Love & Deepspace did $30M last month

Love & Deepspace did $30M last month, the undisputed #1 game in the interactive story genre. Making 10x more than Chapters, its next competitor in the charts. How is this possible? This is the next-gen interactive story game, as you see in the images. Fully 3D with voice-overs, the production quality is leagues ahead of its competition. The interactive story part plays more like a choice-based cinematic, with fully animated characters, all in the first person of your player with multiple camera angles. Surprisingly, this is just the first core gameplay that the game offers. Besides this, there is the dating part + a landscape combat RPG 😲. Yes, you read that right. The second core gameplay is an action RPG combat ⚔️, when the whole game switches from portrait to landscape, and you fight against enemies and bosses based […]

Jakub Remiar March 7

Journal

How to Design a Winstreak

How to Design a Winstreak 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹?• They reward players for consecutive wins • They boost session length and levels played per day ⏳ • They motivate players to avoid losing, just to keep the streak alive𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? • Unlocks after a certain level • Winning a "qualification" level starts the streak • Players see the streak's conditions and rewards in the event window • If they lose, the streak resets (unless they pay to continue 💎) 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁? Because it’s smart psychology: • It creates a strong desire to keep the streak going • It drives booster and currency usage • It’s especially effective on tough levels 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁? • 3-step win streak: three levels, each with bigger rewards • 5-step win streak: five levels, […]

Anton Slashcev March 7

Journal

Hyper x Hybrid Game Economy

HYBRID CASUAL STUDIES HYPER X HYBRID GAME ECONOMICS Hi, Mobile Gaming Fanatics! 😜🧩In today's Hybrid Casual Studies, I bring you a short comparative analysis of the game economy of a hyper and a hybrid.To shed some light on the comparison, I'll show you screenshots of 3️⃣ great Supersonic from Unity titles.Developed by Fun Velikan, “Emoji Puzzle” 🙂 is a very simple and addictive Hyper Casual connection puzzle; a big hit with more than 225MM downloads.Developed by Gemo Interactive and Lecten, “Park Match!” 🚗 is a typical Hybrid Park Jam Puzzle, with a game economy finely tuned to the LiveOps system.Developed by EO Games, “Screw Master 3D” 🔩 is a screw puzzle with excellent side loops as a metagame.For this analysis, I used the article “How to strike a balance between core and meta economies”, based on Guy Yogev’s insights, and […]

Carlos Pereira March 6

Journal

What makes a game fun?

What makes a game fun? 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝗻: • Challenge – Balanced difficulty that tests skills without feeling frustrated. • Flow – Smooth transitions that keep players immersed. • Mastery – Mechanics that reward learning and improvement. 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Short-term goals – Quick wins like leveling up or finding collectibles. • Mid-term objectives – Progress across multiple sessions, unlocking abilities and completing quests. • Long-term missions – Emotional engagement through bigger goals, like restoring a world or climbing the leaderboard. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: • Surprise – Easter eggs, unexpected rewards, and story twists. • Humor – Lighthearted moments that make you smile. • Achievement – The rush of beating a tough level or earning a rare trophy. 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: • Visuals – Vibrant colors and smooth transitions. • Audio – Responsive sounds and adaptive music. • Tactile feedback […]

Anton Slashcev March 6

Journal

App Store Changes after iOS 18.4

Things move fast! Here's more on the iOS 14 updates. With iOS 18.4, the App Store announced some big changes, from app tags & natural language search to review summaries.But something else is changing on Apple Search Ads.Until now, optimising Search Tab was limited to bids and audience refinements. That’s changing.📢 Custom Product Pages are now available for Search Tab ads!We'll be able to direct users to custom landing pages instead of the default ad.Great use case: re-engaging past users with tailored messaging, highlighting latest in-app events, features, offers & updates.The goals?- Higher Conversion Rate- Lower CPIs- Improved overall performance for this placementThe App Store is evolving, and this could reshape how we approach iOS growth strategies.

Julie Tonna March 6

Analysis

The Hidden Value of Subtle Design

When discussing the success of a game, we often focus on large features or events. These elements are typically easy to measure with tangible results. We analyze their impact through metrics such as player retention, onboarding success, or spikes in monetization. While these aspects are important, they don’t tell the full story. Subtle design elements can shape the player experience just as significantly, even though their effects are harder to quantify. From encouraging messages to clever animations, these small touches enhance gameplay in ways that keep players engaged. The Power of Encouraging Words Some games use text strategically to communicate with players during key moments. These messages can be motivational, celebratory, or even subtly instructional, adding emotional depth to the experience. For example, Toon Blast encourages players by displaying a message after completing a challenging level. If the player beats […]

Ahmetcan Demirel March 6

Highlights

$900M Deal: Tripledot Buys AppLovin’s Games

As reported by BusinessInsider, AppLovin, the Adtech Titan, is selling its gaming unit to London-based Tripledot Studios in a $900 million deal, sources tell Business Insider. AppLovin’s CEO Adam Foroughi made it clear: "We've never been a game developer at heart." The company originally acquired studios like Lion Studios, Machine Zone, and Magic Tavern to train its ad-driven AI, but now it’s fully embracing its role as an advertising titan. On February 12, AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi told investors during an earnings call that the company has signed an “exclusive term sheet” to sell all of its apps business. “Seven years ago, we began acquiring gaming studios to help train our earliest ML models, an invaluable step in shaping the AI that underpins our AXON platform,” he said." From the last week: AppLovin Offloads Games: $500M Cash, $400M in Stock AppLovin paid […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 5

Highlights

Saudi Game Studio, Lobah secured $12 million investment

Saudi Arabia’s Lobah just secured a massive $12M investment from the Social Development Bank at Leap 2025 in Riyadh, a bold move that fuels the country's ambitious National Gaming Strategy. Founded by industry veteran Eisa Atawi, Lobah isn’t just making games, it’s building an ecosystem. In January, it launched Lobah Play, a dynamic platform for game publishing, networking, and monetization. With a lineup of ambitious projects in the works—including Kingdom of Letters (trivia), Jackaroo (board game) & Faza (PvP battle royale set in the Arabian Peninsula), Lobah is set to make waves in the mobile gaming space. The Gaming Industry is getting hotter and hotter over there. Saudi Arabia’s Games & Esports industry is a story the world should watch. A Booming Saudi Gaming Scene Saudi Arabia is doubling down on gaming, increasing esports and game development funding by 53% […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 5

Candy Crush Solitaire Mobile Game by King

Analysis

King’s Candy Crush Solitaire: What Went Wrong?

Candy Crush Solitaire by King had its global launch on Feb 6th. Looking at the numbers nearly one month later, the game did just $600K in revenue on 4 million downloads at that time. Doesn't seem like the result King was looking for after releasing it as the first Candy Crush-themed game in the last 6 years. The first impression of the game is that it's a little bit old, even though it's brand new. It carries the signature King UI that we are used to from their Match3 puzzlers, but both the style and layout of the UI evokes a 2015 vibe. This wouldn't be a problem if it were only visuals, but it seems the feature set is also not up to standard for the current generation of level-based puzzle games. And don’t get me started on the […]

Jakub Remiar March 5

Journal

Miniclip acquired Lessmore for 3 Main Reasons

I think Miniclip acquired Lessmore for 3 main reasons:Their ability to scale games (live-ops), unique UI and, Unbeatable dynamic economy based game design!Lessmore mastered the mobile economy. Thats basically a level design.Many studios cant mimic. The secret sauce behind the success of 2 games:↳ Retention Cohorts,↳ Dynamic Economy Design,↳ Hybrid Monetization in Game,↳ Simple and Unique Art + Interface.

Gökhan Üzmez March 5

Journal

4 Signs Your New Ad Network Just Isn’t That Into You

💅Four signs that the new ad network might not be that into you…💅 Why are the two strongest mobile networks not taking on new publisher partners? Two of the strongest new mobile networks are Amazon Publisher Services and Moloco. So why are neither of these two networks accepting new publisher partners🤔? Much of my last year was spent praising Moloco and APS and their quick rise on the mobile ad monetization scene. APS is now a larger Banner partner for publishers in the EU and USA than Google. I also saw countless times how Moloco’s foray into SDK direct traffic pushed up AdARPDAUs by more than 10% on video inventory for publishers. But for the last 6-12 months, I haven’t been able to onboard a new publisher for either of these two networks. Why is that? If you’re monetizing with […]

Felix Braberg March 5

Journal

Vita Mahjong scaled past $150K a Day

Vita Mahjong has already scaled past $150K a day in ad revenue & daily 400K downloads. In nearly one year, the game went past 65M downloads. Why is it scaling so high? 😎 Get the story here: This is another example of turning the established board games 🎲 into a level-based puzzle version on mobile. Similar to Domino Dreams by SuperPlay and Solitaire Grand Harvest by Playtika, these games just take elements from the well known board games, but they heavily simplify it, so it becomes a level based puzzler. Despite that, it still retains the organic search traffic for the original game as players are looking for a Mahjong game. Clever iteration 💡. Vita Mahjong has very small feature set; there is just the level-based core gameplay and some minimal events in the main menu, and that's it. No […]

Jakub Remiar March 4

Journal

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