How Applovin Scared Google

I recently spoke with The Information for a feature titled “How Applovin Scared Google”. It examines how one of the most aggressive ad tech players successfully challenged Google in the Mobile ad monetization and user acquisition space. The article dives into: How Google’s growth in app install ads slowed as Applovin gained ground Google reversed its privacy policy to allow IP tracking again How Applovin got publishers to switch to MAX mediation from competing platforms How MAX’s growth surged after acquiring MoPub and consolidated supply One point I touched on was how MoPub’s shutdown shifted the balance in mobile mediation: “With the acquisition of MoPub, Applovin got a lot more market share. Before then, it was quite an even distribution between MoPub, Google, Applovin and IronSource.” Based on my experience working with publishers that generate between $10,000 and $350,000 per […]

Felix Braberg June 6

Journal

Review Radar #8 is back with 15 games!

Review Radar #8 📡 is back with 15 games that we already covered on the two & a half gamers podcast in last 3 months, as we keep them on our "radar" 😅. Get the latest status updates from big names such as RiverGame, Century Games, tap4fun, Habby, Dream Games, KRAFTON Inc., Grand Games, Hungry Studio, Rollic, King 😎. So the winner's 🏆 bracket -Triple match continues to scale on amazingly high revenue 🤑 per download, with its new casual approach to hidden object. Dark War Survival is scaling up as expected of Rivergame's new 4X games. Royal Kingdom is going bananas after one of the biggest celebrity campaigns in mobile gaming 👀. Block Blast is still hitting new record heights with its download volumes, 31,4 Mil. for the last 30 days 😱. Both Goods Puzzle, Blossom Sort and Magic […]

Jakub Remiar June 6

Journal

80,000 new Mobile Apps are added each month. Games?

An estimated 80,000 new mobile apps are added each month, with mobile games accounting for approximately 10-15% of this total...😲 (based on 42matters data) With that each of stores has ~2 mln apps in total. Of course majority of downalods and revenue comes from small number of them (around 50% of those Google Play and 60% of iOS apps have not received a single rating).On the other side of the story, number of apps is rather declining than growing (comparing with some 2024 data). ...

Mariusz Gąsiewski June 6

Journal

TOP 10 Hybrid Casual now?

TOP 10 HYBRID CASUAL# 5 WEEK, MAY, 2025 Hi, Hybrid Maniacs! 😜The newcomer to the Top 10 list in the fifth week of May is “Knit Out”. 💫Published by Rollic and developed by SuperBlast, “Knit” is a clever sort jam puzzle.Instead of cars and trucks, the Turkish giant's 🇹🇷 new hit uses bobbins as containers.This means the items don't have to be unitary, like dolls, but have a variable amount of thread 🧶, making the gameplay more complex.It brings a freshness to the sub-genre.My proudest moment. 🤩💖 I mentioned “Knit Out” in my Releases and Transfers List for the first half of March. 💝Let's list the top 10 hybrid casual games by revenue from the 26th of May to the 1st of June.🥇- “Color Block Jam” by Rollic & Gybe Games.🥈- “Screwdom” by Zego Studio (iKame Global).🥉- “All In Hole” […]

Carlos Pereira June 6

Journal

10 Video Tutorials on Mobile Game Monetization:

10 video tutorials on mobile game monetization: 1. What Makes a Great In-Game Shop? 2. Why Modern Games Can’t Quit Microtransactions3. Choice Architecture: Manipulation for Fun and Profit4. How to Make Money from Your Game in 20255. Let’s Go Whaling: Monetizing F2P Mobile Players6. Mastering F2P Cosmetics Monetization7. Genshin Impact’s Bizarre Monetization Model8. How Free Games Trick You Into Spending9. Hybrid Gamers: UA & Monetization Strategies10. Basics of F2P Game Economy Design

Anton Slashcev June 6

Journal

Game Shop best practices in Dice Dreams from SuperPlay

Game Shop best practices in Dice Dreams As I'm writing the book on Game Shops in f2p mobile games, I check many top games for best practices. And for bad ones, too.Let's see, show many of them are presented in Dice Dreams' game shop:✅ General list, divided into sections. No tabs or bookmarks. You have to scroll it all through.✅ Top section is for bundles and offers. They are the first thing you will see there, no chance to miss.✅ Labels, such as Best Value or Most Popular. The first one motivates shifting towards higher check by using common sense. The second one is tapping into community driven decisions ("so should I").✅ Resource panel on top. You will always know how much you have, so you spend carefully.✅ Both resource sections contain 6 packs, with the same price points. Familiar […]

Michael Khripin June 6

Highlights

Meta with AI: Fully Automated Ad Creation by 2026

Meta plans to let advertisers fully create and target campaigns using AI tools by the end of next year. Shall challenge traditional advertising and media agencies. The new AI tools in development would allow brands to simply upload a product image and define their marketing budget. From there, Meta’s system would generate the entire ad, complete with visuals, video, text, and automatically target it to the right users across Facebook and Instagram, factoring in elements like Geolocation & User Behavior. While Meta already offers AI-powered tools to help brands modify ads before launch, the upcoming features represent a more significant shift. They could bypass the need for external ad agencies by automating creative, planning, and media buying processes, opening the door for smaller advertisers with limited budgets. The news had an immediate market impact on shares of major ad firms. […]

Gamigion June 5

Highlights

Apple Fails to Stop App Store Reforms in Epic Games Case

Apple has lost its attempt to delay court-ordered reforms to its App Store, following a ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court denied Apple’s request to pause key provisions of a federal judge’s decision that compels the tech giant to open its App Store to more competition, part of a long-running antitrust case filed by Fortnite developer Epic Games. Highlights? Court Rejects: The appeals court upheld U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers' April ruling, which found Apple in contempt for evading an earlier injunction. Reforms Ordered: Apple must halt practices such as its 27% fee on external app purchases and allow developers to link to outside payment methods freely. Epic Celebrates Ruling: Epic CEO Tim Sweeney declared the decision as the end of the "Apple tax" in a post on X. Apple’s Response: The company expressed […]

Gamigion June 5

Highlights

Layoffs Again? First Wooga, now Playtika

Playtika lays off staff following Wooga’s recent job cuts. Up to 160 jobs cut on Best Fiends and Redecor teams. Shortly after Wooga’s 50 layoffs, Playtika has reportedly let go of a number of employees, mainly from its Best Fiends and Redecor teams, according to PocketGamer.biz. Multiple current and former team members took to social media to share news of the layoffs. PocketGamer.biz identified around 20 affected individuals now seeking new opportunities via LinkedIn. The roles impacted span various departments, including QA, engineering, team leadership, talent acquisition, art, and development. Some of those affected had only recently joined the company this year. The total number of layoffs has not been confirmed, and Playtika has declined to comment. Data? Player spending in Best Fiends has been steadily declining for several years. Meanwhile, Redecor's revenue has also dropped, leveling out over the […]

Gamigion June 5

Analysis

Mediations in 2025: 9 facts out there.

Back in March 2022, I wrote an article titled "RIP MoPub - MAX vs ironSource is on," which tackled 10 key questions for publishers deciding between mediation platforms. At the time, MAX and LevelPlay (then ironSource) were neck and neck - each offering a solid, competitive product with unique strengths and weaknesses. Fast forward to May 2025, and the mediation landscape has seen significant shifts. MAX now appears to be dominating the space, while LevelPlay - once a clear contender - seems to be falling behind. Conversations with peers, combined with industry chatter and online sentiment, all reinforce this impression. But what’s the real story? Who truly holds the market today? How do the major mediation platforms measure up? And what does the future hold? Let’s dig into the facts. Methodology To gain a clearer picture of the current mediation […]

Božo Janković June 4

Highlights

Design Discipline: The Difference Between Shipping and Sinking

The mistake every game studio keeps making: stop jizzing the game design! Game studios often sabotage their projects by endlessly iterating on minor features while ignoring foundational flaws. In today's essay, I explore why design discipline is critical for shipping successful games. Key insights include: How lack of discipline leads to project failures. Three essential pillars to foster effective design discipline. Practical strategies to prioritize wisely and ship faster. Why perfection can be your biggest enemy in game development. The Rise, the Fall, and the Rise Again of Mobile 4X games: AppMagic Data Singular recently released its Q2 Quarterly Trends report. A few data highlights from that report. Global ad spend is up: Tale of Two Platforms: Android dominates installs, and iOS dominates revenue. Major gap in global CPI with USA leading the way: CPI by game genre: There's a […]

Joseph Kim June 4

Analysis

The Rise of the Financial Kingmakers: Private Equity’s $21B+ Bet on Gaming

Written by our Partner, InvestGame. In under a decade, private equity has transitioned from cautious spectator to one of the major industry dealmakers, deploying over $21B across 68 deals since 2018. This notable shift—from holding just 10% of the deal count to commanding a significant 30% share of mid-to-large cap gaming M&A—underscores PE’s escalating confidence and decisive role in shaping gaming’s landscape. Post-pandemic market dynamics catalyzed heightened institutional investment activity, exemplified by headline-grabbing transactions like Savvy Games Group’s $4.9B purchase of Scopely, EQT’s $2.8B public takeover of Keywords Studios, CVC’s $1.3B secondary for Dream Games, and the second PE-to-PE turnover of Jagex at $1.1B. Private equity firms are now playing big—but what has triggered this transformation? This analysis sheds light on the strategic catalysts behind private equity’s rapid ascent in gaming, highlights key investment strategies underpinning this surge, and provides […]

Gamigion June 4

Journal

Login to enjoy full advantages

Go Premium!

Enjoy the full advantage of the premium access.

Stop following

Cancel subscription