Anton Slashcev

You can be sure a new game studio is doomed if you see these deadly signs: • They talk about “disrupting the genre” despite having built nothing.• They care more about a fancy office than making a great game.• Hiring is focused on big-name studios, not actual skill or fit.• Swag gets ordered before a single line of code is written.• They brag about funding rounds, not product results.• There are more managers than developers.• Studio culture is defined by slogans, not workflows.• Founders are getting rich from their salaries, not equity.• Player feedback? Who needs it when you’ve got a “vision”!• Everyone’s working on a trailer, but no one’s playing a prototype.• MVP means “Maximum Vanity Pitch,” not “Minimum Viable Product.”Hype doesn’t replace product.Flash doesn’t equal substance.Build the game first.Let everything else follow.

Top games hook you fast. Based on Playliner research, here’s how today’s mobile hits do it:𝟭. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 🎲 • 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰 uses classic board game mechanics • Simple “no-brain” autoplay • Flashy rewards on every step • Multipliers for bigger wins𝟮. 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 🏗️ • Build cities, castles, or entire settlements • Upgrade to boost rewards per turn • Outrace rivals to become the top magnate𝟯. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Rob or destroy rival cities (𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰) • Invite friends with referral rewards • LiveOps events for timed challenges and leaderboards𝟰. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 🎨 • Colorful, fresh puzzle layouts (𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩) • Clean UI that’s easy to navigate • Smooth animations after each milestone𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 📈 • Easy to start, gradually gets harder • New mechanics […]

A great game isn't built on luck. It's built on a blueprint.Here’s the blueprint every successful game follows 👇🎯 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸 • Grab attention fast. • Make your unique value obvious from the first second.📊 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 • Study your players, the market, and your competition. • Track feedback and key metrics constantly.🎮 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 • Fun, focused mechanics. • A clear core loop and meaningful goals.🎨 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 • Give your game a distinct style. • Add polish and juicy feedback players can *feel*.👀 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 • Watch how players behave — not just what they say. • Real insights live in the data.📈 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Design satisfying unlocks and upgrades. • Build a smooth and motivating challenge curve.🏆 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮 • Go beyond moment-to-moment play. • Add emotional and cosmetic goals that create long-term engagement.💰 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Pick the right model for your audience. […]

How to make your game look good? It comes down to six key fundamentals:1. 🎥 Camera A great camera is your starting point. • Pick the right angles and horizon line. • Highlight the most important gameplay elements. • Avoid awkward, disorienting views.2. ⚫⚪ Contrast Make important objects pop. • Bright and dark areas should balance for clarity. • Separate key objects from the background visually. • Use contrast to guide the player’s attention naturally.3. 🎨 Composition Lead the player’s eye where it matters. • Add guiding lines to focus attention. • Follow the rule of thirds for balance. • Make every shot purposeful and easy to read.4. 💡 Light Lighting is more than mood—it’s direction. • Highlight paths and objectives with light. • Use shadows and highlights for depth. • Dynamic lighting can boost immersion.5. 🕺 Animation Movement makes […]

How does a Live Ops system work? 1. Offers 💰 • Starter packs, season passes, and rolling deals. • Monetize player defeats and the desire to speed up progress.2. New content 🎉 • Themed, seasonal, and late-game updates. • Keeps gameplay fresh and incentivizes players to explore further.3. Mini-games 🎮 • Fun additions like treasure hunts or Plinko. • Add variety and unlock new monetization opportunities.4. Win streaks 🔥 • Create FOMO and loss aversion. • Motivate players to extend sessions and chase bonuses.5. Task-based events ✅ • Daily quests, challenges, and milestone rewards. • Provide short- and long-term goals to keep players grinding.6. Tournaments 🏆 • Solo, team, and weekly competitions. • Heighten excitement, especially when competing with friends.7. Time-limited bonuses ⏳ • Extra lives, reduced costs, or double rewards. • Drive urgency and encourage players to act now.8. […]

80 GameDev Tools Cheat Sheet Here’s a quick look at the most popular gamedev tools in 2025:📝 PLANNING • Asana • Jira • ClickUp • HacknPlan💬 COMMUNICATION • Slack • Discord • Google Meet • Zoom📄 DOCUMENTATION • Notion • Confluence • Google Docs • Coda🧠 WHITEBOARD • Figma • Miro • Mural • Canva👥 HR • Workable • Greenhouse • PeopleForce • Lever💻 CODE • JetBrains • Visual Studio • Xcode • Eclipse🕹️ GAME ENGINE • Unity • Unreal Engine • Godot • Cocos🌐 NETWORKING • Photon • Mirror • Nakama • Unity Multiplayer⚙️ CI/CD • TeamCity • Jenkins • GitLab CI/CD • Bamboo🧪 QA • TestRail • Bugsee • GameBench • AltTester🎨 3D ART • Blender • 3DS Max • ZBrush • Substance Painter🖌️ 2D ART • Photoshop • Illustrator • Spine • Gimp🎞️ ANIMATION • Maya • […]

Social casino LiveOps Strategy Here are 15 event types that keep players hooked:(used by top games like Monopoly Go, Coin Master, and Dice Dreams)1. 🏆 Leaderboard Tournament • Players collect event items in core gameplay • Enter a leaderboard for 1–2 days • Top players win real-time rewards2. 🗺️ Treasure Hunt • Hidden rewards with empty slots to build suspense • Players earn picks from gameplay or offers • Multi-stage events lasting up to 9 days3. 📶 Milestone Rewards • Collect target items to unlock better rewards • Progress bar shows advancement • Great for 1–6 day events4. 🃏 Collection: Album • Cards drop from different events • Complete time-limited collections • Finish all collections = major reward5. 🎰 Rolling Offer • Series of rewards revealed one by one • Starts free to pull players in • Paid steps get […]

How to improve your mobile game metrics? From retention to monetization, here’s what the best teams focus on:1. 🎮 First-Time User Experience • Focus: D1 retention, tutorial completion • Keep tutorials short, clear, and rewarding • Add early premium rewards or bonus levels • Avoid aggressive monetization or long tutorials2. ⏱ Short-Term Engagement • Focus: D3–D7 retention, level churn • Build clear player progression • Use daily quests, upgrade systems, progress bars • Make progression feel valuable, not trivial3. 🔁 Long-Term Engagement • Focus: D30–D90 retention, sticky factor • Introduce long-term goals and meta layers • Add global maps, leaderboards, customization • Balance grind with meaningful rewards to prevent burnout4. 🕹 Core Gameplay • Focus: Session length, playtime • Polish mechanics and controls • Add dynamic difficulty, diverse enemies, win streaks • Strong core loop is essential—don’t patch it later5. […]