PocketGamer.biz Podcast

Tactile Games’  User Acquisition Manager, Plamen Stefanov, joins our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, to showcase how small teams can make big waves in the gaming community. You might recognize Tactile from its hit game, Lily's Garden, which has generated 517 million worldwide in lifetime player spending since it appeared on the market in 2019. Plamen cites cross-team collaboration and a testing ecosystem that feeds itself as two contributors to this success. Listen to Peggy, Brian, and Plamen’s conversation for a peek behind the curtain of Tactile Games’ scaling skills and for Plamen’s top three tips for someone passionate about pursuing UA. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 03:30 - From B2B marketing to games advertising  07:17 - UA beyond ROAS optimisation 08:44 - Is there room for creativity in data-driven UA? 11:47 - Suffering sells 14:53 - Everything feeds into everything else 19:35 - UA team Product team  22:26 - AI for efficiencies, not decision making 26:00 - Q&A with Plamen  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Mike Levine, founder and CEO of Mystic Moose, an indie game studio and publisher, joins us on the PG.biz Podcast to discuss Mystic Moose’s newest game, Mojo Melee — a cross-platform, multiplayer PVP auto chess game — that weaves together a strong narrative and player choice. In the episode, Mike describes how Mystic Moose paves the way for players to personalize and own digital collectibles -- on their terms. This smart approach bypasses the Web 3 backlash and, more importantly, employs a “choose your own adventure” approach to user education. “We believe in the power of Web3 to empower players,” says Mike. “But it’s [just] a feature for those who wanna take advantage of it in our game.” CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Peggy and Brian: Back in the studio! 02:00 - What makes Mojo Melee magic?  06:40 - Plant-based creatures, clans, and scouts 08:59 - Finding your niche in Web3 12:59 - Designing digital collectibles differently  15:12 - Cross-platform creativity 21:27 - Advice for indie startups 23:14 - Is it time for AR in gaming?  25:42 - Choose your own adventure user education  29:33 - Q&A with Mike * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

A longtime board game lover and superstar marketing strategist, Faith Price understands what drives user retention and how to coordinate a killer soft launch. She shares her launch expertise with the PG.Biz audience this week. In this episode, Faith, Director of Growth Marketing at DoubleDown Interactive, and our cohost, Peggy Anne Salz, discuss what shifts in soft launch strategy tell us about what lies ahead for the gaming industry. Faith also divulges the DoubleDown team's big change to their soft launch process that paid off down the development road. In even bigger news, we’re up for the Best In British Podcast Awards! Vote for the PocketGamer.biz Podcast here before voting closes. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Cast your vote for the Pg.Biz podcast 00:46 - Welcome, Faith, to the podcast 02:49 - What do soft launches tell us about gaming?  06:17 - Are soft launches what they used to be? 09:01 - The timeline for an effective soft launch 13:34 - Reading data differently 18:00 - Teamwork makes the dream work 21:32 - A change to Double Down's soft launches that paid off 23:58 - Is AI part of co-creation? 25:32 - How Faith's personal life motivates her professional 28:50 - Faith as a superhero character * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Our guest rockets results and achieves sustainable success thanks to what co-host Brian Baglow calls the 4Ps: people, platform, partnerships, and personalisation. Tobias Edl, Director of Marketing & New Business at WHOW Games GmbH, joins Brian and Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to explain how WHOW's immersive tactics and attractive dual monetisation method create a loyal player base and have led to millions of game downloads across app stores. Tobias expands on the effect of real-time gameplay on player interest and reveals an aspect of successful strategy that he thinks marketers are missing. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The face you need to know 03:02 - Walking through Vegas on your phone 07:11 - Keeping player interest high with real-time gameplay 09:11 - Tobias' personal connection to his games 11:55 - Monetising with IP 13:40 - What sets Whow Games apart? 15:37 - Choosing a winning creative 18:09 - The importance of localisation 19:33 - Third-party app stores...are they worth it? 22:16 - What are marketers missing 24:10 - Games Q&A with Tobias  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Nicknamed by our cohost Peggy Anne Salz as the Medici Man for his numerous talents and cross-industry experience, our guest this week has worked on both the publishing and the development sides of gaming. He predicted that social connectivity and games would go hand in hand and anticipated the pay-off. He also helped create early prototypes for mobile gaming. Little wonder that Robert Burnett, COO of Hashbang Games, knows what's next in the game industry and strongly advises devs to take a cross-platform approach. Hashbang specialises in backend development and integration, helping indie teams optimise their growth by providing and implementing cross-platform solutions that allow them to compete with the manpower of AAA studios. Alongside our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Robert draws from his  30+ years of experience in game development to offer indie studios advice on everything from the right tools for user analytics to how they tap their secret advantage to successfully swim alongside the industry big whales.  CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Meeting Brian and his journey into the games industry 05:37 - Predicting game connectivity and games as a service 10:48 - Advice for indie developers and tools to utilise 16:00 - Robert puts his money where his mouth is with Hashbang's game Light Violence 21:58 - Should indies be both developer and publisher? 24:00 - What level of niche is too niche? 26:02 - Apple's AR: A hit or a miss? 28:47 - Find the right market for your product 31:04 - Robert's brutal advice for the PG.biz audience 33:30 - Q&A with Robert * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

SKIDOS, referred to by its CEO as “the Netflix of learning apps,”  sits at the intersection of gaming, learning, and kid-friendly technology by converting popular casual mobile app games into learning apps for children aged two to seven. With over two million kids playing SKIDOS games, plus a Family Choice Award and Best of Mobile Apps Silver Award under its belt, it’s clear that SKIDOS is an expert in UA and UX. We welcome the company’s Founder and CEO, Aditya (Adi) Prakash, onto the podcast this week. Throughout the episode, Adi explains to the PG.Biz podcast audience how SKIDOS maintains its growth momentum with its unique spin on the subscription service model and emphasis on child-safe tech. What’s more, Adi reveals how SKIDOS achieved a 95% organic growth rate without investing in any paid UA. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Welcome Adi to the show 03:15 - Building the Nextflix of learning apps 07:05 - Adi's inspiration to start SKIDOS 08:58 - How SKIDOS works in-app 10:42 - Selling to two different demographic groups at once 13:45 - What's in it for the developers? 15:52 - How SKIDOS succeeds with only organic growth 20:39 - What brands would pair well with SKIDOS? 23:38 - Generative AI: to use or not to use? 27:01 - Q&A with Adi * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Matthew Zoern, Head of Studio at Solid Bash, outlines what developers can gain from identifying "the fun factor" — the core component of Solid Bash's "features-based iterative process."  Matthew reveals how his team meld aspects of old-school game development with new transformative techniques to ensure games are entertaining for the long term. Alongside our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, he dives into his background with virtual collectibles to divulge how this approach helps his team craftily combine the digital and physical. Tune into this episode as our trio talk shop about implementing analytics innovatively and discuss what developers should know about profitable brand partnerships. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Mathew's interesting journey into the world of gaming 06:21 - Solid Bash's latest and greatest 07:45 - The benefits of a feature-first approach 13:26 - Embrace the fun factor 16:56 - Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen 20:30 - The shift to full-cycle development 24:55 - Something for Matthew to brag about 28:44 - Are brands getting gamification wrong? 35:18 - Advice for developers looking to work with brands 38:15 - Q&A with Matthew * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Gamers, developers, and gaming experts alike united at PG Connects Seattle last month. We’re here with Dave Bradley, COO of Steel Media Ltd., to recap the exciting event. Dave tells our hosts, Brain Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz, that AI, indies, and blockchain games were on everyone's minds at this PGC gathering. Attendees were also lucky to experience the first-ever PG Connects recruitment affair. This episode isn’t one to miss, with some shocking facts about iOS app releases, a taboo topic that sparked intense conversation, and a free app idea for anyone brave enough to build it.  CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introductions & a shocking fact about iOS app releases 03:50 - Why Seattle? 06:09 - Hot topics and new additions at PG Connects Seattle 10:06 - Tailoring events to specific regions 15:38 - What unpopular topic turned out popular at PGC Seattle? 21:19 - A new PGC addition for free-flowing conversation 23:21 - Scottish games events 25:29 - Tinder for games? 27:47 - Updates on the next PGC events * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Blockchain gaming: a flash in the frying pan or an auspicious opportunity for the gaming industry? Gaming expert Martine Spaans leans toward the latter. In this episode, our cohosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, sit down with Martine to discuss this controversial corner of the gaming world. As General Manager of the Dutch Games Association and Founder of Tamalaki Games, Martine sees blockchain gaming as a new chance for many developers — new technology, new audiences, and new rewards. Throughout the episode, the trio discusses the blockchain economy's unique benefits and how Web3 offers a special space for community-building and interoperability. The group also ask existential questions like "What is a game?" and "How do games affect life outside of entertainment?" "I think it's important to move with the market and not stay too stationary for too long," says Martine. "Because in a fast-evolving industry like ours, it's a way of survival." CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introductions 03:03 - What is it like to work in games in the Netherlands? 06:35 - The Dutch gaming divide and challenges 09:19 - Martine's rise through the gaming world's ranks 15:32 - The benefits of being your own blockchain game publisher 20:53 - Understanding the difference between gamers and blockchain gamers 23:23 - The critical question: What is a game? 28:56 - Favourite games Q&A with Martine * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Last week, we discussed the post-privacy world with a data carnivore. This week, we met with an ASO maestro. Claudia Trujillo, ASO expert at Gameloft, sits down with Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to bust myths and explain how she blends art and science to create a symphony of successful paid campaigns. From ASO's effect on UA visibility and performance to its AB test's impact on UA ads, Claudia dispels common misconceptions about the relationship between these acquisition aids. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Marketers: It's time to play! 02:20 - Busting ASO myths 09:38 - Surprise! ASO categories can impact UA visibility 13:10 - How to balance UA costs and ASO conversion rates 18:42 - No more brainstorming meetings. Put the data in a dashboard 20:01 - You guessed it, ASO average rating affects UA too 21:38 - Sometimes mistakes are a blessing 24:59 - How Claudia is utilizing AI  27:58 - Where is Claudia headed next? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz  👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/  👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz  Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event