Solitaire BOOM! Candy Crush and Disney Solitaires

Old Genre, New Momentum Solitaire isn’t a new genre — in fact, it’s one of the oldest and most familiar in mobile gaming. But recently, the genre seems to be gaining new momentum. It’s not often that 2 major studios release Solitaire games almost back-to-back, but that’s exactly what happened with Candy Crush Solitaire and Disney Solitaire. Both come from strong brands. Both use the familiar Tri-Peaks formula. But once you dive in, the experiences feel very different. In this article, I’ll break down the Core Gameplay, standout Features, Live Ops, Monetization, and the subtle tricks that make each game tick. And yes - I’ve played and paid them both ... a lot ;) Let’s deconstruct. Core Game Loop Both Solitaire titles are built around the classic Tri-Peaks Core Mechanic — a proven formula that’s been successful for years. Naturally, […]

Olha Semykina April 23

Journal

Level Mechanics of Royal Kingdom

I’ve saved your time by deconstructing and categorizing ALL 50(!) Level Mechanics from Royal Kingdom 👑 This article is a MUST-Read for both Game Designers and Level Designers.You'll find:↳ Journey from PvP to PvE↳ Royal Kingdom’s key mechanics↳ Retention vs Monetization↳ Level Design & Curve Complexity (the most insightful part)Find the Article Here

Olha Semykina January 23

Journal

Time Boosters can increase Player Engagement & Monetization

Do you believe that Time Boosters can increase not just player Engagement, but also Monetization?No? Then this post is for you. Many people underestimate the positive impact of Time Boosters. These boosters can elevate the gaming experience by adding VALUE:↳ motivating players to Stay Longer ↳ and Spend MorePopular Booster Types, that you can implement in your Game: ↳ Unlimited Lives ↳ Pre-Level Boosters ↳ Discount Boosters ↳ Extra Rewards ↳ More LiveOps Event Currency ↳ Faster Progression ↳ Other Specific Boosters (ex. Better Drop Rates)There are 3 options, how Boosters can HELP you to MAXIMIZE your KPIs: ↳ Prolong Player Sessions Length ↳ Encourage Currency Spending ↳ Smartly Remove a 'Session Limit' BarrierWant to know even more? - HOW boosters can help with 'New' and 'Returning' players? - WHY boosters are great currency for your Game Economy? - WHICH Boosters work best […]

Olha Semykina November 13

Journal

Even after 5 years, I still think this book is the BEST one!

This book helped me grow from Mid-level → Senior-level in Game Design 5 years ago. And no, it’s not ‘The Art of Game Design’ 😁 Even after 5 years, I still think this book is the BEST one!This Book is ‘Advanced Game Design: A system approach’ by Michael SellersTo understand WHY I like it so much:Here’s how I define a great Game Designer today. My TOP-3 criteria:↳ The way of thinking ↳ System approach ↳ Economy and balanceIt's hard to find one that truly builds all of them — but this one does.While reading it, I created one of my best-performing features of that period:↳ It boosted ARpDAU by +30%(!) whenever the feature was active↳ Even other projects in our company copied it↳ And it’s still alive, 5 years laterThe feature was as simple as it was smart:→ Solved a […]

Olha Semykina November 8

Journal

Balancing something in a Game is Hard!

Balancing something in a Game is Hard! To get it right, you’re expected to: ↳ Have a master’s degree in math ↳ Complete challenging courses ↳ Memorize endless formulas ↳ Be an Excel expertBut here’s the thing — it’s actually much simpler than it sounds: ↳You don’t need to cram math ↳ You need to understand itLet’s break down this idea using a basic, popular feature: the Wheel of Fortune Specifically, we’ll explore Variance and Volatility and see how they impact the player experience

Olha Semykina November 4

Journal

WHY are Endless Offers so Effective?

I've worked with many offer types, but the 'Endless Offer' type is still my favorite. Want to know WHY? There is always something for Player to buy↪ A typical common offer runs for 24 hours; if a player buys it within the first hour, there's nothing left to purchase. An Endless Offer, however, is like having "8-in-1". Once launched, it guarantees there's always something for players to spend on. Self-segmentation↪ Prices within the offer gradually increase with each purchase, gently guiding players to spend more. There's no pressure — players spend as much as they're comfortable with. Some might buy only 2 offers, others 5, and some will take them ALL.↪ Segmenting your offers allows for even better personalization. Moreover, you only need a few segments to see the impactVisual hook↪ With every purchase, players receive an additional 3-5 rewards "for FREE."↪ While both […]

Olha Semykina October 30

Journal

The Movie Test: Can Your Game Pass It?

A Casual Moment, A Big Idea Last night, I found myself in a situation I’m sure many of you can relate to — the movie’s playing, but I’m also casually tapping away at a mobile game. You know the feeling: one eye on the screen, one hand on your phone. And then it struck me — this multitasking moment could be more than just a habit. It’s actually a great test for the Game Design of Puzzles! That’s when the "Movie Test" idea was born 💡 What is the "Movie Test"? The concept of 'Movie Test' is simple. Imagine you're watching your favorite movie or TV series, and at the same time, you're playing a game on your phone. Congratulations if you can comfortably do both without missing plot twists or losing in the game! That Puzzle game has passed the 'Movie Test'. […]

Olha Semykina October 11

Journal

The hidden hooks of Traffic Escape

Today, let's explore Traffic Escape by FOMO, one of the pioneering companies that helped define this genre with its innovative Core Game Loop. FOMO has been in the TOP-50 for an impressive stretch of time, proving its staying power in the industry. So, grab your magnifying glass, and let's 'inspect' Traffic Escape together! The Portrait of our Funspector Without the NoAds purchase, players could encounter up to a staggering 482 ads (!) in Traffic Escape during the 150 levels: 24 Rewarded Ads 142 Interstitial Ads 316 Banner Ads Revenue & Downloads Overview FOMO primarily focuses on the Android platform, likely because it's easier to find the right audience for their game — especially regarding Ad Monetization. Most of the Traffic Escape audience is primarily located in the US and India. Level Curve The level structure is simple – the group of 11 levels is repeated: Normal Normal […]

Olha Semykina October 3

Journal

Royal Match: The Secret Event

I’m a big fan of Royal Match, especially their LiveOps and Feature system so I couldn’t miss their latest event. However, I have mixed feelings about it: as a Player – I absolutely love it. as a Producer – I was surprised by this NEW feature. Are you curious to know WHY? Let’s dive into it below. NEW Event ‘Super Duke’ A/B-testing We’ll dive into this Event in more detail soon, but before that, I want to share with you some interesting information: First, I got access to this Feature at the start of August. However, by the end of the month, they had Turned it off. Additionally, not all Players had this Feature. For example, my friends didn’t have it. Discussions in the Facebook fan group revealed that only a few players could try it (more on that later). This leads us […]

Olha Semykina September 26

Journal

Travel Town Deconstruction: Merge-2 Whales

Travel Town is an up-and-coming merge-2 project from a British developer called Magmatic Games. The game started buying traffic in early 2022 and has been making steady progress ever since. An especially impressive performance surge came in early 2023: downloads increased by more than two times, and revenue almost tripled. If the trend was anything to go by, this is just the beginning. The company initially prioritised Android because it's easier to launch a project marketing-wise. However, as of today, downloads and revenue are distributed almost equally between iOS and Android. That's a typical pattern in the industry. For instance, Love & Pies' sales are split between the platforms 50/50, while Merge Mansion and Gossip Harbor net more revenue from iOS. Travel Town's primary audience is located in the US. That's an important metric because the US generates more than […]

Olha Semykina September 24

Olha Semykina

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