming…

Every so often, a game emerges that doesn’t just entertain - it elevates. Beatstar and its sister title Country Star were exactly that for mobile music games. They didn’t feel like disposable rhythm apps with knock-off tracks and clunky interfaces. They felt premium. With sleek UI/UX, real licensed music from major artists, and exclusive song drops, these games sat at the intersection of streaming and gaming - polished, relevant, and culturally connected. That’s why their closure on October 31, 2025 stings. Losing them isn’t just about two games going offline. It’s a setback for the entire rhythm gaming genre, which had finally been pushed forward in a meaningful way. Why They’re Shutting Down The reason traces back to the acquisition of NextBeat - the studio behind the games - by Duolingo. Duolingo hired much of the NextBeat team to focus on music education within its learning platform, but […]

Bryan Cindell September 13

Journal

Roblox’s Tax Cut: A Win for Devs, A Bet on Mobile Growth

One of Roblox's most curious decisions has been to increase dev share payout rates. Now developers who go to cash out Roblox's currency (which players pay in for USD) will be able to do so at a higher exchange rate, effectively increasing their take-home pay per dollar spent in their experiences. Interestingly, Roblox won't have to write off an equivalent amount on the P&L for this new rev share, in fact it may revenue enhancing for Roblox itself.Economist Arthur Laffer's original curve describes the relationship between tax revenue and tax rate. A government makes no revenue when the tax rate is 100% because no one works, and they make no tax revenue when the tax rate is 0% because there's no collection point. With some simple assumptions, we can show that there exists some maximum point in between the 0 […]

Phillip Black September 12

Journal

Back to School meets in-game offers!

🎒 Back to School meets in-game offers Following up on my recent post about Mob Control’s Tour De Mob (inspired by Tour de France) — I spotted another great example: a Back to School themed offer.Why it works:✅ It taps into a moment everyone recognizes✅ Keeps the game feeling fresh and relevant✅ Bundles the theme with extra value (x12 Skip’its here)I love how Mob Control consistently uses timely hooks — from sports events to seasonal shifts — to create offers that feel fun and contextual.👉 Do you prefer cultural tie-ins like sports, or seasonal ones like holidays and back-to-school campaigns?

Michael Kopelovich September 12

Journal

How to design progression in games?

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:🔄 Mastery loop: skills deepen, challenges scale🚀 Power curve: stats and tools unlock at spikes📖 Narrative stakes: story reveals gated by milestones⚖️ Economy sync: resources earned ≈ resources needed𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼:🎁 Early game = instant gratification (starter kit, easy wins)🛤️ Mid-game = branching choices, role definition👑 Late-game = prestige, exclusive rewards, social proof𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹:Act → Reward → Invest → Unlock → Repeat𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳:• Does every 5-minute chunk move the player forward?• Can veterans show off without breaking balance?• Is the slowest path still fun for free players?• Do live-ops accelerate, not replace, the main ladder?𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:✅ Clear short-term goals✅ Visible medium-term goals✅ Compelling long-term goals✅ Balanced time-to-goal (1 min, 1 hr, 1 week arcs)✅ Fail-forward friction (setbacks cost some progress, never […]

Anton Slashcev September 12

Journal

Little Farm Story by SayGames scaled to $70K a day!

Little Farm Story 👩‍🌾 by SayGames has already scaled to $70K 🤑 a day, and it will soon become the biggest game in context of IAP revenue in their portfolio. What is this game about? 😁 Its actually a great combination of DreamDale and My Perfect Hotel, the 2 previous SayGames hits. We have both the farming loop where you need to get resources and the automate it and also the building, selling to customers loop 🛒, as you need to manage the flow of those resources. More importantly, if you look at the overall art and execution, this game is basically modeled after the famous Playrix resouce style ad creatives, which most probably really helps with the CPI 😅. There are some very interesting iterations such as the whole area being covered with high grass that you need to […]

Jakub Remiar September 11

Journal

Unity isn’t chasing AppLovin’s mediation crown.

Unity isn’t chasing AppLovin's mediation crown.𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. For years, AppLovin has been the Apex Predator.MAX + AXON created a feedback loop few could touch.Every bid, every impression, every outcome, all pulled into one model.Many think Unity has to win mediation to matter. They’re wrong.Mediation is leverage. Not the finish line.The real bar isn’t dethroning AppLovin. It's proving you can compound your own loop long enough to endure.Unity is circling from a different angle.👉 Ad Quality is a Trojan horse into MAX's creative data.👉 IronSource & LevelPlay will feed their data to Vector.👉 The engine's IAP data will provide unique insight. And 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 even behavioral data.Two different strategies are now colliding:𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻: Control mediation, dominate auctions with scale and fees.𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: Aggregate the signals AppLovin has, from IAA to creative, then supercharge it with IAP data only they have.One controls […]

Josh Chandley September 11

Journal

9 hidden patterns every successful studio use to scale games.

Data-driven mobile games reign supreme. 9 "hidden" patterns every successful studio uses to scale games: Listen, to get a profitable game:You need to reach out to your power players.Just about any hit hybrid casual game has 1 year of life time in terms of decent CPI and UA.From there, you are going to have to rely on retention.✅ Keep a steady level funnel,⚠️ Monitor your level difficulty carefully,❌ Avg session goes down, so does your replay value.✅ More levels played for stickiness,⚠️ Snackable gameplay creates more sessions,❌ If sessions don't lead to retention, that's a red flag.✅ IAP in, IAA out,⚠️ DAU will go down, eventually,❌ You can't keep CPI low forever. Try to monitor these data patterns and See if you can increase your key metrics. Cheers!Quick Index:CPI: Cost Per Install UA: User Acquisition IAP: In App Purchase IAA: In App […]

Gökhan Üzmez September 11

Journal

“Trust me” is what bad investors say when they have nothing real to offer.

The best investor I had in my founder years taught me something brutal: "Trust me" is what bad investors say when they have nothing real to offer. Now as an investor, I tell every founder the same thing:Reference check us harder than you'd check your CTO.Because once we're on your cap table, we're there forever. No divorce. No ctrl+z. Just you and us for the next decade. Here's what founders never ask but should: "Show me the last 3 founders who hated working with you."Not the success stories. The disasters. If an investor won't share these, run."What happens when our startup is dying?"Do they ghost? Do they try to force an acquihire? Do they actually help? Most founders find out too late."What's the worst advice you've given a portfolio company?"Good investors learn from their mistakes. Bad ones pretend they don't […]

Joakim Achren September 11

Journal

AI Lets Solo Marketers Create Story-Driven Content in 3 Steps

AI tools now let solo game marketers produce story-driven ads without big teams or technical skills. With just three steps - story, image, video - you can go from concept to cinematic content. Here’s how. Step 1: Story with Claude Use Claude (Anthropic) to generate a short ad narrative. Prompt to copy: “Write a short trailer scene for a fantasy RPG. A lone knight enters a glowing forest at night, facing a massive dragon. Keep it cinematic, dramatic, and under 5 sentences. End with a cliffhanger tagline.” Claude will output a vivid scene. Refine by asking: “Make it darker and add dialogue from the knight.” Save the text as your script. Step 2: Visual with Nano Banana Turn the story into an image with Nano Banana (Google DeepMind’s image model, available via Gemini or apps like Imogen). Prompt to copy: […]

Matej Lancaric September 11

Journal

The King of Fighters AFK hits $200k a day in just one week after release.

The King of Fighters AFK hits $200k daily revenue in just one week after release 🚀 Last week Netmarble launched The King of Fighters AFK, a new mobile Idle RPG title based on SNK’s legendary The King of Fighters franchise, which has been around since 1994. Only a week after release, the game is already pulling in $200k in daily IAP revenue and has surpassed 120k downloads!This isn’t the first time the franchise has appeared on mobile. In AppMagic, we can track more than 40 other KOF titles, with the top-grossing one, KOF ’98 UM OL, generating $300M in lifetime IAP revenue since 2016 and still averaging around $15k per day 💪What sets The King of Fighters AFK apart from the original KOF is its genre and art style. Instead of a traditional fighting game, it adopts a retro pixel […]

Andrei Zubov September 11

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