HTML5 Gaming Gold Rush: Discord, Telegram, X & More

The huge potential for games on Discord, Telegram, and every platform with a browser. After years of false starts, HTML5 gaming is experiencing a stunning reversal—backed by GPU advances from the AI boom, 5G ubiquity, and platforms desperate to escape Apple and Google's grip. Playgama CEO Dmitry Kachmar reveals why major platforms from Discord to Telegram are racing to become gaming destinations and why, this time, the technology, economics, and timing finally align. Why this matters to you: The app store monopoly is cracking: Learn how to leverage alternative distribution before everyone else catches on Every social platform wants games NOW: Discord, Telegram, and others are creating massive new audiences hungry for content Lower CAC, instant distribution: Discover why HTML5 games can achieve profitability with traditional web marketing tactics Platform-specific insights: Critical design differences between Telegram's mobile-first and Discord's desktop-first […]

Joseph Kim June 6

Highlights

Design Discipline: The Difference Between Shipping and Sinking

The mistake every game studio keeps making: stop jizzing the game design! Game studios often sabotage their projects by endlessly iterating on minor features while ignoring foundational flaws. In today's essay, I explore why design discipline is critical for shipping successful games. Key insights include: How lack of discipline leads to project failures. Three essential pillars to foster effective design discipline. Practical strategies to prioritize wisely and ship faster. Why perfection can be your biggest enemy in game development. The Rise, the Fall, and the Rise Again of Mobile 4X games: AppMagic Data Singular recently released its Q2 Quarterly Trends report. A few data highlights from that report. Global ad spend is up: Tale of Two Platforms: Android dominates installs, and iOS dominates revenue. Major gap in global CPI with USA leading the way: CPI by game genre: There's a […]

Joseph Kim June 4

Analysis

Why Marvel Snap Players Hated Their Most Profitable Event

A tale of two events: 92% revenue boost vs. community backlash (and what we can learn from it) When Marvel Snap returned from its app store takedown in February 2025, it ran two wildly different events that revealed a fundamental truth about mobile game design: sometimes, the most profitable events aren't the ones players love most. Sanctum Showdown drove a 92% revenue spike but left players exhausted. High Voltage "only" generated 52% more revenue but had players begging for its return. The difference? A delicate balance between monetization, engagement, and actually letting players have fun. Key Takeaways: 📊 The Revenue Paradox: Sanctum Showdown's 2-week grind fest nearly doubled revenue (+92%) but sparked player complaints, while High Voltage's 1-week sprint "only" increased revenue by 52% but became a fan favorite 🎮 Small Tweaks, Big Impact: High Voltage simply changed the game to 3 […]

Joseph Kim May 27

Analysis

The Definitive Mobile Game Tech Market Map

This comprehensive overview highlights the key infrastructure and service providers that empower mobile game development, operations, and growth. This map covers 12 categories, from game engines and backend services to ad mediation, customer support, and data infrastructure. Whether you're a studio evaluating tools or an investor exploring the space, this map offers a concise overview of the most important players in the mobile game tech ecosystem. Below, we introduce each category and provide succinct overviews of the featured companies. 🧱 Game Engines Unity: The dominant engine for mobile games; widely adopted for its robust tooling, asset store, and cross-platform support. Unreal Engine: Known for high-fidelity rendering, though less common in mobile than console/PC. Cocos Creator: Lightweight and especially popular in Asia, great for 2D and casual games. Godot: Open-source and growing rapidly among indie developers. GameMaker: Accessible 2D engine, often […]

Joseph Kim May 27

Journal

Breaking the Failure Trap: Why We Choose 99% Failure Over 10% Success

The psychology behind our worst strategic decisions, and how to escape it. Choosing Success Over Failure: The Ghost of Christmas Future The psychology behind our worst strategic decisions—and how to escape it Would you rather have a 10% chance of success or a 99% chance of failure? I've probably asked employees, cofounders, and investors this question at least 30 times in the past few years. The answer seems obvious. But here's what's fascinating: when faced with this choice in real situations, almost everyone chooses the 99% path to failure. Here's why: Most people focus on the immediate pain of change rather than the ultimate cost of not changing. They would rather accept a 99% chance of failure than face what it would take to pursue a 10% chance of success. This is the failure trap, and it's everywhere. Fear Locks Us […]

Joseph Kim May 26

Journal

Solo Game Dev in 2025: From Peloton to Reinventing Fitness

Discover how a solo developer combined fitness tracking with RPG gameplay and leveraged AI and deep community engagement to power a unique approach to gamified fitness. What if your heart rate powered your RPG battles? Josh Singer, a former Peloton engineer and solo dev, built Cardio Quest, a fantasy game in which exercise fuels gameplay. In this conversation, we discuss what it takes to build an ambitious solo project that blends fitness, games, and AI and how Josh is trying to create a whole new genre from scratch. What you'll take away: How to validate, pivot, and build a solo game with real user feedback The technical and emotional challenges of launching without a team or funding How AI tools like MidJourney and Eleven Labs are transforming solo game dev https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Diko5FtcCF0&ab_channel=GameMakers 🎮 Solo Developer Builds Fitness RPG with Apple Watch & […]

Joseph Kim May 22

Highlights

Applovin vs. Unity: How Applovin Has Been Winning It All!

We are at a dangerous crossroads where Applovin is poised to dominate the mobile ads market completely. What's going on? How did this happen? And what's next? Pay attention, folks, this one is a banger and has critical implications for the games industry's future. Something strange has happened in the mobile ads market since the failed merger between Applovin and Unity in August 2022. Applovin has quietly been dominating and significantly growing its share of the market. Source: GameMakers 2025 We can easily see the relative performance of both companies reflected in their market valuations. What happened? How did Applovin win vs. Unity? Why does Applovin have a massive competitive advantage and iron grip customer lock-in? How does the current situation critically impact the games industry (this is important)? How can Unity or anyone else help create a healthier market […]

Joseph Kim April 8

Joseph Kim