Michael Khripin

Just stumbled on this game “Reviver: Butterfly” in the Game of the Day section on the App Store recently. There was a short article about it: The article made me feel curious. The art style is so unique for these days. Point-and-click quest, with a time travel twist. Managing not only locations, but different timelines. I loved the design and the story. The whole experience is so different from the majority of games I see today in the top charts. It’s like a breath of fresh air. But who are these brave developers? CottonGame, the developer behind Reviver: Butterfly, was founded in 2013 in Shanghai. They’ve carved a niche in the world of atmospheric, story-rich indie games — especially on mobile. Their past works include the quirky Mr. Pumpkin Adventure, the haunting Dad’s Monster House, and the philosophical Isoland series. […]

“Fail fast” is one of those startup mantras that sounds smart, until it isn’t. I’ve seen teams fail fast.And then fail again.And again.And again.Not because the product was broken.But because the thinking was.In one case, a team I worked with tried to rapidly iterate on monetization features.Every two weeks, a new offer, new layout, new pricing.No segmentation. No goals. No understanding of player behavior.Each version failed.So they failed faster.By the end of the quarter, they hadn’t learned much.But they had definitely shipped 12 different failures.And confused their players in the process.But you should know:🚫 Failing fast without a plan isn’t iteration — it’s noise.🚫 Speed without clarity just gets you lost quicker.If you want to fail fast and actually grow, here’s what to do:✅ Set a clear hypothesis for what success looks like✅ Track the right metric (not just revenue […]

This is a chapter from my upcoming book "Game Shops. Ultimate Guidelines". Follow and subscribe, so you will not miss future updates. ...but first, let’s take a look at the history of in-game shops in mobile games. Not so distant, but starting from smartphones. Early Pioneers (2009–2011) The era of free-to-play mobile gaming began in late 2009 when Apple first allowed in-app purchases in free iOS apps, opening the door for monetized in-game shops. Early pioneers quickly experimented with selling virtual goods. For example, Tap Tap Revenge 3 (Oct 2009) initially launched as a paid app (due to Apple’s old rules) but soon went free, letting players buy song packs and avatar items via an in-game store. Similarly, Eliminate Pro(2009) introduced a “freemium” model where energy for matches could be refilled by purchasing “power cells” in its shop. By 2010, […]

Boost retention without rebuilding your game: 7 quick wins ✅ You don’t always need a full redesign or major content drop to lift retention.Sometimes, small LiveOps moves can change the whole rhythm of engagement.Here’s a quick checklist to spark some ideas:✅ Add a new daily login bonus variation✅ Introduce a surprise weekend event with a small reward✅ Refresh your in-game shop rotation with time-limited items✅ Offer comeback bundles to players inactive for 7+ days✅ Launch a mini engagement survey — and show players you listened✅ Shorten or simplify your first session tutorial flow✅ Highlight fan art, leaderboard heroes, or community creations inside the gameTiny shifts.Big difference.Retention isn’t always about adding more.Sometimes it’s about making the experience feel alive.

“A day without special offers is a lost day.”That’s what someone in my network said recently. But I’ve seen the opposite work — intentionally.While working on Hero Wars Mobile at Nexters ($GDEV), we tested the idea of empty days — no LiveOps, no events, no offers. Just the basic shop with hard currency packs.At first glance, it sounds like leaving money on the table.But what we got was gold: a clear baseline.These days gave us:👉A true read on our core monetization floor👉Clean data for forecasting and revenue modeling👉A reference point to measure the real uplift from LiveOps(Spoiler: LiveOps was driving revenue x2 on average.)We scheduled these days deliberately — one per quarter — as a health check for our LiveOps strategy. Take a look at the picture attached, purely fictional, but give you idea.So no, it’s not always true that […]

How to turn your special offers into a revenue machine (without annoying your players) Special offers aren’t just about discounts - they’re about design, psychology, and timing.Done right, they boost engagement, LTV, and retention.Done wrong, they just collect dust.Here are a few of the strategies from this week’s carousel: 👇🔹 Bundling value without overwhelming the player🔹 Using scarcity without feeling scammy🔹 Segmenting offers by player type, session behavior, and UA source🔹 Creating a “flow” of purchases with chained deals🔹 Why visuals (not pricing) often make or break the sale💡 If you’re running a free-to-play game and want to actually monetize it, this deck is worth a swipe.

In mobile game development, innovation often gets all the spotlight. But the reality behind many long-lasting hits is actually smart reuse of proven meta systems. Today, major publishers know: Once you find a meta structure that drives retention, monetization, and progression, you don’t reinvent the wheel — you copy the pattern and layer it onto new core gameplays. And it works. Let’s explore how an intelligent approach to reusing meta-game features can build sustainable pipelines of successful games. Why Meta Systems Are Core-Independent Your core gameplay can vary dramatically — match-3, merge-2, arcade runners, word puzzles, roguelike shooters — but the meta layer often follows a familiar, proven blueprint. Think about it: Players expect progression beyond the core loop.Players enjoy collection and upgrading.Players respond well to limited-time challenges.Players feel motivated by events, ladders, seasons. That’s why publishers increasingly treat meta-systems […]