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Korean Indie Games: Pioneering Global Success

Korean indie games are making waves in the global gaming industry. In recent years, several Korean indie titles have gained recognition and acclaim across the world. Let’s explore some of the standout ones. The Devil Within: Satgat Developed by Newcore Games, The Devil Within: Satgat blends traditional Korean culture with a post-apocalyptic narrative, creating a unique and immersive gaming experience. Set in a fictional Joseon era, the game tells the story of ‘Kim Rip’, a loyal bodyguard betrayed by his comrades and driven by a desire to restore justice in a world overrun by demons. The game draws heavily on Korean historical themes while incorporating dark fantasy elements. The title Satgat refers to a traditional Korean hat worn to protect against rain, snow, or sunlight, adding a cultural layer to the game’s aesthetic. The Devil Within: Satgat has received numerous […]

Myoungwon Kim September 12

Journal

New Korean Game Releases in Late 2024

As we enter the second half of 2024, the Korean gaming industry is gearing up for significant changes, with several highly anticipated titles set for release. This period is crucial for developers as they aim to build on the successes of the first half of the year while strengthening their business strategies through new game launches. These new titles will span multiple platforms, including mobile, PC, and consoles, as companies push to expand their global presence. Many of these games leverage popular IPs or bring fresh innovations to the market, offering players diverse experiences. Nexon: Mobile Adaptations of Popular IPs and New Genre Challenges Nexon is preparing to launch several highly anticipated games in late 2024. Among these is Mabinogi Mobile, a mobile adaptation of the beloved Mabinogi IP, which originally debuted as a PC MMORPG in 2004. Known for […]

Myoungwon Kim September 5

Journal

The Buzz Around Pearl Abyss’s Upcoming Game ‘DokeV’

Pearl Abyss's DokeV, an open-world action-adventure game, gained widespread attention after its 2021 Gamescom trailer. As Crimson Desert nears completion, Pearl Abyss plans to focus on DokeV development, with more updates expected soon.

Myoungwon Kim August 14

Journal

The harsh reality of Mobile Game Dev in 2025

The harsh reality of mobile game dev in 2025: 97% of mobile games fail. Over the past 3 years, 139,396* games were launched. Only 3,704 reached at least 1 million downloads. ↳ That’s a success rate of less than 3%. Most games don’t even cover their development costs. Does that mean success is impossible? No. But it’s very difficult, even for experienced teams. Plus, the mobile market isn’t growing like it did during the pandemic.Here are two main paths forward for new teams:𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Build a strong testing pipeline. • Keep learning from multiple failures. • Have a very long runway (>2 years) until success𝟮. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 • Think about PC, UGC, or web games. • They might offer smaller revenue, but better chances. • It’s a different risk-to-reward ratio.One thing is clear: There’s no easy […]

Anton Slashcev January 14

Journal

The ‘Why’ Behind Grand Games’ $30M Investment

We wrote about "Grand Games secures $30M Series A" last week. Let's talk about the How & Why. Securing $30M just 9 months after its launch? 🦄 Folks, it's something big. The publisher behind Magic Sort made $4M+ in 6 months. It's among the largest Series A rounds for Turkish gaming startups. Turkey’s Casual Mobile Gaming scene is booming. Or, it's been booming 😅 Check out: Mobile Gaming World: Türkiye Dream Games raised $255 million in 2022. Peak Games was acquired by Zynga in 2020 for $1.8 billion. Spyke raised $50M last year and launched with $55 million. DoubleU Games Acquires Turkish Studio Paxie Games Azur Games, has acquired the hypercasual portfolio of Good Job Games. Agave Games' $18M Series A at a valuation of around $100M last month. Cypher Games Secures 10M$ Investment to Accelerate Global Expansion. Tripledot Studios levels up with $116M […]

Gamigion January 14

Journal

Live Ops Holiday Events Cheatsheet

Live Ops Holiday Events Cheatsheet Based on Playliner research, here is a list of the most popular holiday and event themes:--- 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 ❄️ ---𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 🎄 (𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿) Thematic attributes: • Snowy landscapes, festive lights, and winter wonderland maps • Holiday soundtracks and cozy loading screens Features: • Holiday pass with exclusive festive skins • Gift-giving mechanics (Advent Calendar-style) • Story-driven quests with holiday spirit 𝟮. 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 🎆 (𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗰 – 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗻) Thematic attributes: • Fireworks, glittery effects, and countdown visuals • Festive city-themed locations Features: • Special currency resets for limited-time items • Collection mechanics for unique celebration tokens • Story-driven event: Celebrate heroes and fresh beginnings 𝟯. 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 🏮 (𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗻 – 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗯) Thematic attributes: • Red lanterns, firecrackers, and gold decorations • Lantern-lit streets with themed décor Features: • Themed pass with […]

Anton Slashcev January 14

Journal

ADC feature for iOS campaigns on TikTok?

Should you trust the Advanced Dedicated Campaigns (ADC) feature for iOS campaigns on TikTok?🤔 The answer is simple: 1000% yes!Today, I’m sharing a quick case study that demonstrates how using ADC can feed your iOS campaigns with more signals, leading to better performance.In this case, the experiment was done with 2 MAI (Mobile App Install) campaigns with same audience creatives. The only difference? One used ADC while the other didn't.This client recently started with TikTok Ads so the account was new, so ADC was not available initially. Therefore, I had to start without ADC in my first campaign whose results are here:👉Spend: $6k👉CPM: $5.71👉CTR: 0.36%👉CPI: $3.52👉Install Rate: 45.41%After running this campaign for a week, I finally enabled ADC so I just duplicated the old campaign but activating ADC to compare performance. Here's what happened:👉Spend: $4.5k👉CPM: $3.96👉CTR: 0.31%👉CPI: $2.89👉Install Rate: 44.67% […]

David Vargas January 14

Journal

Reaching Every Player Type!

🎯 Reaching Every Player Type! Loving this smart design from Collect Em All! by Voodoo during their live-ops event. Players get multiple ways to keep participating: use in-game currency, watch rewarded ads, or grab a special in-app purchase offer. It’s a great way to cater to both free-to-play players and paying users alike. This approach ensures accessibility while maximizing engagement and monetization opportunities.

Michael Kopelovich January 14

Journal

Two & a half gamers just turned 3 years old

🎉𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 two & a half gamers .🎉 We just turned 3 years old. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 😘 Thank you very much 👇 Jesus Christ, what a ride. 471 videos. Yes, 𝟰𝟳𝟭 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀! Let's just recap. We started on January 14, 2022. The first year was... was.. well, how to put it. Let's say interesting. Feedback on me was always, "buy this guy a proper mic, he is really quiet," and I thought it was not true. But it was (I just checked a few of our episodes, BLEH!), but people keep listening, and subscribers are growing. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. I must say, we were crap. Absolute crap. I was terrible. Jakub had his glasses & Felix used script in all episodes. But it was so much fun!We were not talking about news as […]

Matej Lancaric January 14

Journal

Ad Monetization in Match-3 Games

🎯 Ad Monetization in Match-3 Games: the Kings of SegmentationMatch-3 games are a cornerstone of mobile gaming, they’re known for their massive IAP revenues. But what’s less talked about is that Match-3 games also monetize with ads. Ad Monetization in Match-3 can be broken down into 3 main categories:1️⃣ Segmented by IAPs- Unified FTUE: All users experience the same onboarding and early gameplay.- IAP Purchase Window: Tracks when most users make their first purchase. If no purchases occur within the purchase window, Rewarded Video (RV) ads unlock economic value for players2️⃣ Segmented by GEO- Certain geos are less likely to yield IAP revenue and instead focus on ad-based monetization.- Ads unlock after FTUE in geos with a low likelihood of IAPs, primarily through RV and interstitial placements.- Example: Candy Crush, rumored to generate $750M/year from ads.3️⃣ No Ads- Some large […]

Felix Braberg January 13

Journal

Your game features aren’t USPs.

Sorry, but your game features aren’t USPs. Here’s why: 𝟭. 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 ↳ Players expect your game to have upgrades, boosters, weapons, cool graphics, etc. ↳ A USP makes your game truly memorable – like a unique narrative or a fresh gameplay twist. 𝟮. 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗨𝗦𝗣𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 ↳ Competitors can copy features. ↳ But a USP that evokes emotion, like excitement or nostalgia, is much harder to replicate. 𝟯. 𝗨𝗦𝗣𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ↳ Even with similar mechanics, a strong USP positions your game as unique. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: • 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 – More than a battle royale; it’s the only one integrating live pop culture events and collaborations. • 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝘀 – Simple gameplay, but the USP lies in social deduction and group psychology. • 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 – Combines AAA quality with free-to-play accessibility in an open-world RPG. […]

Anton Slashcev January 13

Highlights

Mobile Gaming Today: 42

Hey Fam ☃️ Hope you had a healthy, nice start to 2024! Let’s start with my favorite NY post on LinkedIn :)) Sweet work by Supercell Let’s start with a big THANK YOU. Already reached 6.4K followers on LinkedIn 🕺 Super grateful for all the love and support. Thank you, Gaming People! Game of the Week Magic Sort by Grand Games Magic Sort is an innovative sort puzzler that tries to disrupt the whole Sort genre, driven mainly by Ad Revenue. It applies the typical Royal match high production formula, together with some innovation regarding the core gameplay, such as fail state monetization. This is all validated by the 30M$ raise. Will be on Two & Half Gamers’ podcast this week. Mobile Marketing » How to Create Playables 🎨 Importance of Mixing Creatives in Meta 🏆 2024 Top Hypercasual Mobile […]

Gamigion January 13

Journal

Best of 2024: Top Numbers

📊 Revenue, players, and strategy: meet the 2024’s mobile champions. Cheers! PS: AppMagic for data.

Gökhan Üzmez January 13

Journal

Dynamic Offers in Action!

🎥 Dynamic Offers in Action! ✨ I came across two engaging offers recently, one from Coin Master and another from Gossip Harbor. What sets these apart is how they leverage small animations to bring their offers to life. Unlike the usual static images, these animated offers create a sense of excitement and make the experience feel much more immersive. Not only does this approach catch the eye, but it also has the potential to drive higher engagement and revenue. It’s a great reminder of how small design tweaks can have a big impact.

Michael Kopelovich January 13

Journal

9 Traps That Kill Your Game

9 Traps That Kill Your Game (And How to Avoid Every Single One)Most live service games fail.Not because the devs aren’t smart.But because they fall into unseen traps.Here’s the truth: ☝️If you can avoid these 9 traps,you’ll stay ahead of 95% of games out there.1. Metrics:↳ Focusing on revenue instead of fun.↳ Fix: Track engagement. Fun = profits.2. Events:↳ Too many events = burnout.↳ Fix: Space them out. Keep it fresh.3. Ads:↳ Fake gameplay ads destroy trust.↳ Fix: Show the REAL game. Trust scales.4. Progression:↳ Too easy? Boring. Too hard? Frustrating.↳ Fix: Balance it for fair rewards.5. Monetization:↳ Pay-to-win drive players away.↳ Fix: Offer value. Keep it fair. Win long-term6. Community:↳ No community = no loyalty.↳ Fix: Engage through events & social media7. Onboarding:↳ Confused players don’t stick around.↳ Fix: Teach the basics in a fun way.8. Feedback:↳ Ignoring complaints […]

Sergei Vasiuk January 13

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