two & a half gamers Game Analytics 101: Why waiting "One more week" can kill your game!
This episode, Two and a Half Gamers sit down with analytics legend Russell Ovans—the mind behind Professor ARPDAU and the author of game analytics’ “bible.” Learn the brutal truth about retention, ARPDAU, LTV, and the “golden cohort” trap. If you want to scale your game profitably in 2025, you need these formulas, tools, and lessons - no hype, no BS, just results.
You’ll learn:
Why retention is the only metric that matters (until ARPDAU takes over)
How to model and predict your LTV, player days, and payback window using real retention curves
The difference between analytics and data science, and why cohorts are your best friend
How to avoid burning your UA budget chasing “golden cohorts” or missing your D7 ROAS target
Free tools at arpdow.com to plug in your data and get real answers
Key Takeaway:
Retention plus ARPDAU equals real growth. Track cohorts, model your curve, and never fall for the golden cohort trap or ad network happy talk. If you want more, arpdow.com has the tools.
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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: Russel Ovans
https://arpdau.com/
https://arpdau.com/ltv
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 Analytics in Gaming
05:38 Russell Owens' Journey in Game Analytics
08:29 Understanding Analytics vs. Data Science
11:37 The Importance of Cohorts in Game Analytics
14:43 Retention Metrics and Their Significance
18:44 Key Performance Indicators for Game Success
21:39 The Relationship Between LTV and CPI
24:37 Predicting Retention and Its Impact on Game Design
30:41 Understanding Retention Metrics
33:42 The Importance of Retention in Monetization
36:31 Expected Player Days and LTV Calculation
43:43 Tools for Predicting LTV and ROAS
50:41 Final Thoughts and Homework for Game Developers
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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