#Marketing

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.

Mobile Game Publishers Heatmap in 2024 Top gainers and losers: 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱? 🟢 Supercell: $1.44B (+79.8%) - https://lnkd.in/eAyrvMmZ 🟢 Dream Games: $1.5B (+57.64%) - https://lnkd.in/eyBKsqNj 🟢 Scopely: $1.98B (+57.93%) - https://lnkd.in/e7Gm8Hq6 🟢 Peak Games: $564.8M (+89.96%) - https://lnkd.in/emKbWZjf 🟢 FUNFLY: $1.2B (+2893.14% - not a typo) - https://lnkd.in/eCNUaFHN 🟢 The Pokémon Company: $357.4M (+424.44%) - https://lnkd.in/eqjyqZFX 🟢 Paper Games: $345.5M (+673.23%) - https://lnkd.in/ebTVF72F 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗱? 🔴 Cognosphere: $1.3B (-24.76%) - https://lnkd.in/eXB7YSJc 🔴 NetEase: $1.97B (-10.47%) - https://lnkd.in/e4-7D9wJ 🔴 Playrix: $1.7B (-11.65%) - https://lnkd.in/emb4b9wN 🔴 NEXON: $259.5M (-36.62%) - https://lnkd.in/ekfHHhUF 🔴 Lingxi Games: $366.2M (-40.11%) - https://lnkd.in/e9DAGxsv 🔴 Zynga: $696.5M (-16.33%) - https://lnkd.in/eypn-afQ 🔴 FunPlus: $445.1M (-22.88%) - https://lnkd.in/e8TcEZ8U 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀: 🟡 Tencent: $7.8B (+10.79%) - https://lnkd.in/escZv6CJ🟡 King: $1.45B (-0.51%) - https://lnkd.in/e9bz-GFg 🟡 LINE Corporation: $776M (-1.64%) - https://lnkd.in/eNimht7B 🟡 Roblox: $1.18B (+24.1%) - https://lnkd.in/epNcae_2 The top 100 mobile game publishers […]

🌾 Hooked on Little Farm Story! 🚜 Discovered a new idle game I’m obsessed with—Little Farm Story by SayGames & H8Games, a studio from Ukraine! 🇺🇦 Loving the tools screen—it blends in-game currency, rewarded video, and IAP in a clever way. You can unlock tools individually or get everything for 7 days with a one-time purchase. Smart design that caters to different player types! 🎯

Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel at Gamesforum in Barcelona about the state of user acquisition for free-to-play games. We discussed many topics, including the ever-increasing costs of acquiring new users, the constantly evolving landscape, and the reality of AI in marketing. Panel at Gamesforum Barcelona, discussing Costs, AI & sustainable growth: the state of F2P UA. One topic that really stood out to me was how the role of the performance marketer is changing. Today, we are expected to cover many different areas, including creative optimizations, data analytics, long-term planning, and overall strategy. From AI reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks and giving us some time back, to the challenges marketers face in standing out in an extremely competitive landscape with complex app store policies and ad network rules, we need to examine how […]