Enumerating Deceptive F2P Design Patterns.

Fun 2025 academic paper I stumbled across: enumerating 'deceptive F2P design patterns.' 🕵️‍♂️ "Over the last decade, the free-to-play (F2P) game business model has gained popularity in the games industry. We examine the role of deceptive design during a game’s transition to F2P and its impacts on players. Our analysis focuses on game mechanics and a Reddit analysis of the Overwatch (OW) series after it transitioned to an F2P model. Our study identifies nine game mechanics that use deceptive design patterns." - Hilda Haden et al"Deceptive designs are user interface design practices that trick users into doing things to benefit businesses. When used in games, such designs can cause negative player experiences, such as distorting their sense of time, swaying how much money they spend playing the game, and influencing their behaviour through psychological and emotional manipulation."

Matthew Emery June 23

Journal

Carnival Tycoon: The $5M/Month “Idle Game” Social Casino Trojan Horse

Idle game making $5 MIL/month! 💸Well, not exactly an idle game. Carnival Tycoon: The Social Casino Trojan Horse Copying Its Way to the Top 👇 In our latest episode, we break down Carnival Tycoon, the game that starts as a cute idle builder and morphs into a full social casino: spin by spin, upgrade by upgrade. Here’s the truth:Every mechanic, from slot spins to collectible cards, is ripped straight from Coin Master and Monopoly Go5 million a month in revenue, top five by size, but nowhere near the stingy, genius LiveOps of the market leadersThe creatives? Gross, shit, all the trends, flip the numbers, “borrow” the hooks, call it AI if you must. It's all there! Store visuals? Only idle, top UA creatives, no social casino at all. Idle features hook the casuals, but the real money comes from the […]

Matej Lancaric June 23

Journal

$2B Later, Umamusume Pretty Derby Launches Globally!

After more than 4 years and nearly $2 Billion in revenue Umamusume Pretty Derby is finally launching in the west on this week's Thursday (26th) 😁 🐎 . It has one of the most unique Rogue lite core gameplays out there, where you have to strategize which training activities you will spend your energy between the races of your horse girl and then you just watch the races 🏇, which makes the core fully automated. When the season ends you start with another racer, retaining some bonuses of your previous run. It has been already picked up once by Small Giant Games in the west, with the name of Charge Champions, but was killed in soft launch.Of course because its a gacha game, the game was doing massive revenue during its launch in 2021, having a baseline of $2,5 Mil. […]

Jakub Remiar June 23

Journal

The puzzle market might be a red ocean, but it’s far from exhausted.

The puzzle market might be a red ocean, but it’s far from exhausted. Yes, competition is fierce. But there are still plenty of underused mechanics waiting to be explored. And both veterans and new entrants are quietly proving it. One moment that reshaped my player experience: Toy Blast’s update to the TNT + Rocket combo about a year ago (that you can see in the GIF below). The change, which is unlocked through a win streak, felt like a breath of fresh air. And I’ve been on the lookout for similar implementations ever since.Match Villains, which I talked about recently, has been the most significant standout lately along these lines. The way they designed Snitch, their version of Propeller, is a great example of puzzle innovation. Propeller is already a unique booster with its target-finding mechanic, but they’ve expanded on […]

Ahmetcan Demirel June 23

Journal

Kingshot launched just a few months ago, already 30M$ a month!

Kingshot launched just a few months ago. It’s already earning more than $30M every month 🤑𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 ⚔️ • First battle starts in seconds • No long or boring tutorials𝟮. 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 🎬 • Polished cut-scenes and quick dialogue • Light humor keeps the pace brisk𝟯. 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 🕹️ • Players pick each upgrade, unit, and kingdom decision • Choices feel meaningful even if outcomes stay safe𝟰. 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 💰 • Rewards drop often, resources never feel scarce • Progression is fast and satisfying𝟱. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 ⏱️ • 10-20 min quest timers create urgency • One mission flows straight into the next𝟲. 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 🎨 • Friendly art and uncluttered UI welcome newcomers • True 4X depth unlocks step by step𝟳. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 🔄 • Learn one feature, unlock another • […]

Anton Slashcev June 23

Journal

Top 10 Grossing Sub-Genres & Their Olygopoly Index

Top 10 Grossing Sub-Genres & Their Olygopoly Index (2025) While monetary value is an important factor when choosing a sub-genre to enter, don’t overlook entry barriers — one of which is how monopolized the market is 🏆A useful indicator here is the Oligopoly Index — the market share held by the top 5 games. The higher the index, the harder it is for new titles to break through 🥊To speed things up for you, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 grossing sub-genres in 2025 along with their Oligopoly Index:1️⃣ 4X Strategy iAP revenue (2025): $3.8BOlygopoly index: 50,67%Leading titles: Last War: Survival, Whiteout Survival 2️⃣ Match-3iAP revenue (2025): $2.5BOlygopoly index: 71,22%Leading titles: Royal Match, Candy Crush Saga, Gardenscapes3️⃣ Team BattleriAP revenue (2025): $1.9BOlygopoly index: 35,76%Leading titles: Honkai: Star Rail, Fate/Grand Order (English), DRAGON BALL Z DOKKAN BATTLE4️⃣ SlotsiAP revenue […]

Andrei Zubov June 23

Highlights

Google Quietly Launches Its Own Instant Games App

As reported by MobileGamer, Google has discreetly rolled out a standalone Instant Games app, serving as a dedicated home for YouTube Playables, the HTML5 game catalogue introduced within the YouTube App in 2023. Games featured in the app, according to Google Play screenshots, include popular titles like Om Nom Run (Zeptolab), Stack Bounce and Crazy Caves (Gamesnacks), as well as Chess Classic, 8 Ball Billiards Classic, and Cannon Balls 3D (Famobi). Google Instant Games screenshots The app is accessible globally on the Google Play Store via the web, with over 10,000 downloads already. However, data from Appmagic shows it’s currently available in 44 countries, mainly across Latin America, MENA, Southeast Asia, and the US, with no release planned for most of Europe, China, or Hong Kong for now. The app went live on June 17. Described simply as “a collection […]

Gamigion June 23

Highlights

Trump Extends TikTok Ban Deadline Again. Is It Even Legal?

The TikTok saga in the U.S. has taken yet another twist. On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving TikTok another 90 days to continue operating stateside, as his administration scrambles to secure a deal that would bring the viral platform under American ownership. This marks the 3rd extension since Trump took office, and legal experts are raising eyebrows. The president announced the move on Truth Social, with the White House framing it as a necessary delay to balance TikTok’s popularity with national security concerns. “It’s wildly popular. He also wants to protect Americans’ data and privacy concerns on this app. And he believes we can do both at the same time,”said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The extension comes after two previous deadlines passed — the first on Trump's inauguration day, when a Congress-approved national ban, […]

Gamigion June 22

Journal

DTC is quietly rewriting the rules of mobile growth.

𝗗𝗧𝗖 𝗶𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵.With Apple loosening its grip on iOS payments, here’s what I see coming: 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 → 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀.Publishers reclaim 15–30% by going direct. That means more cash to reinvest in growth.𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗧𝗩𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗫.DTC is more than margin recovery. It’s a path to higher LTV through personalized offers, loyalty mechanics, and smarter UX.𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗣𝗜𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲.If your LTV is 2x higher, you can afford to outbid everyone. UA becomes a weapon again.𝗔𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲.More competition, more spend, more scale. Unity, Applovin, and others could see massive gains.Curious if others are seeing the same signs?

Gil Tov-Ly June 22

Highlights

Next Big Ad Network: Whatsapp?

WhatsApp Ads' $10 billion in annual revenue within just a few years? Oh no. WhatsApp is no longer just a messaging app; it’s entering the Ad Tech Arena, and quietly positioning itself as Meta’s next multibillion-dollar ad monetization engine. With 1.5 billion users globally, WhatsApp is now rolling out 3 new ad formats. While Meta claims personal messages will remain untouched, the platform’s Updates tab is now open for business, literally. Businesses can promote themselves via: Status Ads (Like Instagram Stories), Sponsored Channels with exclusive content, And targeted ad placements based on country, city, and language. These features don’t currently appear inside private chats, but that hasn’t calmed the skepticism. “Meta is laying the foundation for WhatsApp to finally become a monetisable platform at scale,” said social media expert Matt Navarra. But he also warned that "any perception that the […]

Gamigion June 22

Highlights

£30M Games Growth Pack by UK Government

New investment package aims to strengthen the UK games industry and close talent gaps. Source: PocketGamer.biz The UK Government has introduced a £30 million Games Growth Package to enhance the global competitiveness of the country’s video games sector. The initiative includes £10 million annually for three years to support early-stage studios, primarily through an expanded UK Games Fund that will assist emerging developers in bringing their games to market. A new UK Video Games Council, composed of industry leaders, will be established to improve collaboration between the sector and policymakers. This council will work closely with the Creative Industries Council to foster long-term growth. Addressing Skills Shortages The strategy also includes efforts to tackle industry-wide skills shortages. A UK Games Skills Network will be launched to create a comprehensive plan to bridge skills gaps and establish new talent pipelines into […]

Gamigion June 22

Journal

The real difference between good and bad games?

The real difference between good and bad games: (spoiler: it’s not fancy graphics)It's not deep storylines or complex mechanics either.It's this: • You want TO BE in a good game even with no clear goal. • You’ll run, jump, shoot, fly just because it feels good.There’s a name for this:𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘆 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁. • A "toy" is fun without rules (unlike “game”). • No objectives needed. • It’s enjoyable just to mess with. • The best games feel like that.Great games do this well:• Web-swinging in Spider-Man: smooth, fast, satisfying• The “pop” in Candy Crush: instant, clear feedback• Exploring towns in Skyrim: immersive, curiosity-driven• Cutting fruit in Fruit Ninja: simple, endless joy• Drifting in Mario Kart: movement that makes you smileAll of these feel great without needing a mission.On the flip side?Bad games try to mask boring interactions with busywork: • […]

Anton Slashcev June 22

Journal

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