The Changing Perception of AppLovin in Game Development

Running UA on AppLovin in 2025? Don’t waste another dollar until you hear this.

In this episode, we sit down with Alexis Lejeune (ex-AppLovin, now UA advisor) to dive deep into how AppLovin’s UA stack really works — including how to scale, when to use D28 ROAS, how to test creatives, and how Axon 2 finds your payers before you do.

What we cover:

Axon 2: How AppLovin’s black box blends mediation + advertiser data

D0 vs. D7 vs. D28: Which ROAS model works best and when

Why $500 budgets won’t calibrate for IAP games

Campaign caps, crashes, and recovery strategies

Why campaign goals should be set per geo & not touched every 2 days

Why playables matter more than ever and how they qualify users

How to refresh creatives based on spend volume (5–10/week at $10K/day)

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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

Special guest: Alexis Lejeune

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-lejeune/

Youtube: https://youtu.be/V3TJwkPBXOM

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

05:03 Alexis Lejeune's Journey in Gaming

07:45 Understanding Applovin and Its Reputation

11:28 Exploring Axon 2 and Its Functionality

14:17 Campaign Strategies: D0, D7, and D28 Models

22:43 Common Mistakes in User Acquisition

27:22 Optimizing Campaigns on Applovin

32:40 Data-Driven Campaign Strategies

34:50 The Importance of Playable Ads

38:09 Creative Optimization and User Engagement

39:51 Creative Refresh Strategies

44:45 Aplovin and TikTok: A Strategic Merge

47:12 Facebook's Advertising Ambitions

48:03 Maximizing ECPMs for Publishers

54:51 Ad Formats: Length and User Experience

56:34 Banner Refresh Rates and Optimization

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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

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Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me