

two & a half gamers
Lancaric.me
This is a no BS gaming podcast. We share insights, knowledge and fun gossip relating to the topics of User Acquisition, Game Design and Ad monetisation. You will find here actionable insights in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. A safe space where we mimic the honesty of a 4am conference discussion. Enjoy & let us know your feedback!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 21, 2022 • 59min
two & a half gamers session #2 - UA & Creative trends 2022, Microsoft <3 ATVI, TOP10 gaming M&A
Hello & welcome everyone. This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session #2. Let’s dive in.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lančarič
UA & Creative trends / learnings from 2021
Main trend 2022 UA diversification
Having Facebook as one and only UA channel is dangerous and the times when you could use FB up until the 1M monthly spend are gone. UA channel mix needs to be diversified even more. My UA go to channel was and still is Facebook, even though the quality decreased heavily in 2021, but I am running google UAC and Unity
Hypercasual-led creatives
The persona-led creatives is/was a trend everybody is talking about now thanks to the iOS14. The thing is, personas and motivations were here a long time ago. I guess it wasn't so popular to talk about back then. Let's focus on something else. Adapting hypercasual game concepts to your game creatives is going to explode next year.
I’m pretty sure that you saw these ASMR videos on Youtube which let into the game development of the ASMR Slicing hypercasual game by Tricky Tribe – my friends from Slovenia – This ASMR game was a big hit in the United states and I think number one for a couple of weeks. I am also pretty sure you saw different games like Coin Master started slicing their coins. Why not use it for other games as well. Slicing a tomato? Hell yeah! We are not talking only about ASMR slicing here. There are other concepts you could use. Tangle Master 3D, Crowd City, etc. Great thing is, new ones are popping up every day!
Look at hypercasual game called Countmaster, I am pretty sure there are some clones of it, but this game concept is now used by Warpath and some other strategy games. Topwar, merge strategy game is also leveraging hypercasual game concepts for creatives and I’ve also seen Playrix go into this direction. Gaming companies will do everything to decrease those CPIs!
Audio ads for games
Podcasts are really popular these days. Looks like almost every person on the Earth listens to a podcast. I even started one to educate and help build the game dev knowledge in Slovakia called Gamecast or 2.5gamers. But where am I going with this? Have you heard any game related ads in these podcasts or in games in general?
This is relevant not only in terms of User Acquisition, but also a golden opportunity for game developers seeking to monetise their games without damaging retention. Audio ads can be played while you play the game and don't interrupt your gaming experience. Player retention doesn’t get hurt and therefore game devs can increase their profit and LTV. We already see a rise of companies focusing exactly on this topic. Everything looks on the paper, but I really feel we will see 2022 as a year of Audio ads. There is Audiomob and Oodeo in this space, let's watch it closely!

Jan 14, 2022 • 55min
two & a half gamers session #1 - Casual intro, love/hate relationship towards predictions 2022
Hello & welcome everyone. This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session #1. A safe space for all of us & you as well. Bringing you the feel of a 4am conference discussion about the gaming industry. Let’s dive in.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lančarič
Predictions?
Who will be the biggest winner in the mobile gaming ecosystem in 2022?
Who will be the biggest loser in the mobile gaming ecosystem in 2022?
What was the biggest surprise you saw in the mobile gaming ecosystem in 2021?
No play-to-earn games in mobile app stores
How do we see it?
Play to Earn vs Play and Earn
Ponzi schemes + Scholarship mechanic - Prevalence in low salary countries
Big Friction in user funnel
Wallet & exchanges fees
Very steep initial investment in some games (Axxie)
User acquisition
Discord communities & Early investors
Conventional user acquisition
Games soft launched/global launched in summer (and onwards) will have some form of blockchain in it
What is it going to be like?
Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me


