Here is the WORST way to generate game ideas:

Here is the WORST way to generate game ideas: (avoid it at all costs)1. Open the top-grossing charts.2. Pick two random top games.3. Mash them together, Frankenstein-style.↳ Get a clunky, unplayable game, appealing to no one.Yet, I see so many studios still follow this terrible pipeline.Here’s how to do it right:𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.Look for blue ocean opportunities:• Genres growing year over year.• Low oligopoly index (top 5 games have <50% of the market).• High success rates for newcomers (reaching 1M+ in revenue or downloads).𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲.𝟯. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 • Their strengths and weaknesses.• Dive into player reviews. Learn what they love and hate.• Study the ads. Ads often highlight what players want but rarely get.↳ 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦.𝟰. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 […]

Anton Slashcev January 17

Journal

2025 Mobile Games Marketing Predictions

As we enter 2025, the digital advertising and mobile gaming industries are transforming remarkably. Despite initial concerns in the post-IDFA era, there are encouraging signs of growth and opportunity, albeit on a smaller scale than many of us anticipated just a few years ago. As always, there are winners and losers, and within mobile gaming, certain genres stand out as clear frontrunners. Casino, Puzzle (Casual), and Strategy games are flourishing, with blockbuster titles like Monopoly Go and Royal Match driving incredible success. Even when factoring out these standout performers, these categories continue to experience levels of growth, propelled by a broader shift in player preferences. Post-hyper-casual, today’s gamers are seeking more engaging and robust experiences, which is evident in the shift toward casual gaming and the surging popularity of live ops in leading titles. One game I’ll be keeping a […]

John Wright January 17

Journal

How Is Your Soul Doing?

Happy New Year ✨! Let’s open the year with an important topic regarding self-leadership: Health. Last Sunday, I hosted the first women’s circle as part of my new coaching program, ORIN (more details below). We started this journey with a discussion on health, and one powerful realization emerged from the group: most of us neglect our souls when we think about health. How often do we consider our soul’s well-being when discussing taking care of ourselves? The Missing Piece in Our Health Conversation Typically, when we discuss health, we focus on mental health and physical health. Mental health usually refers to how we feel. Are we rested, calm, and content? Or are we stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed? When we feel mentally depleted, we often try to “fix” it with rest—taking a break or going on a vacation. But do these […]

Sophie Vo January 17

Journal

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀

🎉𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 🎉An early form of the “stacking” mechanic has been around for a while, but it caught the industry’s attention 👇 ..when Fortnite introduced its dynamic building features in 2017. Fast-forward to 2020, and we see Cube Surfer (May) and Shortcut Run (October) hitting the hyper-casual scene, both developed by Voodoo—refining and popularizing stacking in a whole new way. Early 2021 saw High Heels (Rollic) and a surge of similar stacking games dominating the top hyper-casual charts. One standout was Bridge Race by Garawell Games in partnership with Supersonic from Unity, which took stacking to the next level by adding an extra output: players collect tiles to build bridges and advance through levels. This not only resulted in 750 seconds of average playtime and 45% D1 retention but also helped drive down CPI […]

Matej Lancaric January 17

Journal

The gaming industry is NOT what you think.

The gaming industry is NOT what you think. Let me drop some truth bombs.Here are 10 harsh realities many ignore:𝟭. 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺.LOL, no. It’s brutal. It’s art, tech, and business smashed into one impossible puzzle.𝟮. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩.They’re not. Pressure shows you who’s in it for the team and who’s out for themselves.𝟯. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘸.For who? Not you. Not yet. You’ll grind for 7-10 years before the money’s decent. 𝟰. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨You can’t. Playing games isn’t optional - it’s homework. And it’s never-ending.𝟱. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳.Wake up. Studios shut down. Projects fail. Stability in gaming has always been fragile. 𝟲. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.Nope. You’ll follow orders for YEARS before your ideas even hit the table. 𝟳. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺.No chance. It’s a […]

Sergei Vasiuk January 16

Analysis

Magic Sort Analysis: Grand Games’ New Treasure

Here’s what’s covered in this analysis article on Magic Sort: The Rise of Magic Sort: Financial Success and Funding Gameplay and Monetization: Relaxation Meets Revenue User Acquisition Challenges Visual Appeal and Player Experience Grand Games: A Unique Player in Casual Gaming Future Opportunities: LiveOps, Progression, and Global Expansion Check out: The ‘Why’ Behind Grand Games’ $30M Investment Magic Sort: Impressive Earnings, But Can It Scale Globally? The buzz surrounding Magic Sort has been undeniable. With the game already raking in impressive daily revenues between $80K to $100K and securing $30 million in Series A funding, things are looking bright for the puzzle game. However, there’s an interesting question lingering: Can the game sustain this momentum with its current user acquisition (UA) strategy? And more importantly, is it really set for scaling on a global level? Magic Sort’s initial performance, especially […]

Aylin YAZICI January 16

Highlights

Huuuge Games Lays Off 122 Employees

Poland office faces 89 layoffs as studios in the Netherlands and Finland shut down. Huuuge Games Restructures, Laying Off Nearly a Third of Its Workforce Huuuge Games is downsizing its global workforce by 29%, letting go of 122 employees as it shifts focus back to social casino titles. The layoffs include 89 positions in its Poland office, representing 21% of that branch's headcount. The company is also closing its Netherlands and Finland studios, known as 'Huuuge Pods,' and halting new game development. Additionally, funding for Bananaz Studios will cease, leading to a $3.5 million write-down. Huuuge expects the restructuring to be completed by February 2025, asserting it will not negatively affect revenue. Despite an 18.2% year-over-year decline in net income to $15.3 million in Q3 2024, the company remains profitable, holding $125 million in cash reserves and exploring potential mergers […]

Ömer Yakabagi January 16

Journal

The games industry needs Africa’s untold stories now more than ever – but it can’t have them yet

Some frustrating reasons are holding the continent back, and I'll explore them.

Isa Muhammad January 16

Highlights

Ex-King and Ex-Apple Team Raise $9 Million Seed Round for Metica to Revolutionize Gaming Growth with AI-Powered Personalization and Monetization

Metica, a cutting-edge technology company building AI-driven customer engagement and personalization solutions for the gaming industry, has announced the successful raise of $9 million seed round. The round was led by top-tier venture capital firms Play Ventures, 13books, and Firstminute Capital, with participation from renowned angel investors including Riccardo Zacconi, founder and ex-CEO of King (makers of Candy Crush), Caro Krenzer, CEO of Trailmix, Klaas Kersting, CEO of Phoenix Games, Michail Katkoff, Founder of Deconstructor of Fun, Roland Rudd, Chairman of FGS Global, Nigel Morris, former CEO of Dentsu, and René Rechtman, founder of Moonbug Entertainment. Metica is on a mission to help games grow faster by uniting user acquisition (UA), in-game monetization, and AI-driven personalization. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Phil Mohr and Puli Liyanagama, Metica marks their third successful venture together. Their previous startups include Comufy, acquired by King, […]

Ömer Yakabagi January 16

Journal

Top 10 Turkish Mobile Game Publishers

🇹🇷 Top 10 Türk mobile game publishers you need to know!What makes a publisher successful in your eyes? We, have been rapidly growing over the years.While getting faster in game production,Adapting to the marketing trends is a MUST.These studios not only mastered the development,They also kept their marketing uplift.Now that’s the challenge.Now that’s success… 🥂 Cheers!Data by AppMagic as always. PS: These publishers/self publisher developers have all different strategies.DM for deeper conversations. Data is worldwide, numbers are approximate estimations, rounded for better display.Not included in game ad revenue, which can significantly change the listing. #gamedevelopment #videogames

Gökhan Üzmez January 16

Journal

SayGames is stepping up its no-ads offer game!

Juice King by SayGames is really stepping up its no-ads offer game! 🍹 This package goes above and beyond, packing over 12 benefits + resources into one irresistible deal. It's clear a lot of thought went into designing this—making it almost impossible to say no!

Michael Kopelovich January 16

Journal

10 Live Ops traps to avoid

10 Live Ops traps to avoid I teamed up with Sergei to break down the most common mistakes in Live Ops and share tips on improving them:1. Over-focusing on a single metric 📊 Track retention, engagement, and happiness—not just revenue. 2. Event overload 🔄 Too many events burn players out. Space them out. 3. Copy-paste strategies 📋 What worked before might not work now. Adapt and test. 4. Ignoring feedback 🗣️ Complaints = insights. Use them to catch problems early. 5. Over-relying on whales 🐋 Cater to all players, not just big spenders. 6. Content drought 🌵 No new content? Players leave. Keep it fresh. 7. Inconsistent updates ⏰ No schedule = frustrated players. Be reliable. 8. Misusing A/B testing ⚖️ Bad tests, bad data. Test properly to improve. 9. Weak onboarding 🛠️ Confusion = churn. Make onboarding fun and […]

Anton Slashcev January 16

Journal

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