These 3 Games are not ordinary games, they are FANTASTIC live ops chosen by 3 FANTASTIC professionals. Live Ops is an art form itself.Experience meets creativity and data.Passion drives growth, Opportunities follow.Take a deeper look at these 3 mobile games,They show a great potential meets its rewards.Jakub Remiar John Wright Carlos PereiraCheers!
Genesis Tech's portfolio of Apps is doing $35 Mil. ๐ค a month in revenue and hardly nobody know who they are ๐ . So what are we talking about in this episode? This is an non-gaming app publisher holding company that is co-founding startups and giving them its expertise in marketing, analytics and user acquisition, so product people can focus solely on their product. Sounds familiar? Yes, this is exactly the model of big Hyper-casual publishers such as Voodoo, SayGames or Rollic. Because you aggregate all the learnings ๐ก within the holding company, it can then easily redistribute them among its new entrants into the portfolio, giving them a head start in the market. This is not working anymore within the game industry as all the giants shifted towards Hybrid Casual, but it seems the Apps market is having a great […]
When did being in favour of make-goods become a controversial Influencer Marketing take? Look, itโs not about assigning blame for how a collaboration performed. Itโs about understanding the stakes. Agreed, itโs slightly different depending on the post type, we know sponsored content on Instagram and TikTok usually tends to underperform compared to regular content. But for an integration on YouTube? I think itโs fair game. To put things into perspective: Iโve paid for a 30-60 second spot in your video. If your video itself draws in 50% lower views compared to your regular content, there needs to be some accountability.Agreed, the brand has its own part to play in making sure the integration itself performs well- Clear but flexible briefs - Feedback communicated on drafts itself And if the wider video performs well, but a sponsored integration itself underperforms, thereโs some introspection to be done. But […]
Gardenscapes Billion-Dollar LiveOps Strategy Here are 7 event types that keep players engaged and spending:Detailed analysis of the live ops for Gardenscapes๐ญ. ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ (๐ญโ๐ฎ๐ /๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต) ๐บ๏ธโข Long-term narrative events on unique mapsโข Players explore, overcome obstacles, and find hidden rewardsโข Often paired with high-engagement events like Gem Feverโข Examples: Doppelganger Alert, Flair Witch!, Atlantis๐ฎ. ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ (๐ฏโ๐ฐ๐ /๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ) ๐โข Leaderboard-driven challenges with time pressureโข Players complete tasks quickly for milestone rewardsโข Boosts short-term retention and intensityโข Examples: Trailblazer Dash, Bowling Match, Fiery Sprint๐ฏ. ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐ญโ๐ฎ๐ /๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ) ๐คโข Teams collect points to hit shared milestonesโข Rewards like boosters and unlimited lives are split equallyโข Encourages social play and return sessionsโข Examples: Team Chest, Bumper Crop๐ฐ. ๐ช๐ถ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ (๐ฏโ๐ฐ๐ /๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ) ๐ฅโข Consecutive wins unlock escalating rewardsโข One loss resets progressโcreating pressure to winโข Drives monetization through retries and resourcesโข Examples: Treasure Hound, Catch […]
Top 10 Merge-2 Games by Revenue in Q1 2025 ๐ค After exploring Travel Townโs LiveOps, we decided to also take a step back to see whatโs cooking on Merge-2 market. ๐ Market OverviewThe market keeps growing fast with 21% QoQ (Q1 2025 vs Q4 2024) and 110% YoY (Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024) growth of quarterly revenue. ๐ Rising Titlesโ Gossip Harbor holds the lead, up 35% QoQ and 279% YoY.โ Merge Cooking is this quarterโs rocket: +61% QoQ, +440% YoY.โ Seaside Escape remains โ3 with +33% QoQ and 195% YoY.โ Merge Hotel Empire climbed +32% QoQ, +278% YoY.โ The latest launch in the top, Merge Prison (Feb 2024), keeps rising: +18% QoQ.๐ Falling Titlesโ Merge Mansion drops 10% QoQ (but still +28% YoY).โ Adventure Island Merge: -31% QoQ, -13% YoY.โ Love & Pies: -4% QoQ, -35% YoY.โThe question remains […]
Founder: "How to maximize LTV w/o hurting retention?"Me: Use ๐ a ๐ proven ๐ economy ๐ model! ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ '๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป' ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐?, ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ?This is the easy part.๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ have seen broad adoption and success.You are likely familiar with all five:1. Puzzle Progression + Loss Aversion (Royal Match)2. Energy-gated recipe redemption (Gossip Harbor)3. Legendary Gacha: collection & fusion (AFK Journey)4. Sprawling Tech Trees (Whiteout, Clash of Clans)5. Casino Progression (Coin Master, Monopoly GO)When founders use language like "we haven't quite figured out our monetization strategy,' this is usually a clear signal that we've a problem on our hands. ๐ Failing to use a proven economy model, capable of producing $25k (casual) / $200k (core) spend depth is one of the most common points of failure I've seen when working with F2P game teams and products.What makes these models special, and […]
If you think cranking out thousands of creatives is enough to win in 2025, you are right. The latest State of Creative Optimization 2025 by AppsFlyer report makes one thing clear โ churning out more ads won't save you if they all feel the same. The mobile marketing winners are those who mix it up, test new angles, and trulyย understand what makes users tick, as I wrote in my creative bible. So volume: yes. Creative depth: also yes. Now kiss! This comprehensive deep dive will explore the reportโs key findings โ from creative trends and KPIs to emotional hooks, platform strategies, AIโs impact, and the rise of celebrity and UGC (user-generated content) in ads โ all through an engaging, slightly casual lens. (Spoiler: I was surprised by a few of these myself!) Get the Full report The mobile advertising arena […]
If you're still treating your creative strategy like it's 2019, I have bad news for you... ๐ The new AppsFlyer State of Creative Optimization 2025 report just dropped, and itโs a MUST-READ.This report holds a special place in my heart. Not only is it the one I've been reviewing the longest, it's the one I always share with my teams. We even used to book proper meetings just to break it down together (yes, whiteboards and drinks were involved โ๐).As games and apps get closer, and gamification becomes the new trend, itโs more important than ever to zoom out and take inspiration from the whole ecosystem, not just our little gaming bubble.This report lets me do exactly that.(Also... let's not forget my gym-bro-mance with the one and only Adam Smart. It's real. It's emotional. It involves protein shakes.)Anyway, here are […]
๐ Genesis - The Mobile App Giant Quietly Generating $400m/yr ๐ With over 400 million user downloads, Genesis operates on a unique venture builder model, co-founding startups and providing resources in exchange for equity. Genesis handles operations such as marketing, analytics, and some user acquisition (UA) support, while the founders focus on growing the business. Think Voodoo but for non-gaming. Genesis's successful apps are:- ๐ Headway: Book summaries with 15-minute text and audio versions. Generating $1.6 million / month from mobile only ๐ - ๐งน Cleaner Guru: Simplifying iOS Phone Storage Cleanup. Generating $4.2 million / month from mobile only ๐งน - ๐BetterMe: A comprehensive wellness app for workouts, nutrition, and mental health. $2.4 million / month from mobile only ๐ - ๐ชด Plantin: Making plant care easier with a plant scanning feature. $2.6 million / month from mobile only ๐ชด […]
Since the last post in this format was well received, I thought it would be interesting to also share my key takeaways from the new State of Creative Optimization report by AppsFlyer. Iโve had the opportunity to work with many different app categories over the last years, and the behavior of creatives varies significantly across them. Here are my key insights, along with real experiences:1๏ธโฃ๐ Constant creative testing is key:ย Iโm not reinventing the wheel hereโcreative testing has become increasingly important due to changes in algorithm behavior and the faster burnout rate of creatives.Regardless of your app vertical, if you donโt build a creative production system that allows for constant refreshes with a good volume of new concepts, your campaigns will quickly experience ad fatigue, leading to a drop in performance. This point is well supported by the report: both gaming […]
Lucky Wheel: How Travel Town Increases Session Length and Engagement ๐ก โจThe UpdateTravel Town introduced a Lucky Wheel: after completing the last Daily Challenge, players can spin a wheel to receive a random amount of energy. But only one segment grants a full 100 energy refill. ๐ The Motivation BehindDaily tasks and related events (like Chest Challenger, Cookie Craze, and Reward Road) are a major driver of daily playtime in Travel Town, which is why they get reskinned and relaunched so often. However, completing dailies requires a lot of energy, through either several logins or by purchasing.โ๏ธWhen too many tasks pile up, players risk giving up their attempts and losing engagement.๐ ๏ธ The SolutionBy offering a chance to regain energy after completing all daily tasks, the Lucky Wheel boosts the perceived value of participation. In turn, this encourages multiple daily logins, […]
In the world of modern game development โ especially F2P and hybrid monetization models โ matchmaking is often treated as a technical backend feature. Something you just plug in. But in truth, matchmaking is far more than an algorithmic necessity. It is the engine that governs balance, progression, tension, reward, and even how well a game monetizes. Across genres โ from ARPGs and MMORPGs to extraction shooters and team-based PvP brawlers โ the way you match players determines not just who wins, but who sticks around, who spends, who grows, and who churns. Matchmaking Is More Than Just ELO Letโs start with the obvious: ELO-style ranking systems, widely used to match players of similar win/loss performance, are limited (incl. limitations to your business and scale). They assume skill is binary and ignore the full human context of play. Thatโs like […]
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