Brutally Honest: UA Week

🦩Tip of the week

Myth: “Video Ads Always Beat Static. Don’t Bother with Images.”

Reality: Mostly true, but not a blanket rule. Data overwhelmingly supports video’s superiority – triple the conversion rates of banners on average.

In Q1, the vast majority of new UA wins came from video or playable media. However, declaring static obsolete is a tad hype. We busted this by finding niche use-cases where static shone: for example, retargeting ads on Facebook using a single striking image of a new feature brought back a lot of lapsed users at low cost (those users already knew the gameplay; a quick reminder worked better than a video).

Also, some networks like ad colonies or OEM placements only support images, and they delivered cheap installs that converted decently. So yes, focus on video for prospecting and scale, but keep some static in the toolbox for specific jobs (fast production, certain channels, or as a test bed for concepts).

The myth that images are useless is overstated.

You should always have images in the creative mix.

🐊​ Cornelius: The Suspicious Investi-gator

True detective-like exploration of creative trends and historical influences. Delving deep into the world of creatives to uncover hidden patterns and inspirations:

𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁’𝘀 𝗨𝗔 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. What makes their approach different? Here’s the breakdown

Ready for a real-world case study in smart, scalable creative strategy? Look at what Century Games did with Kingshot. The numbers speak for themselves: $50M in just three months, driven by a mix of AI-powered creative and altered gameplay.

𝗔𝗜-𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝟯 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀
Kingshot ads start with a “clutch” moment. The hero is on the edge, the stakes are high, and you instantly want to see what happens next. The visuals and music feel familiar for a reason. They study what works (looking at you, Thronefall), then add AI for maximum click potential.

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘀
Their ads borrow heavily from what is already viral. That means similar art, music, and even ad hooks. Instead of chasing originality for its own sake, they double down on what moves the market. It might annoy purists, but it drives performance.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆.
In 2025, “good enough” creative is enough. You need volumes. Big volumes to power through the competition. You need relentless testing, AI-powered production, and a willingness to remix anything that gets results.

If you are still running one or two ad concepts a month, you are already losing the attention war. You are already 2.5 steps behind.

Want to see this in action? Search “Kingshot ad” on TikTok or YouTube and reverse engineer their latest winners. Then ask yourself, what is stopping your team from moving this fast?

Yours truly, Cornelius.

💀 Dr. Doom is not amused

One of my industry friends amused me with his direct and honest TL;DRs, so we agreed to share it here, too! My friend remains anonymous as Dr.Doom!

“We got some good old fashion doom from our favorite supplier, Supercell. It has been a month since the latest big 2.0 hero update of Squad Busters and it seems it didn’t achieve much, and on top the Chinese version, “surprise surprise” also didn’t achieve much. But wait, it is now more heavily targeted towards “more experienced mobile gamers” I hope there are still some left out there 🔍 after those 62 Mil. downloads” Sincerely, Doom.

🎉  “Ha-ha” moment

Because life is too short to be serious.

🎮 two & a half gamers – Match3 exposé

From 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗞 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱: Supersonic from Unity Reveals the True UA Playbook. 𝟭𝟱% 𝗗𝟯𝟬 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and 80K a Day in Ad Revenue.𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀

How Screwmaster 3D Became Hybrid Casual’s Breakout Hit and What Every Studio Needs to Learn:

In this week’s episode, we sat down with Supersonic’s Samantha Benjamin & Guy Agiv to get the full story on Screw Master 3D’s explosive growth.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁? Ruthless speed, data obsession, and relentless creative testing + not punishing the player!

Screw Master 3D went from a WeChat trend to a global top-grosser in record time.

The Supersonic team A/B tests everything: ad formats, session intervals, meta features.

Playables are not just for hyper casual; here, they actually drive scale and retention

The team balances 80 percent ad revenue with real IAP, skip-its, and boosters

Creative production is AI-assisted, data-driven, and always chasing the next trend.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? A hybrid casual title with deep retention, insane ad engagement, and a playbook any studio should study.

You are not competing at the highest level if you are not moving this fast and testing this deep.

🦄​ Diary of a Dancing Unicorn

Today was a good day.

Hey, why are these guys talking shit about you?

No idea. What did they say?

Oh, some made-up number you mentioned on the show.

Wait, what?

Yeah, something around a game revenue.

Oh that bullshit. That’s a straight-up lie! WTF?

*Yo, you should correct it. It might be just a mistake in reading some of the articles.

*Sure let me correct next week.

*…. nothing

*…. week after: No, no corrections needed.

Well, not cool to lie about others, but karma will do the job.

Today was a good day.

🤺​ Quote of the week

“Its not my company, I dont give a fuck” – Miikka, inperson meeting

Screw Master 3D live review

👾  THE AI (R)EVOLUTION

The AI revolution is here, and it’s transforming the way we approach mobile games marketing.

From creating scroll-stopping ad creatives to optimizing user acquisition strategies, AI is the game-changer we can’t ignore.