Journal

💪Who are the 10 Biggest Networks on Mobile, and How do they make money? 💸 After Applovin’s end-of-year statement and the subsequent LinkedIn carousel of congratulations🎠 I felt like taking a step back and discussing how ad networks actually make money and which networks are currently the largest ones on mobile from a volume of impressions perspective. Mobile ad Networks, at its core, offer three distinct products: A direct SDK connection to mobile apps and their users The UA algorithms they’ve built on the traffic using their AI prowess End cards that make users more likely to click and download the advertised apps or games At its core, an ad network provides the plumbing and the algorithms that will show the best ad for the users who are most likely to convert to the content. This means that mobile ad […]

Stashing mechanics have long been a staple in F2P monetization, with e.g., piggy bank systems serving as a prime example. However, the concept of stashing extends far beyond simply accumulating soft currency — when applied more broadly, it can enhance engagement, retention, and monetization in innovative ways.In this article, I’m exploring how stashing systems can evolve across different monetization and engagement layers, from Battle Pass (incl. Event Pass, and Season Pass variations) integration to e.g., social-driven mechanics and emergent gameplay systems.Traditional Piggy Banking and Engagement-Monetization Tie-InThe classic piggy bank system is a hybrid engagement-monetization mechanic where players accumulate soft currency or premium currency (traditionally at least these, but in same cases something else optionally) fragments through gameplay. Once at a milestone and/or full, players can pay a set fee to “break open” the piggy bank and claim their stash based […]

𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗽 showing surprising strength from Vietnamese 🇻🇳 publishers. How are the Dec launches doing today?• 936 games launched in Dec (excluding CN)• 10 (1%) of the 936 have $1M/y + momentum by Feb 15• None of the 10 were from Top100 publishers• 𝟲 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟬 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗲, 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 / 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀• 2 are from Ukraine• Top performers were ARK Ultimate Survival (Studio Wildcard 🇺🇸) and Screwdom 3D (iKame 🇻🇳).• 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! 🧱 49 rel. in Dec. 👀May the odds be ever in your favor ✌️Data from AppMagic 🪄✨*Tier1 West: either $1M/y gross IAP or IAP + downloads assuming est. $0.40 T1W Ad-LTV.