Today, we break down Granny: the solo-developed mobile horror hit that racked up a billion downloads and $50,000 daily ad revenue with no UA, no team, and nothing but YouTube virality.

You’ll learn:

The secrets behind Granny’s viral growth and billion-plus downloads

Why four simple interstitials are better than banners, IAP, or rewarded video

How meme culture, Let’s Plays, and YouTube Shorts keep the DAU high

How a lack of mediation and adops left $50 million on the table

What makes Granny so replayable—and why nobody’s cloned the formula

The untapped goldmine of horror games on mobile

Key Takeaway:

You do not need a team, UA, or even high production values to win. Build for memes, embrace virality, and never underestimate the power of a good scare on mobile.

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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

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

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Granny: The Horror Game

04:26 Game Mechanics and Design Exploration

07:27 Gameplay Experience and Strategies

10:26 Monetization and Revenue Insights

13:26 Multiple Endings and Replayability

16:23 Personal Reflections on Horror Games

19:22 The Evolution of Granny: From One to Two

21:50 Connecting the Dots: Granny and Slendrina Lore

23:57 The Passion Behind Game Development

26:42 Analyzing Download Trends and User Engagement

31:08 Revenue Insights: The Financials of Granny Games

35:17 Optimizing Ad Placements for Better User Experience

36:18 Game Design and Monetization Strategies

37:29 Understanding Ad Mediation and Revenue Loss

39:52 Calculating Potential Revenue Losses

42:00 Leveraging YouTube for Marketing

44:09 The Impact of Horror Games on YouTube

46:05 Challenges in the Horror Game Genre

50:01 Future of Horror Games and Closing Thoughts

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

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

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