Hit games arenโt born from just ideas! They scale with relentless data-driven creative decisions over time. Top Casual games of 2024!Let's check 5 things:1- Market is growing rapidly,2- Live ops matter more than ever,3- Long term retention drives IAP revenue,4- Puzzles still offer the best sticky mechanics,5- Player segmentation boosts profits significantly.
A Might and Magic TCG powered by Immutable? ๐ฎ As of April 23, Ubisoft said 'coming soon' to mobile and PC.And, I'm here for it!TGC's and NFTs certainly feel made for each other. ๐As a kid who grew up on Magic The Gathering, ๐ค 3rd party marketplaces for buying & selling cards is very intuitive.Not saying this is a groundbreaking first.NFT-powered TCG's already exist in spades: Gods Unchained, Splinterlands, Sorare, Skyweaver, Parallel Alpha to name a few.But it's fun to see this going mainstream via Ubisoft. ๐The NFT TCG Market was valued at $1.2B in 2024, and is forecasted to grow at CAGR of 18.5% from 2026-2033, reaching $5.6B by 2033 (verifiedmarketreports(dot)com).
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฌ%โ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก Blake Robbins and Mitch Lasky argue in Gamecraft Ep.18, "The Mobile Gaming Duopoly," that Apple and Google have squeezed innovation out of mobile gaming. Mobile innovation hasn't vanished; instead, it has splintered. And while it didn't vanish, it ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด slowed, but the culprit isn't IAP or a top-grossing chartโit's ATT. Robbins and Latsky state, "There's this race to the highest ROI categoryโฆcasino, match3, etc. Because the UA spend required to bring those games to mass market scale forces you out of innovative content and into these tried-and-true play patterns." Yet, this is how *all* markets work!As capital expenditure rises, it seeks less risky returns. Venture capital is a perfect example; investors need more market traction at each successive investment stage to write bigger checks. "Tried-and-true" genres like match-3 (M3) run dry of innovation as they […]
๐จ EMERGENCY EPISODE๐จ Game over, Apple? What you need to know & do NOW! This ruling could unlock 50%+ of iOS revenue via web for every game! ๐ Historically, only the biggest players like Playtika, Scopely, and Moon Active could justify the investment in web stores โ using concierge programs, retargeting, and even shipping iPads to VIPs to get around Appleโs restrictions.Now, even small studios can tap into:Higher LTV from off-platform purchasesLower transaction fees (vs. Appleโs 30%)Direct player relationships (email capture, re-engagement, bundling)This ruling dramatically lowers the barrier to entry. If youโre not rethinking your monetization funnel today, youโre likely giving away 30% of your profits for no reason.The Numbers That MatterBefore the ruling, best-in-class midcore games saw 40โ50% of revenue via web after years of investmentCasual games managed 20โ25% at bestNow, with direct promotion allowed, any game could hit […]
Screwdom โ The Top Grossing Game In The Screw Puzzle Genre ๐ฅ In our new Hybridcasual report for Q1 2025, we shared that Puzzle games are dominating the market, with Screw Puzzles accounting for 20% of total Hypercasual Puzzles IAP Revenue ๐งฉScrewdom is already leading the subgenre โ and this is just the beginning. In April 2025 alone, it earned $6.7M โ almost twice as much as in Q1 2025ย ๐Part of the success goes to iKame Global experience โ they already have 9 Screw Puzzle titles in their portfolio ๐But what truly sets Screwdom apart is its leap from 2D to 3D. This shift makes gameplay more tactile and challenging โ rotating the camera adds spatial depth, making every move count ๐ฉ
๐ฃ You donโt need a list of โfinal talentโ to vet an Influencer Marketing agency. Something Iโve seen many brands do: ask for a final list of influencers to see if the agency (or even influencer marketing itself) is worth considering. Quite frankly, thatโs a waste of time. For the brand, for the marketing agency, AND for talent managers. A list of โfinal talentโ isnโt something you should be asking for if youโre in an exploratory or discovery phase. Which influencers could be a good fit for your campaign depend on SO many factors- Your Objectives- Your Target Audience- Your Budget - Your Timelines Unless you have these confirmed, itโs impossible to have a FINAL list. You can ask for a sample, or examples of influencers who have worked for close competitors.But take these with a pinch of salt too. […]
Soft-launched in late 2024 and was globally released in April 2025. Disney Solitaire ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด more than ๐ค $๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ธ/๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ out of the gate, building up on that nostalgia factor and awesome execution. ๐ This is a wake-up call for King. It's true that Candy Crush Solitaire started scaling in the last week or so, but only installs, and most installs are coming from outside the US. Yes, US installs doubled. What about revenue impact? Absolutely nothing. Anyway, this title expands SuperPlayโs portfolio into the card/solitaire genre, leveraging one of the worldโs most powerful entertainment brands. Completing levels in Disney Solitaire allows players to unlock and rebuild famous scenes from Disney and Pixar films. Each chapter in the game is themed around a movie (e.g., The Lion King, Moana, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, etc.) ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ […]
The first 30 days as a mobile game producer can make or break your impact. ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ: ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฝ & ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐โข Get access to key tools: Jira, Slack, Confluence, Analyticsโข Play the game to understand gameplay, meta, and monetizationโข Meet the team, review roadmap, backlog, and deadlines๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎโ๐ฏ: ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ & ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒโข Analyze retention, playtime, churn, ARPU, LTV, CPIโข Study A/B test results and competitor benchmarksโข Read player reviews and feedbackโข Map the workflow: sprint cycles, daily standups, Live Opsโข Identify early wins for quick impact๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐๐: ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ & ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐โข Review the content pipeline and Live Ops setupโข Spot inefficiencies and improve communicationโข Learn dashboards and tracking toolsโข Use data to validate decisionsโข Start forming hypotheses around pricing, retention, engagement๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐: ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฝ & ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ปโข Align on vision and KPIs with stakeholdersโข Define focus areas and improvement […]
๐จSpotify App without Apple Payment Processing is Approved ๐จ ๐ธFor the last 15 years in mobile gaming, Apple and Google have charged a 30% fee on app store payments. In 2021, a court ruling allowed developers to show alternative payment solutions to users, but Apple and Google implemented anti-steering policies that prohibited showing direct links to other payment methods.๐ธ๐จOn April 30, 2025, a new ruling in a US court stated that anti-steering policies are anti-competitive and have to be removed for US users. Apple will comply but appeal the verdict.ย ๐จ๐ผSpotify has already removed Apple processing from its payments in the USA, and Apple has approved it. Gaming Studios are urged to act quickly, as the window of opportunity might not last.ย ๐ผDevelopers should plan how to promote web stores in their games and prepare a go-to-market strategy. ๐Here to help us […]
Hello! My name is Anton, and I am a game designer and match3 level designer. I've been working on match3 games for over 15 years (am I considered a veteran yet? :)), participated in the creation of new games, and joined projects at various stages of their life cycle. I've accumulated a lot of experience and have some free time, so I want to start a series of articles where I will share useful information. The first topic I'd like to cover is the use of automatic difficulty adjustment in match3 levels. When we play cool (successful) match3 projects, we often encounter a situation where you can't pass a certain level for a long time, everyone remembers level 65 in Candy Crush, right? Candy Crush 65 level (old) But after a few days, or sessions, for example, you spent 5 […]
NEW HYBRID IS COMING? โKINGDOM LIFEโ BY SUPERSONIC & MOOD GAMES Supersonic from Unity ๐ฎ๐ฑ has released yet another promising casual hybrid title.Developed by Turkish game studio Mood Games ๐น๐ท, โKingdom Lifeโ is a life simulator that cleverly mixes two other successful life simulators from Supersonic, โFamily Lifeโ (31MM down.) and โConquer Countriesโ (16MM down.).From โFamily Lifeโ, โKingdom Life โ takes the gameplay based on the growth of a family from its family tree. ๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐งAfter acquiring 15k coins, โKingdom Lifeโ unlocks the map mode, which the player can use to conquer territories, similar to โConquer Countriesโ. ๐บ๏ธThe tie-in between the two gameplays is well done through the game's medieval-themed narrative, inserting the player into a story typical of a royal court series. ๐I enjoyed it! ๐คฉ
๐ฅ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฃ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ? ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ฌ%?๐ Weโve all seen the power of recognizable characters and brands in UA campaigns and games. A good IP can cut through ad fatigue, boost IPMs, and increase brand awareness. ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฃ๐? From what Iโve seen and heard, CPI drops ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ปย ๐ฎ๐ฌ โ ๐ณ๐ฌ%. These are possible with top-tier global IPs (think Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, etc)And of course, lower CPI doesnโt always equal higher LTV, especially if the IP fans churn quickly after install. Also, there is a licensing cost... ๐ Iโd love to hear your experience.How much of a CPI drop did you see, and was it worth the licensing cost?
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