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What Subscription Apps Can Learn About Monetization From Gaming — Mathias Gredal Nørvig, Subway Surfers

Oct 1, 2025
Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of Cybo and visionary behind Subway Surfers, shares invaluable insights on sustainable app growth and monetization strategies. He discusses the power of viral marketing over hefty ad budgets, highlighting how a lean team can foster creativity and cultural relevance. Mathias advocates for user-friendly monetization tactics, like rewarded ads that expand audience reach while preserving player experience. He also champions season passes as transparent and fair alternatives to traditional subscriptions, offering lessons for apps seeking long-term user engagement.
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INSIGHT

Evergreen Product Beats Short-Term Monetization

  • Subway Surfers stayed evergreen by prioritizing intuitive gameplay and frequent world-tour updates.
  • The founders chose longevity over aggressive monetization to keep the core run endlessly playable.
ADVICE

Run A Small In-House Creative Engine

  • Build an in-house content flywheel that produces lots of creative assets and rides cultural trends.
  • Amplify only the content that shows viral signals, and keep some creative tied to gameplay for clarity.
ANECDOTE

Music Collab Turned Viral Moment

  • A Foo Fighters keyboard player collaborated on a city soundtrack and loved a team-made video.
  • The team took creative risks and the partnership reacted positively, fueling virality.
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