Antti Kananen

📉 Overcoming Stagnation in Mobile Games: Moving Beyond ROAS & Funnel-Driven Strategies 📉 Many live-operated mobile games are struggling as post-IDFA realities set in. With dwindling engagement and rising churn, games that once thrived on high ROAS and funnel-driven tactics are stalling. To reignite growth, it’s time to shift from squeezing monetization to building genuine engagement. 🧠 1. Focus on Psychology & Physiology for Long-Term GrowthToday’s players, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, value authentic gameplay that prioritizes connection over competition. On top of them, older generations might have just consumed already, or not resonated with, some of your content -- therefore, it's time to re-think your strategies.-> Use PNS-Led Design: Move away from “fight or flight” triggers, which lead to fatigue. For example, invest in a gameplay that fosters social bonds, creating moments and spaces where players can connect.-> […]

🚀 *Big Opportunities in F2P Re-Engagement & Retargeting Strategies!* 🚀 In free-to-play games, the untapped potential for re-engagement lies in understanding the game’s economy and the player equity built over time. Many UA, Marketing, and Product Marketing teams are missing the mark by not leveraging this.When players invest time and effort, they’re building a “virtual equity”—assets like characters, resources, and in-game achievements. This emotional and financial value can be a game-changer in driving effective re-engagement and re-targeting strategies.**Here’s one example:** Imagine a campaign that highlights the specific assets players have accumulated and unlocks potential next steps in their journey. For instance, if a player has spent hours leveling up a character, a re-engagement message could remind them of how close they are to a new milestone or offer a special challenge to leverage that character’s strength. It’s a reminder of […]

🎮 How Physiology and Psychology Explain Mobile F2P Game Metrics 🧠📈 We're not just talking numbers When we talk about session times, retention rates, and monetization in F2P mobile games. These metrics reveal how player habits, behaviors, and decision-making are rooted in human physiology and psychology.Here's a deeper look at how we tap into these principles to build successful games:⚙️ 1. Engagement Loops & Habits Formation:Gratification systems, feedback loops, and well-designed hooks turn gameplay into a habit. By offering immediate rewards and clear progress, games stimulate the brain's reward centers, fostering daily routines that players naturally integrate into their lives. There's also a clear pacing to things; as some reactions in the human body need to wash out from time to time, before you can drive players back to them.💰 2. Monetization Behavior and Conversion:Conversion strategies aren’t just about prompting […]

What's your take on forming Ads, Creatives, and Marketing Messages for mobile games you operate + what are the channels/mediums you go for? Is it more leaning on e.g., Creative research + repeating what others do and using the same formula on it, with e.g., simple things like 5-6 different types/formats/messages per standard channels and just adding and removing things based on performance, or leaning something beyond it? Overall the above definitely works as a formula. It works really well if there is really check-marks on both marketability and product. In terms of beyond it, mostly what I'm after knowing is how much companies explore further basic things to formulate messages, such as: - Understanding and communicating product USPs, value props., and competitive advantages - Understanding demographics combined with audience data and insights on archetypes, motivations, and psychology And go […]

How to approach marketability for your mobile games? Do you go full-blown scientific within current commercial sentiment, approach it differently with more research-based means, or through some other means and methods? 🎯 Overall there are many schools on this, whilst I've recently been part of myself on these two: 1. Very scientific process from concept and marketability testing to proving marketability first - followed by product as quickly as possible, at the earliest stage possible. 🧪 - Aiming for good marketability through e.g., intuitive and understandable mechanics with e.g., a mix of satisfying, skill-requiring, entertaining, and emotional appeals; on top of which investing further into the product once marketability is nailed. 2. Very product/market/audience/competitor/USPs/etc. -led approach with a thorough understanding of everything and tailoring theses-honoring games and messages and Ads/creatives out of that for the players. 🎮 - Aiming for an […]

Mobile games market is full-on invested in on #Commercialization; and the sentiment on it is strong -- this is the current phase we're living! 🚀💯 Everything is all about:- #Distribution & #Marketability; #Creatives, #UA channel, etc. approaches and mixes on largest scale ever we've seen. 🎯- Misleading Creatives, with the approach having white lie tie-ins to the #Product (e.g., FTUE is continuation of Misleading #Ads). 🙈- #ROAS, ROAS & ROAS, incl. test bedding #monetization as early as possible due engagement-monetization tie-ins. 💸- Games evolving within Creative trends, e.g., some games literally change each quarter/half what their FTUE is about. 📈- Fast-following own games or competitors is faster than ever. 🏃‍♂️- Mixed gameplays through fast follow-ons on top games, starting from single devs to large publishers. 🙊- #VCs and #investors investing on mass appeal distribution-first #gamestudios. 👼- Games scaling to 300, […]

Web3 games as an asset class; do we see any companies, yet, in games who can, or even plans to, sustain it properly as an investment class? Overall in terms of investing in the long haul, I'm not sure if this topic is thought through much; as other things in my book tend to be a larger priority for parties involved in the mix -- starting from investors and VCs, and going to web3 game company founders as well as towards their customers / players / communities, etc.What I'm mostly after here is that overall:1. Chances of making a gaming company that survives the test of time are little.2. Making a game that survives that is rare.3. Making a game that survives above, within a company that survives that the test of time as well, is even more rare.4. Then, […]