admonetization

Pokemon TCG Pocket is killing it 🤩 still doing more than $5 Mil. 🤑 a day! I had to pull out my old cards from the "childhood box" to confirm that a lot of them are now in the mobile game using the exact OG illustrations 😁. Couldn't be more happy to play again with these familiar faces 😊. The DeNA team did a great job by streamlining the original physical Trading Card Game rules. Instead of 60 cards you now only have 20 cards in your whole deck. Energy system was again simplified. Similarly how Hearthstone removed the lands as it was streamlining Magic the Gathering gameplay, Pocket also removed energy cards out of the deck and made it an automatic resource that is constantly given to you each round regardless of your cards. If you go for double […]

Creating "(Shareable) Moments of Joy": The New Formula to Viral and Socially Engaging Game Design? 🎮✨ In future's gaming landscape, simply delivering a high-quality game isn't always enough. With players craving more shareable, social experiences, developers need to consider how to foster “moments of joy”—gameplay that not only excites players but also encourages them to share, stream, and engage in a more community-driven way.Here’s where emergent gameplay and social mechanics come into play:📸 Encourage Shareable Moments:Players love to showcase unique, fun, or funny moments, especially in games that emphasize co-op or PvP elements. Designing gameplay that lends itself to unexpected, high-stakes, or humorous scenarios can help spark these moments. Imagine scenarios where players can collaborate or compete in ways that lead to share-worthy outcomes, encouraging organic social sharing.🤝 Create Cooperative and Social Experiences:Rather than pushing individual achievements, fostering co-op gameplay […]

Founder: "Everyone is like family here, Alexis"Founder: "Ok, actually we're struggling" CEOs should never confuse friendship with leadership.Period.I have managed 100s of A-players.Over the last 20 years..I see too many CEOs who hire fast.Build "fun" cultures, fully remote, casual Fridays.They run up a toxic "we're all friends" environment.Then mediocrity sets in.This is when they reach out to me.Team management should be done professionally.Instead of prioritizing being liked.↳ Prioritize building high-performing teams.With no structure, you have no excellence.↳ Dedicate 1 day a week to performance reviews.Need to turn things around in less than 3 months?↳ Then 2-3 days of active management.Building A-teams in 2024 doesn't have to be scary.It's not popular work, but it is crucial.If you avoid confrontation.If you hate setting boundaries.If you prefer being "the cool boss".Remember the CEO doesn't have to do it alone.Instead:a) Hire a full-time HR […]

Are you interested in game development?From where should you start? 🤔 I've got a quirky fix for this!Ever tried picking a game profession...by playing a game?You’re just a few easy questions away.Warning: May contain humor, sarcasm, cynicism and typos.Funny enough, I followed the path of 'Do you like to be alone'.Ended up as a Voice Actor. 🤷‍♂️I mean, come on, really? 😂So, let's flip the script.What's your profession?Let's game-ify this choice!

1 tip I learned running a 100+ gaming studio: Not having a roadmap causes immense pain.There’s nothing worse than not being able to fix yourmonthly run-rate, set a deadline and outline your milestones to run your business.Roadmaps are the heart and soul of it all.Without them you end up stuck and directionless.Without deadlines you stagnate. Without milestones you remain at square one.Imagine being able to:- Have a clear roadmap- Have the ability to hire on demand- Have the budget to move the business forwardHow much more would your business grow?For those who have a roadmap.Revisit it.Monthly.Think twice or pay the price.How often do you revisit your roadmap?

I see great studios burn from poor budgeting. Here's the 40-30-20-10 Rule:1/ Development (40%)2/ Marketing (30%)3/ Operations (20%)4/ Emergency Buffer (10%)The catch?This budget works IF you already have money.In reality, every business is different.And your budget should be too.The key?The review.As MD at Blizzard I had weekly budget meetings.Analyzing spend vs. performance.Moving money where data showed it worked best.Otherwise, you risk overfunding low-priority projects.1 practical step:Do you have a 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸?15 minutes → Track actual vs. planned spend ↳ Adjust next week/month's allocationA financial pulse check.After managing $100M+ budgets, I can tell you:in 1 week, EVERYTHING can change.To survive the fire as a studio.Small regular adjustments.Don't get burnt!----I am doing a live podcast on this topic soon.Wednesday 6th November here on LinkedInThere will be an opportunity for Q&AWill be a pleasure to see you there.🗓️ Link to signup here: […]

2 founders. 2 game studios. 3 months runway I will call them "Kevin" and "David":Anonymous CEOs I spoke with recently.Both creating high-quality games.Both seeking investment urgently.Both with around 20-30 employees.But with different actions..𝗞𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻, 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝟭20+ employees = money existsClaims "no money" for changesBanking on 4-week miracleHigh burn rate continuesSays "can't afford help"Kevin is avoiding tough decisions.𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱, 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝟮20+ people across 2 studios.The investment deal fell throughFalse promises left them hangingReady to make a change.After working with David through coaching.We helped him buy 6 months of runway.The critical difference?Priorities.David understood:No company = No future teamCut costs = Buy timeWhile Kevin:Putting everything at risk.Including personal well-being."I will find a solution in 4 weeks"Is not a strategy.Different actions.Different outcomes.One is definitely better than the other in my opinion.

💥 Coin Master has cleverly integrated a "rolling offer" in their Token Thunder event! 🎟️ In this setup, when players purchase spins, they also get free tokens for the event—an attractive deal for players who want to stock up on spins while getting bonus tokens. With these tokens, players can upgrade the wheel, unlocking exciting rewards that make the purchase feel even more valuable. It's a smart strategy that enhances both player satisfaction and monetization! 🚀

The best casual mobile game lesson you'll learn today: 6 Insights from MY custom dashboard! Watch the change on top games,But define your own path!✦ Not every game needs to be on top,They do need to be profitable though.✦ When we look at the comparison of these games,You can see different strategies.↳This proves there is no ‘’market saturation’’.There is ‘’bad’’ execution on both gameplay and UA. ✦ When Candy Crush was leading, they definedThe match-3 puzzle genre, over and over again,Until Royal Match has arrived…✦ When Coin Master dominated the revenue charts,Monopoly GO! was in the making, now it’s on top.✦ Meanwhile, other heavy hitters from,Playrix, Peak, Metacore are on a steady pathAnd holding their impact on the industry.✦ Some of these games are considered ''old'',Well, not in terms of players eyes! If you watch the charts carefully,You can make […]

Want to craft your own Master’s Degree inGame Publishing (in 6 months)? READ THESE BOOKS!My name is Sergei. ✋ I’m an INSEAD MBA graduate.I've honed skills with 200+ business books.Here's the truth:Books hold 87% of the knowledge you seek. So, I've designed a 6-month personalMaster’s Degree program for you.Your 6-month challenge:12 books, 2 each month.Here we go:📘 One UpBy Joost van DreunenSubject: Games Evolution📘 Console WarsBy Blake J. HarrisSubject: Entrepreneurship📙 The Art of Game DesignBy Jesse SchellSubject: Game Design📙 Blood, Sweat, and PixelsBy Jason SchreierSubject: Game Development📗 Hacking MarketingBy Scott BrinkerSubject: Marketing📗 Thinking, Fast and SlowBy Daniel KahnemanSubject: Behavioral Economics📕 Social ArchitectureBy Pieter HintjensSubject: Community📕 The Book of EsportsBy William CollisSubject: Esport📒 The Game LocalizationBy Heather Maxwell ChandlerSubject: Localization📒 Video Games LawBy S. Gregory Boyd, Brian Pyne, Sean F. KaneSubject: Legal 📔 Creativity, Inc.By Edwin Catmull, Amy WallaceSubject: Leadership📔 Freemium […]

Hybrid Casual Games: Key Monetization Insights Based on the Playliner report, here’s a breakdown of top games like Wood Nuts Bolts Puzzle, Block Jam 3D, and Twisted Tangle:🎯 Level Difficulty and Playtime • Wood Nuts Bolts Puzzle and Block Jam 3D have longer levels due to complex mechanics. • Players often fail on the first attempt, adding challenge and replay value. 🚀 Booster Usage and Value • In Wood Nuts Bolts Puzzle, players frequently use boosters, mostly earned via ads. • Twisted Tangle has high-cost boosters, with players using about 30 across 100 levels. 📺 Popular Ad Placements • Reward x2 – Win screen for double rewards. • Continue Playing – Fail screen for extra time or lives. • Life Refill – Available in mechanics windows. • Booster Activation – Mid-level for extra power-ups. 📊 Ads Watched Per Game • […]

Quick update about the new PROMOTION assets in Google Ads! 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭? 👇 New feature in Google Ads Well, I could finally test this for one of my client, specifically for a Halloween event which also had special bundles for the users.I created 2 "Promotion" assets which I put in 2 different ad groups which literally got zero clicks (and one of the ad groups was old and spent +$7k during Halloween so the excuse of the new ad group is not valid here)The worst part: the message that says that Promotion asset stats are not available in App Campaign. Then why do they put this in beta for app campaigns?😂 That's all Folks 😂 😂 😂 Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn!