two & a half gamers

Jakub Remia, a user acquisition, game design, and ad monetization expert, joins the discussion about 'Elder Scrolls Castles.' The conversation highlights the game’s impressive launch and subsequent sharp decline in popularity. They analyze its gameplay mechanics, including character aging and resource management, while criticizing its repetitive content and monetization strategies. The trio shares innovative marketing approaches and explores challenges in the gaming industry, blending light-hearted banter with actionable insights.

Jakub Remiar, a game design consultant, dives into the evolving landscape of mobile gaming. The discussion highlights innovative game concepts, the impact of celebrity endorsements, and the role of AI in development. They explore user-generated content's influence on player engagement and dissect trends in app marketing. The panelists bring humor to serious topics, sharing insights on maintaining authenticity while keeping gameplay fun. Prepare for an engaging conversation that combines creativity and industry savvy!

The hosts dive into the thrilling blend of MOBA and shooter genres, discussing unique gameplay mechanics and character roles. They share intense gameplay experiences, from ziplines to healing strategies, with plenty of humor and banter. The conversation turns to the importance of team coordination and resource management, highlighting both the fun and frustration of navigating the game's challenges. With insights into player engagement and game dynamics, it's a lively exploration of what makes this hybrid title exciting!

Jakub Remiar, a seasoned expert in user acquisition and game design, joins the conversation to unravel the surprising success of offline games. The discussion delves into revenue strategies that fuel these games and explores how a solo developer conquered the market, especially in India and the US. They highlight the power of rewarded ads, organic growth, and the untapped potential of SEO in driving traffic. With humor and insight, they dissect monetization tactics that yield impressive results while keeping player satisfaction in focus.

Jakub Remiar, a game design consultant skilled in user acquisition and monetization, joins Vincent Lemon to dive into the vibrant world of WeChat mini-games. They explore the unique mechanics driving their success in China and the challenges of introducing them to Western audiences. The discussion includes the power of genre combination, the rise of tower defense roguelikes, and innovative monetization strategies. With a casual vibe reminiscent of a late-night conference, listeners gain fresh insights into the competitive mini-game landscape.

Impulse is a brain training app with significant revenue and download growth. The app offers a combination of hypercasual games and cognitive training programs to improve IQ, memory, and cognitive abilities. It uses clever monetization strategies, including subscription plans and discounts, to encourage users to upgrade to premium. The app's ad monetization is heavily segmented, with different ad experiences based on the user's usage and payment status. The app also includes prompts that resemble the official Google Play UI to encourage users to make in-app purchases. The conversation explores a popular brain training app's monetization strategies and user acquisition tactics. The app uses interstitial ads and in-app purchases to generate revenue, targeting older female users on Facebook. 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 Youtube: https://youtu.be/yfI-rZNCi0M Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2o1689ww5-6xo82AVLQQI~IwHKvtps8Q Agenda 00:00 Epic Intro 02:05 Impulse's Impressive Revenue and Downloads 04:04 Impulse as a Gaming Juggernaut in Brain Training 07:52 Clever Monetization Strategies in Impulse 09:35 Segmented Ad Monetization in Impulse 13:28 Innovative Ad Mechanics in Impulse 21:07 Monetization Strategies and User Acquisition Tactics 23:42 Combining Hypercasual Gameplay with Fake Psychological Tests 26:26 Improving User Engagement with Progression Elements and Visual Indicators 29:30 Targeting Older Female Users on Facebook --------------------------------------- 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 --------------------------------------- Takeaways The app combines hypercasual games and cognitive training programs to improve cognitive abilities. Impulse uses clever monetization strategies, including subscription plans and discounts, to encourage users to upgrade to premium. The app's ad monetization is heavily segmented, with different ad experiences based on the user's usage and payment status. The app includes prompts that resemble the official Google Play UI to encourage users to make in-app purchases. The app uses interstitial ads and in-app purchases to monetize its user base. The app targets older female users on Facebook. The app's creatives combine hypercasual gameplay with fake psychological tests. Adding more progression elements and visual indicators of IQ growth could improve user engagement. --------------------------------------- Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it! Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple! Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me --------------------------------------- If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai Felix Latest Article - https://www.felixbraberg.com/post/the-end-of-gam-and-admob-placement-refreshes

Seok Kang, a seasoned game designer and user acquisition expert, joins a lively panel to discuss the phenomenal success of the game Office Cat. They dive into the rise of cat-themed games, exploring low costs per install and unique game mechanics. The conversation spotlights clever ad placements and how to balance in-app purchases with user experience. They also tackle retention challenges and innovative monetization strategies, providing insights for developers navigating the gaming industry.

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 Youtube: https://youtu.be/ssViN7_K9CY Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2o1689ww5-6xo82AVLQQI~IwHKvtps8Q Agenda 00:00 Epic intro 02:23 Overview of Lucky Defense's Success 06:01 Comparison to Other Tower Defense Games 09:27 Gameplay and Mechanics of Lucky Defense 17:11 The Importance of Luck and Unit Upgrades 18:00 Artifacts and the Gacha System 20:08 Challenges and Complexity of the Game 21:54 Breaking the Rules: Mythic's Unique Gacha Mechanics 23:24 The Frustrations of Randomness in Mythic 29:23 Exploring the Dungeon: Cooperative Gameplay in Mythic 35:43 Balancing Issues and Unit Reliance in Mythic 38:08 Improving Mythic: Adding Variety and Strategy 41:19 Introduction to the ad placements and monetization strategy of Random Dice: PvP Defense 43:23 Challenges with ad placements in the game 46:46 Issues with after-level ad boost placement 49:45 The lack of suitable creatives for the Western audience 01:00:20 Predictions for the game's future and the possibility of a Western release --------------------------------------- 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 --------------------------------------- Takeaways Lucky Defense is a popular game in South Korea with unique mechanics and a strong emphasis on luck. Players should focus on specific units, such as the Bandit and Shock Troop, and upgrade them strategically. Artifacts play a crucial role in gameplay, with the Safe Box and Money Gun being the most important. The game's gacha system is challenging and requires players to collect shared shards to upgrade mythic units. The game's complexity and lack of accessibility may limit its appeal to Western audiences. Mythic breaks the main gacha rules by allowing direct purchase of units through hard currency. The game's gacha system is highly random and can be frustrating for players. The difficulty levels and cooperative gameplay in the Dungeon mode add complexity to the game. The game's balancing issues and reliance on specific units for success are major drawbacks. Improvements could be made by designing units and monsters with different strategies and adding more variety to the gameplay. The ad placements in Random Dice: PvP Defense are not well explained and lack notification buttons, which hinders their effectiveness. The game lacks diverse and engaging creatives for advertising. Improvements such as adding notification buttons and better-explaining ad units could increase ad revenue. The hosts predict that the game's success may decline over time and suggest the possibility of a Western release. --------------------------------------- Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it! Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple! Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me --------------------------------------- If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers live AMA 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,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Filippo De Rose, Matej Lancaric⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/filippoderose Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2o1689ww5-6xo82AVLQQI~IwHKvtps8Q Agenda: 00:00 Epic intro and Secret Guest Introduction 03:01 Transitioning from Gaming to Non-Gaming Apps 06:05 Improving Day One Retention in Games 12:07 Revenue Potential of Find-the-Difference Games 17:32 User Acquisition Strategies for Indie Developers 23:26 Recommended Resources for Game Mechanic Design and UI/UX 34:44 Starting a Blog and Sharing Knowledge 35:25 The Impact of Market Timing on Product Metrics 36:01 Landscape vs. Portrait Mode in Games 41:47 Optimizing Mobile Apps that are Actually Websites 43:43 Recommended Publishers for Casual Hybrid Games 56:41 Forecasting Campaign Targets --------------------------------------- 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 --------------------------------------- Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it! Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple! Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me --------------------------------------- If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/stay-ahead-in-ua-for-2024-my-top?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai Felix Latest Article - https://www.felixbraberg.com/post/the-end-of-gam-and-admob-placement-refreshes

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 Youtube: https://youtu.be/zXUkwYwHamg Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2o1689ww5-6xo82AVLQQI~IwHKvtps8Q Agenda 00:00 Epic Introand Overview of the Update 01:35 Impact on Monetization and Player Base 06:24 Removal of Megas and Introduction of New Characters and Skins 10:36 Gameplay Experiences and Balance Changes 15:22 Exploring the New Game Modes 21:22 Exploring the Recent Updates and Changes in the Game 22:14 The Intriguing Mechanics of Chicken and Gem Pass 23:27 Strategically Using Chest Multipliers for Better Rewards 29:08 Improving PvP Gameplay and Rewards 32:10 Enhancing the Metagame Mechanics for a Better Experience 34:29 Join the Slack Channel and Stay Updated with the Podcast --------------------------------------- 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 --------------------------------------- Takeaways The recent update to Squadbusters has brought significant changes to the game's monetization and gameplay. The decline in daily active users and low retention rate are concerning for the game's long-term success. Megas have been removed from the game, and players have received skins and coins as compensation. The update introduced new characters, skins, and game modes, providing players with more content to explore. The hosts share their gameplay experiences and discuss the balance changes in the update. The recent updates in the game have brought significant changes, such as the chicken mechanic and gem pass. The chest multipliers have been modified, allowing players to strategically use them for better rewards. The hosts discuss the PvP gameplay and suggest improvements, such as changing the rewards for killing other players. They highlight the importance of metagame mechanics and suggest adding new functionality to enhance the gameplay experience. --------------------------------------- Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it! Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple! Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me --------------------------------------- If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai Felix Latest Article - https://www.felixbraberg.com/post/the-end-of-gam-and-admob-placement-refreshes