two & a half gamers 💰 Ad Monetization Trends - Prison games take over by Felix Braberg
Felix dives into ad monetization trends, focusing on the surprising rise of prison-themed games dominating the simulation and idle arcade charts.
Key insights:
Prison Life (Supercent)
~$107K/day ad revenue, ~$38M annual run rate.
DAU ~2M, nearly 100% ad-driven.
Rewarded impressions: ~4 per DAU (50% base) = $42K/day.
Interstitials: ~6 per DAU (70% base) = $60K/day.
Clever onboarding: first speed-up (Segway/tricycle) given for free → players experience premium benefit → later higher conversion.
Takeaway: “Give it free first, then charge later.”
Prison Survival (Highgame, Vietnam)
DAU ~600K. Revenue ~$21–32K/day.
Hypercasual-style “convert or die” model → if no rewarded ad, user is forced into interstitial.
Core loop 50–80s → optimized for frequent ad exposure.
Monetization mix: 6–8 interstitials per DAU = $12–15K/day; rewarded = $2–3K/day; banners/app open = $2K/day.
Takeaway: Hypercasual ad-monetization loops still work in 2025.
Prison Escape Journey (X Games Global, Vietnam)
DAU ~560K. Revenue ~$10–15K/day.
Essentially, a supermarket simulator reskinned with a prison theme.
Interstitials on 180s loop; rewarded ads for ramen currency; “remove ads” IAP.
Clever use of interstitial at app open instead of Google’s app open ad → eCPM $8–15 vs $2.
Prison Escape Simulator (Digital Melody)
DAU ~220K. Revenue ~$6–10K/day.
Softer ad strategy: fewer interstitials (~8 per DAU) + hidden rewarded ads.
Monetizes heavier on rewarded app open format.
Launched mid-August 2025, still scaling.
Genre Trend: Simulation → Prison Theme Takeover
A year ago, supermarket manager sims dominated top simulation charts.
Today: Prison Escape Journey is #1 in simulation.
Prison themes resonate globally — from idle arcade to forex to supermarket clones.
Takeaway: Prison is the new supermarket. Expect more reskins, higher conversion funnels, and creative UA exploiting the theme.
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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
Podcast:
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Ad Monetization Trends
03:36 The Rise of Prison-Themed Games
08:57 Deep Dive: Prison Survival Game Analysis
14:54 Exploring the Supermarket Simulator Influence
20:43 Conclusion: Future of Simulation Games
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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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