This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. 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/nswOwChqyBQ Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2ftcc85es-CesThaafn9k0BIFSVAV8FQ Agenda 00:00 Epic intro 08:04 The Challenges and Potential of the Hyper Casual Market 17:45 Azur Games' Flexible Publishing Strategy 25:33 The Importance of Profitability and ROAS Targets 29:24 Deep Dive into Azur Games' Portfolio: Slime Castle 34:21 The Evolution of Survivor IO and Drawing Inspiration 35:53 Working with Chinese and Korean Developers 39:02 The Creative Process and the Use of AI 41:44 User Acquisition and Advertising Channels 46:26 Evaluation of Ad Partners and Monetization Strategies 52:33 The Size and Structure of Azure Games' Team 56:59 Working with External Developers 59:14 Reaching Out to Publishers Early in the Development Process --------------------------------------- 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 --------------------------------------- Takeaways Azur Games is one of the biggest publishers in the hyper casual market, with a focus on long-term retention and flexible publishing deals. The hyper casual market is facing challenges due to increased competition and decreasing eCPMs, but Azur Games remains optimistic about the potential of the genre. Hybrid casual games, which combine ad revenue and in-app purchases, are a growing trend in the mobile gaming industry. Azur Games' portfolio includes a mix of hyper-casual, mid-core, and casual titles, with Slime Castle being its current top revenue generator. Azur Games emphasizes the importance of profitability and ROAS targets in their publishing strategy, while also being open to unique and innovative game concepts. The development of mobile games involves testing and iterating on ideas and drawing inspiration from other successful games. Working closely with external developers, especially from China and Korea, can lead to successful partnerships and the acquisition of high-quality games. The creative process for advertising campaigns involves testing and iterating on creatives, as well as using AI to improve performance. Azure Games has a large team with multiple in-house studios and external partners, and they are constantly hiring and expanding. Monetization strategies should be tailored to the specific game and its target audience, and skip-it features may not work well for all games. Reaching out to publishers early in the development process can provide valuable feedback and potential support for iterations. --------------------------------------- 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/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=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