Introduction

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session #101. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously. Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠ Youtube: https://youtu.be/rlwg4d2Y3as Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-29stniv6f-oLJzhx2U_mRB_ppXnJ9hvQ

Agenda

01:04 Introducing the Topic: 4X Games

03:06 Last War: Revenue and Downloads

04:12 The Conspiracy Behind First Fun

05:13 The Gameplay Mechanics of Last War

06:02 The Challenging Boss Battles

07:10 The Onboarding Process

08:19 Exploring the 4X Gameplay

09:44 Saving Monica from the Bomb

10:53 The Advanced Gameplay Mechanics

14:26 The Raider and Track Mechanics

18:05 Importance of Onboarding and Gacha Mechanics

20:06 Expanding the Addressable Market

21:05 Incorporating Hypercasual Elements

22:32 Connecting and Integrating Games

23:13 Low Ad Revenue in 4X Games

24:13 Building a Community

25:12 Why Last War is More Successful than Top Heroes

26:08 Factors Contributing to Last War's Success

27:38 Expertise in the 4X Genre

28:00 Connections Between Chinese Companies

28:56 The Dominance of Asian Companies in the 4X Genre

29:54 Scaling and Revenue Comparison

30:18 Improved Onboarding and Gameplay in Last War

32:08 Success of Last War's Marketing Campaign

33:37 TV Commercial and Offline Branding

37:06 Creative Marketing Strategies

39:27 Different Visual Styles and Gameplay

40:07 Creative Trends and Hooks

41:07 Heavy Iteration in Creative World

42:12 Different Versions and Upgrades

43:09 Making Fun of Yourself in Creatives

44:08 Hyper-Casual Concepts from Different Angles

45:33 Ball of Zombies and Epic Battles

46:19 Similarities with Age of Origins

47:38 Similar Creatives from Different Companies

48:42 Integration of Onboarding Game into Main Game

50:15 Hidden Portfolios and Future Trends

53:36 Introduction of a New Game

56:50 Proliferation of Onboarding Game Trend

59:06 Integration of Onboarding Game in Top Heroes Category

59:44 Game from China with Onboarding Mechanics

01:00:12 Teaser for Next Week's Game --------------------------------------- Matej Lancaric User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant ⁠https://lancaric.me Felix Braberg Ad monetization consultant ⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com Jakub Remiar Game design consultant ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar --------------------------------------- TakeawaysThe 4X genre in mobile gaming utilizes similar creative trends and gameplay mechanics across different companies.

The integration of onboarding games into the main game is becoming a popular trend in the mobile gaming industry.

Creatives in the mobile gaming industry heavily iterate on successful concepts and mechanics. --------------------------------------- Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it! Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple! Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me --------------------------------------- If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/stay-ahead-in-ua-for-2024-my-top?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai Felix Latest Article - https://www.felixbraberg.com/post/the-end-of-gam-and-admob-placement-refreshes