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Automatic difficulty adjustment in Match3 levels

Hello! My name is Anton, and I am a game designer and match3 level designer. I've been working on match3 games for over 15 years (am I considered a veteran yet? :)), participated in the creation of new games, and joined projects at various stages of their life cycle. I've accumulated a lot of experience and have some free time, so I want to start a series of articles where I will share useful information. The first topic I'd like to cover is the use of automatic difficulty adjustment in match3 levels. When we play cool (successful) match3 projects, we often encounter a situation where you can't pass a certain level for a long time, everyone remembers level 65 in Candy Crush, right? Candy Crush 65 level (old) But after a few days, or sessions, for example, you spent 5 […]

Anton Heorhiiev May 3

Highlights

TikTok Busted by EU: $600M Fine for Sending Data to China

TikTok just got hit with a thunderous €530 million ($600 million) penalty by EU. One of the largest ever handed down under data protection laws. Why? The platform secretly stored and exposed Europeans’ personal data in China, despite denying it for years. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), acting as the EU’s privacy watchdog due to TikTok's European HQ in Dublin, uncovered that TikTok allowed remote access to user data from China, without proving it was protected to EU standards. Even worse, the platform didn't clearly inform users where their data was going, or that Chinese law might allow government access. This bombshell follows a €345 million fine in 2023 over child data violations. Now, TikTok faces a strict 6-month deadline: fix your data practices or face a suspension of all data transfers to China. The DPC made it clear—data privacy […]

Gamigion May 2

Journal

New Hybrid: Kingdom Life by SuperSonic

NEW HYBRID IS COMING? ”KINGDOM LIFE” BY SUPERSONIC & MOOD GAMES Supersonic from Unity 🇮🇱 has released yet another promising casual hybrid title.Developed by Turkish game studio Mood Games 🇹🇷, “Kingdom Life” is a life simulator that cleverly mixes two other successful life simulators from Supersonic, “Family Life” (31MM down.) and “Conquer Countries” (16MM down.).From “Family Life”, “Kingdom Life ” takes the gameplay based on the growth of a family from its family tree. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧After acquiring 15k coins, “Kingdom Life” unlocks the map mode, which the player can use to conquer territories, similar to “Conquer Countries”. 🗺️The tie-in between the two gameplays is well done through the game's medieval-themed narrative, inserting the player into a story typical of a royal court series. 👑I enjoyed it! 🤩

Carlos Pereira May 2

Journal

CPI Drop with Strong IP in Mobile Games?

💥 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗣𝗜 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗣 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲? 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝟳𝟬%?👇 We’ve all seen the power of recognizable characters and brands in UA campaigns and games. A good IP can cut through ad fatigue, boost IPMs, and increase brand awareness. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗣𝗜? From what I’ve seen and heard, CPI drops 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟮𝟬 – 𝟳𝟬%. These are possible with top-tier global IPs (think Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, etc)And of course, lower CPI doesn’t always equal higher LTV, especially if the IP fans churn quickly after install. Also, there is a licensing cost... 👉 I’d love to hear your experience.How much of a CPI drop did you see, and was it worth the licensing cost?

Matej Lancaric May 2

Journal

Get Ready for a Tsunami of Web Shops

Shall We Get Ready for a Tsunami of Web Shops? The recent court ruling in favor of Epic Games, delivered by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, just changed the game — literally.Apple can no longer block external payment options or take a cut from out-of-app transactions.This opens massive opportunities for game developers to finally own their monetization stack.Web shops are no longer optional — they’re strategic.We’re talking about reducing commissions from 30% to 3–5% (just transaction costs).That leaves the rest in your pocket.What an impressive boost to your LiveOps strategies!Now you have two smart paths:👉 Lower the price for the same goods — boost conversion.👉 Keep the price, but add bonus content — boost value.Both work. And both should be:✅ Personalized✅ A/B tested✅ Synced to in-game behaviorLook at Mattel, Inc.’s UNO! as a great example.Their webshop mirrors the in-game store, adapts […]

Michael Khripin May 2

Journal

Top Grossing Hybridcasual Games

If you take the entertainment industry seriously, you get results.These 10 games are a living proof of that. Top 10l titles brought $87M in IAP! If you are still struggling to understandWhat a hybrid casual is and is not,You are not alone.However, you will be left behind If you don't improve your understanding.Your time is valuable, use it wisely.Cheers!PS: Also, on the PC side of things, GTA is delayed. and I TOLD YOU SO! ugh.

Gökhan Üzmez May 2

Journal

GTA Delay…

Ahh Sh*t, here we go again…. Not surprised. But definitely disappointed.Good for other games launching this year, though!

John Wright May 2

Highlights

Epic Game-Changer: 0% Fees & Full Control

Epic just dropped a game-changing update, and it’s seriously worth a look. Starting June 2025, the Epic Games Store is going 0% on store fees for your first $1 million in revenue per game, per year. That’s right—no cut. No weird fine print. Just more of your launch earnings staying exactly where they should: with you and your team. That’s just the start. They’re also rolling out Epic Webshops, so you can set up your own storefront, hosted by Epic. That means you can send players directly to your shop—from anywhere it’s allowed, including iOS in the EU and US—and skip the usual 30% cuts from Apple, Google, and other platforms. You get more control over how you sell things like DLCs, bundles, or in-game currency. Even better? Players get 5% back in Epic Rewards when they buy through your […]

Gamigion May 2

Journal

The New Rules of the Soft Launch Game

The New Rules of the Soft Launch Game Remember when you soft-launched a mobile game to test metrics before scaling? That playbook’s evolving—and fast. Everyone knows that most mobile games fail. But there seems to be one way that savvy developers are maximizing their success rate on mobile. They look at successful Steam Games, letting them act as their soft launch. Let me ask you: what do R.E.P.O Mobile, Dreamy Room, and I am Cat have in common? Each started as a Steam or Meta Quest hit, then leaped to mobile. Dreamy Room by ABI Games was launched in February 2025. It has about 1.1 million DAU and earns about $80k/day in IAA and IAPs. Dreamy Room is one of the first titles in ABI’s portfolio, earning significant IAP revenue. A knowledgeable fan, Matheiu Halley, in the 2.5 gamers Slack […]

Felix Braberg May 2

Highlights

Dream Games Powers Up With Strategic Investment From CVC

Dream Games, the mobile gaming powerhouse behind global hits Royal Match and Royal Kingdom, is leveling up. The company has announced a strategic equity partnership with CVC, a leading global investment firm, marking the next bold chapter in its journey to dominate the mobile gaming universe. ‘Royal Match’ maker Dream Games is valued at nearly $5 billion in CVC deals. Last week, we were chatting about "Dream Games is opening the UA floodgates for Royal Kingdom". Just a month before? Dream Games $2.5B Deal Dream Games has generated $3.6 billion in revenue and 367 million downloads so far. Data: AppMagic Private equity group CVC is taking a minority stake in Istanbul-based Dream Games in a deal that values the maker of hit mobile app Royal Match at close to $5bn. The deal, which was announced on Thursday without disclosing financial […]

Gamigion May 2

Highlights

Star Wars Joins Monopoly Go! In New Two-Month Mobile Event

The worlds of Monopoly and Star Wars just collided in the latest Monopoly Go! update. Two-month Crossover Scopely’s hit mobile game is teaming up with Star Wars for a special two-month crossover, featuring stories from The Mandalorian and The Skywalker Saga. The in-game event kicks off Thursday and brings characters, visuals, and themes from the galaxy far, far away straight to the digital board. “We wanted this to be more than a crossover—it had to feel big, bold, and true to both worlds,” said Victor Diaz-Roig, Scopely’s president of games. “From iconic characters to stunning design, this event captures the magic of Star Wars while keeping the fun and creativity of Monopoly Go! front and center.” Check it out, pretty cool! Some Data? Data: AppMagic

Gamigion May 2

Journal

Top 10 Hybridcasual Games

TOP 10 HYBRID CASUAL# 4 WEEK, APRIL, 2025 This post is special to me. 🥰I've been following the hyper casual market closely for over five years.One of my first editorial lines on LinkedIn was the list of the top 10 hyper casual games by downloads. 🔝🔟However, the industry has changed a lot since then. 🤯Today, we live in the Age of the Hybrid Casual.The ecosystem of big publishers and hundreds of small and medium-sized developers has changed.The new titles have more depth, pursuing IAP revenue. 💰This was unthinkable in the Golden Age of Hyper Casual.For comparison, one of the biggest hyper casual hits, Voodoo's “Helix Jump”, made just $2.8MM in IAP revenue from over 520MM cumulative downloads.That's why I'm returning to my top 10 list, but with hybrid casual titles and organized by revenue.I believe the hybrid casual industry is […]

Carlos Pereira May 2

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