River Fence: The Evolution of a New Trend in Mobile Games

🎉 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 👇 Idle games have long-inspired genres, often requiring innovative marketing to compensate for their "low-action" gameplay. In March 2022, Idle Lumber by AppQuantum set a new standard by introducing a unique element in their creatives—a river fence that stops logs. This idea evolved further in September 2023, establishing a trend that’s been catching on ever since.It took a bit of time, but other games eventually picked up on this mechanic. By May 2024, Idle Fishing 2 (Multicastgames LLC) cleverly adapted the river fence concept, transforming it into a net that fits seamlessly into their gameplay. And then, things really got interesting. In July 2024, AppQuantum took this trend to the next level with a new publishing deal with Rockbite Games Armenia Games, releasing Idle Outpost. This game quickly scaled […]

Matej Lancaric November 8

Journal

The Future of UA!

Creator programs. The Future of UA! Everyone & and their mom has one, including Roblox, Fortnite, MY.GAMES, and Supercell. What’s the ROI? 👇 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴:↳Retention↳Feedback loops and positive PR↳Generate user-generated content↳Distribution↳Reduce fatigue↳Reward your most loyal fans↳Drive more revenueAll of the above has a direct impact on your User Acquisition activities. Supercell has recruited over 1,000 creators, claiming some have even increased viewership by 600%. I mean, you can’t pay bills with viewership, but still. That was their main UA channel until Brawl Stars blast. Newsletter here.

Matej Lancaric November 5

Journal

Capybara GO by Habby makes $800k/Day without the U.S.!

Capybara GO - the new sensation by Habby making 🤑 $800k/day in revenue still without the US! This is going to be bigger than Survivor.io 👇 Habby did it again! Changing the whole mobile gaming landscape with the recent launch of Capybara GO! The game features a unique blend of gameplay mechanics that encourage passive play. The future of mobile gaming is here. Passive play, you heard it first on two & a half gamers.Most importantly, Capybara GO draws inspiration from various successful titles in the mobile gaming industry and putting them together piece by piece into perfect compatibility. A Very important insight: this game is basically a slot machine dressed up as an RPG. Is positioned as a social casino RPG, blending elements of both genres. Addictive and sticky gameplay? Hmm, where did we see that? Capybara GO creatives […]

Matej Lancaric November 4

Journal

All in Hole by Homa Games already scaled to $50K+ A Day

All in Hole by Homa already scaled to more than $50K a day 🤑 in IAPs, even though it is still in T1 "soft-launch" release and it is not available worldwide (US is open). We couldn't ignore this very bold iteration so you can read the rundown here 😎. Core gameplay is based on Attack Hole 🕳️, another similar game in Homa's portfolio, which already did 100 Mil. downloads. Both of these are an iteration on Voodoo's 2018 smash hit Hole.io, which is a PvP ⚔️ based version of this core, where you eat your opponents. It still does 300K downloads a day and is past 350 Mil. downloads. So the team at Homa already had a previous experience with single player version of this core, where you simply grow your hole to eat more and more bigger level objectives, […]

Matej Lancaric November 1

Highlights

Brutally Honest #136

Hey, FAM! What’s up?🥃 Drink talkSanta Barbara! I missed you so much. Anyone around for a coffee or a Margarita? Fuck coffee, let’s go with Margarita. 🦩Tip of the weekThis is more advanced stuff so people who are new to Meta ads might not get it but......these are some metrics you need to keep an eye on when testing videos:We have hook rate, hold rate and engagement score. You need to watch these when checking your creative performance. Important thing is, there are no columns actually showing the metric, you need to derive it from other metrics. You can add it via Customize columns -> Add custom metric on the top right next to the search bar.Then you go and click to “create custom metric”:Hook rateMeasures the initial engagement level of your video ad3-second video plays÷ImpressionsHold RateMeasures the deeper engagement […]

Matej Lancaric October 31

Journal

Hexasort Making $500K a Day

Hexasort making 🤑 $500k/day in revenue and has set a new standard for hybrid-casual games on multiple levels. 👇 Hexasort by Lion Studios (a.k.a AppLovin) has become a significant player in mobile gaming and has grown steadily since its global launch. There are multiple layers of a masterpiece. Great innovation on the ad placements. Felix already awarded the whole team a Nobel prize in recognition of their genius. With Jakub defending the game designers behind the highly addictive game. Gameplay mechanics are designed for long sessions and strategic thinking.Surprisingly, their main UA channel is Applovin. Hah, that is no surprise. Sorry. The whole creative approach is from a perfect UA playbook where you scale on Ad networks with a shit ton of playables. Yes, 70-80% of creatives are playables! Kudos to the team. 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dGFRxVzH🎧 Listen on […]

Matej Lancaric October 28

Journal

Short-form entertainment reshaped the UA creatives landscape

Short-form entertainment has reshaped the UA creatives landscape, influencing everything from interactive novels to 4X games. 👇 This shift began to take hold in July 2022 when Rise of Kingdoms (Lilith Games) released video ads that left many viewers scratching their heads, feeling cringy, and wondering, "Is this really working?" That was also when Reelshort soft-launched—though hardly anyone noticed at the time. It wasn’t until mid-2023 that Reelshort (Crazy Maple Studio) made waves, scaling rapidly with a unique approach: short-episode content in ads. With engaging, one-minute episodes, it brought drama content directly into advertising—allowing viewers to indulge in endless mini-stories anytime, anywhere. The ads tapped into a library filled with gripping tales of romantic entanglements with billionaires, heart-wrenching tragedies, epic comebacks, passionate love stories, revenge plots, and more. And that’s exactly what they showcased in their creatives. By 2024, the […]

Matej Lancaric October 25

Highlights

Brutally Honest #135

Hey, FAM! What’s up? 🥃 Drink talk See you all in California this week! Already in LA and moving Santa Barbara tomorrow.. 🦩Tip of the week UA is all about getting enough unique daily events on a campaign level to get thebest out of each UA channel (someone said UA diversification?) 2024 UA Playbook: Diversifying beyond Traditional Channels Read full story Each channel has a different number of events to hit to exit the learning phase or for algo to work perfectly. Let’s remind ourselves of some basics: Facebook: 50 events in 7 days (recently decreased to 10 events in 7 days) to exit the learning phase Google: 10-15 events per day for algo to work properly Applovin: 10 unique events per day for Algo to work properly TikTok: 50 events in […]

Matej Lancaric October 24

Journal

Creative Trends in Mobile Games – September 2024

September uncovers some interesting mashups & new creative trends 👇 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗔 & 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆:↳Celebrity endorsements can significantly impact game marketing and user acquisition. Antony Starr, looking at you!↳AI is becoming increasingly important in game development and marketing strategies.↳Game creatives are becoming more polished & more complex, utilizing various game features and game genres.𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:↳celebrities↳hypercasual inspiration↳genre mashups↳hooks↳animals (sharks!)↳The 3D high production value in casual games↳new gates iterations (mindblowing stuff) Celebrities https://youtu.be/OYAYKkMdcKU Link to the original article.

Matej Lancaric October 22

Journal

Why does this creative work?

Why does this creative work? 👇 Provocative Headline ("BECOME DESIRABLE AS F*CK")↳ The headline uses bold, unapologetic language, immediately drawing attention through its directness and the inclusion of a censored swear word. This approach creates curiosity and a sense of urgency, compelling users to find out how they can "become desirable." Urgency is the key here!Familiar and Relatable Figure (Pedro Pascal Lookalike)↳ The image features a lookalike of a well-known actor, Pedro Pascal, who is highly recognizable and popular. Using a familiar face can help attract users/players because people often respond to celebrities or their lookalikes. His serious expression adds an emotional appeal and intensity to the messaging.Clear Value Proposition ("Read or listen to bestseller insights in 15 minutes")↳ The image offers a clear benefit: quick, bite-sized, yet valuable content. In today’s fast-paced world, people appreciate the promise of gaining useful knowledge without […]

Matej Lancaric October 19

Journal

Cup Heroes: Voodoo’s new hybrid-casual hit makes $160k/day

Cup Heroes: Voodoo's new hybrid casual hit, making 🤑 $160k/day! Steady growth with ad placement excellence. What about their UA? uff! 👇 Cup Heroes makes around 50% of its revenue from ads, making it a true hybrid casual game. There are 29 ad placements in 1 run = 15 waves that the player encounters. With 45-50 minutes played daily, averaging five sessions per day and around 7.5min per session, that’s almost ad juggernaut. (wink wink, Felix!)This is a detailed review of Cup Heroes by Voodoo, discussing its hybrid casual gameplay, performance metrics, monetization strategies, and user experience. We explore the game's growth trajectory, retention rates, and how it compares to Mob Control other titles in the market.Discussing the effectiveness of decoys and rewards in gameplay, the impact of skill randomizers on player experience, and the creative approaches used in-game advertising.But […]

Matej Lancaric October 16

Highlights

Brutally Honest #133

Hey, FAM! What’s up? 🥃 Drink talk So, do you know about the new shit that’s been going around? I was checking Sensemitter which analyzes users' emotional responses to any creative content. Using scientific principles and neurobiological AI research tools, we transform emotional responses into data. They wrapped this tech to analyze why players’ attention doesn’t stick when they play your game or watch your game ad. got a trio of neural networks (yes, three—isn't that fancy?) working in harmony with the team of brainy humans. Here's the lowdown: Emotion Detector Extraordinaire Assesses each player's emotional starting point and monitors mood swings. It uses a neurophysiological framework (try saying that five times fast) to morph emotional responses into a single engagement metric.Gaze Guru: Focuses on where those eyeballs are darting. Are they glued to the action or counting pixels in […]

Matej Lancaric October 11

Matej Lancaric

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