20 metrics all game devs should hold close.

20 metrics all game devs should hold close. (there are more, but I’ll keep it simple)First, remember 3 core pillars:1. New Players ↳ How you acquire your audience.2. Active Players ↳ How you retain your audience.3. Paying Players ↳ How you monetize your audience.Second, there’s no one-size-fits-all set ofmetrics, but here's the truth:20% of your game’s metrics drive80% of your game’s performance.Here are the 20 most important metrics:📊 Acquisition Metrics• New Daily or Monthly Active Users• CPA (Cost Per Install/Login/Battle)• Fraud Share: Invalid ad metrics• New Players Retention Rate• New Players Churn Rate• K-Factor: Viral growth📊 Retention Metrics• Daily/Monthly Active Users• 1, 7, 30 Day Retention• Session Length• Session Count• Churn Rate• Lifetime📊 Monetization metrics• LTV: Revenue over player Lifetime• ARPPU: Revenue Per Paying User• Daily/Monthly Paying Users• Average Transaction Value• ARPU: Revenue per User• Number of Transactions• Payer Retention• […]

Sergei Vasiuk January 20

Journal

90% of Games Fail at Monetization

90% of Games Fail at Monetization The truth? Monetization Model isn’t about squeezing every dollar - it’s about finding what WORKS for YOUR game.I’ve laid out 6 models with:🟢 The wins.🔴 The pitfalls.But first, focus on these 4 factors:1. Game Genre• Story-heavy? Go premium.• Fast-paced? Free-to-play wins.2. Target Audience• Casuals love “free.”• Hardcore? They’ll pay for the good stuff.3. Game Lifespan• Subscriptions win with long-term play.• Short-term? In-game payments do the job.4. Game Design & Value• Players will pay if it’s worth it.• But don’t pull shady pay-to-win moves.Monetization is NOT just about the money.It’s about building trust, delivering value, and creating something players want to come back to.

Sergei Vasiuk January 19

Highlights

Mobile Gaming Today: 43

Hola Fam ☃️ Lezgo with hot stuff. Bye, TikTok. Aaand - Already back, lol. Strong reminder: Don't rely heavily on a single UA channel. Smt fun? Game of The Week: Block Blast Block Blast has created the biggest ad revenue game from a simplistic block-blasting mechanic. It's using the Tetris "likeness" to its advantage, but it still has a lot of iteration to differentiate from its predecessor. But don't be fooled, under the surface, there is a lot of hidden stuff that is the secret sauce of the game such as difficulty balancing. More? Here on YouTube & Spotify Mobile Marketing » Magic Sort Analysis: Grand Games’ New Treasure 📈 Paid campaign effect on organic traffic 🤟🏻 Evolution of Stacking Mechanics 👥 Player Segmentation to boost LTV 📱 Mobile Games Marketing Predictions 🇹🇷 Top 10 Turkish Mobile Game Publishers 👾 […]

Ömer Yakabagi January 19

Highlights

How TikTok’s US Ban Could Reshape Mobile Gaming Marketing

TikTok went offline on Saturday. The law passed by Congress last year gave TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance until Jan 19 to divest from TikTok or be cut off from U.S. App Stores and hosting services. TikTok said a sale wasn't possible and challenged the law in court, but the Supreme Court rejected it on Friday. Trump on Sunday posted that he'd restore TikTok, first writing "SAVE TIKTOK" and then vowing to issue an executive order on Monday to extend the time before the law takes effect. However, TikTok is already back. After being banned for not even 1 full day, it displays a "Welcome Back" pop-up. More? Marvel Snap is now banned following the TikTok US Ban. Marvel Snap's publisher Nuverse is owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance. Industry's Take? I think TikTok ban is kind of not the […]

Ömer Yakabagi January 19

Journal

The ‘Why’ Behind Grand Games’ $30M Investment

We wrote about "Grand Games secures $30M Series A" last week. Cooler stuff? Just published our "Magic Sort Analysis", check it out! Let's talk about the How & Why. Securing $30M just 9 months after its launch? 🦄 Folks, it's something big. The publisher behind Magic Sort made $4M+ in 6 months. Among the largest Series A rounds for Turkish gaming startups. Turkey’s Casual Mobile Gaming scene is booming. Or, it's been booming 😅 Check out: Mobile Gaming World: Türkiye Dream Games raised $255 million in 2022. Peak Games was acquired by Zynga in 2020 for $1.8 billion. Spyke raised $50M last year and launched with $55 million. DoubleU Games Acquires Turkish Studio Paxie Games Azur Games, has acquired the hypercasual portfolio of Good Job Games. Agave Games' $18M Series A at a valuation of around $100M last month. Cypher Games Secures 10M$ Investment […]

Ömer Yakabagi January 17

Journal

How to use Player Segmentation to boost LTV

How to use Player Segmentation to boost LTV Based on Playliner research, here are the most common approaches to player segmentation𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁: • Tailored experiences: Match offers to player preferences. • Optimized monetization: Align pricing with spending capacity. • Better engagement: Address player needs, reduce churn. • Smarter resource allocation: Focus on what works. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 1. Non-payers: $0 spent. 2. Minnows: Under $10 (75% of paying players). 3. Dolphins: $10–$50 (15%). 4. Whales: $50–$150 (9%). 5. Grand Whales: $200+ (1%). 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: • Non-payers: Ad rewards, starter bundles. • Minnows: Affordable offers. • Dolphins: Upsell with double offers. • Whales: High-value bundles. • Grand Whales: Exclusive premium content. 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: • Engagement: Hardcore vs. casual players. • Demographics: Age, region. • Behavior: Social vs. solo. • Device type: High-end vs. low-end. • Play style: Achievers, […]

Anton Slashcev January 17

Journal

How paid campaigns affect your app’s organic traffic

Explore the connection between paid campaigns and organic app growth—and how to make them work together. Nearly all apps today use paid campaigns to grow. After working with more than 95 apps over the last six years, I’ve seen how important paid traffic is—not just for driving installs but also for improving organic traffic. In the long run, organic traffic is what creates the consistent cash flow apps need to scale effectively. Paid campaigns significantly influence organic traffic, no matter the channel. Yet, paid campaigns and ASO (App Store Optimization) are often handled by separate teams. To thrive it’s essential to understand how these two areas work together. In this post, we’ll cover: Why optimizing ASO is crucial before running paid campaigns. How ASO and paid user acquisition (UA) support each other. Real-world examples of how paid campaigns can boost […]

David Vargas January 17

Journal

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

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

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

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

#Marketing

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