PocketGamer.biz Podcast

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team breaks down the recent ruling in the Epic vs Google case that will force Google Play to open up its store. We also speculate wildly on the options open to Scopely for its 'megadeal' in 2025, cover the reports that Ubisoft could go private following a tough few months for the publisher, and talk about an alarming development from Nintendo.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/

👉🏻 Google Play’s Judgement Day - Does it matter? - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/google-plays-judgement-day-does-it-matter/

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discuss the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 list and what it tells us about industry trends, takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki and Finnish Games Week, Epic's new fees for Unreal Engine and the Epic Games Store, and more!

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/

👉🏻 4 takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki and Finnish Games Week 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/4-takeaways-from-pocket-gamer-connects-helsinki-and-finnish-games-week-2024/

👉🏻What the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 tells us about industry trends - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-2024-tells-us-about-industry-trends/

Craig Chapple and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discusses Ubisoft's big Assassin's Creed Shadows delay, strike action and other problems. We also analyse the enormous success of Genshin Impact, which has hit $6.3 billion in four years.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

Data is the lifeblood of any business, but marketers build companies to last when they go beyond the numbers to pinpoint the underlying factors contributing to revenue changes and transaction values. Safia Dawood, Senior Data Scientist at Moloco, joins our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to show how marketers can leverage a data-driven approach to build businesses that last in today’s competitive environment. Drawing from two years of robust Moloco internal data, Safia showcases how the landscape has shifted from growth to stabilisation—and now to a slowdown—and reveals how top-performing games defy the general downtrend by maintaining high levels of player retention and repeat purchases.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:25 - Data doesn't always tell the truth

05:04 - Market trends 2022-2024

07:13 - Adjusting for a slowdown

10:07 - How marketers should be leveraging data 

12:56 - What top-performing games are doing differently   

18:10 - How to turn poor engagement around

21:00 - 22% higher transaction value

23:00 - Driving repeat purchases

25:35 - Why is remarketing a critical part of growth

27:22 - Engage to retain

33:30 - How top games invest differently 

35:15 - Emerging trends and opportunities gaming companies should be paying attention to

36:42 - What's next for Safia

39:19 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook, Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discusses Playtika's $1.95bn acquisition of SuperPlay, dive into WeChat Minigames - the multi-billion dollar games platform you know nothing about, and analyse why games companies are moving away from gaming.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Playtika to acquire Dice Dreams developer SuperPlay for up to $1.95 billion - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/playtika-to-acquire-dice-dreams-developer-superplay-for-up-to-195-billion/ 👉🏻 Behind the scenes of WeChat Minigames and how it has generated $2.3 billion in the first half of 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/behind-the-scenes-of-wechat-minigames-and-how-it-has-generated-23-billion-in-the-first-half-of-2024/ 👉🏻 Are publishers leaving games behind? - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/are-publishers-leaving-games-behind/

In today's app market, success is no accident—it's a strategy. Whether your app becomes a unicorn (a rare, standout success), a camel (steady and sustainable), or a hog (a resource-draining misstep) depends on the decisions you make now. In this episode, Patrick McSteen, App & Game Monetisation Expert with Logan Square Consulting, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to explain how a great ad monetisation strategy can transform the ad experience from a necessary nuisance to an aspect of the game that excites, engages, and entices users to spend. Patrick takes the mic to share the strategies that he’s employed to help more than 50 games and 30 apps reach their full potential and how to rocket ad revenue without cannibalising your IAP. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:10 - Why Logan Square Consulting?

02:18 - Rapid learning is everything 

04:01 - Is ad mon the ugly ducking?

08:45 - Unicorns, camels, and hogs

13:04 - Where does ad mon come in?

15:10 - How to get hesitant studios and apps on board

19:50 - Is rewarded the right path?

24:26 - Where do apps make the most mistakes?

28:35 - Who's job is this?

31:20 -  Optimising the spinner wheel

37:22 - Darwin will sort you out

41:50 - A game that does it right

44:06 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook, Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We're also joined by special guest, Fundamentally Games CEO Oscar Clark!

We delve into the big breaking news of the week - Unity's decision to cancel the Runtime Fee, one year after it was first announced. Our hot takes were delivered just as the news broke mid-podcast!

Elsewhere we discuss the Microsoft's deep Xbox cuts following its big Activision Blizzard acquisition, Apple's iPhone 16 announcement, the closure of Dutch Games Garden, and more.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Unity charts a new path forward without the "catastrophic" Runtime Fee - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/unity-charts-a-new-path-forward-without-the-catastrophic-runtime-fee/ 👉🏻 How Monster Hunter Now claimed $225m in its first year through innovation, inclusion and evolving monetisation 👉🏻 Dutch Game Garden is closing after 17 years - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/dutch-game-garden-is-closing-after-17-years/

Making business decisions blindly will bankrupt you and your game. But with the right data, you’re never in the dark. This week, we hand the flashlight to CEE Mobile Gaming and Apps Lead at Google, Mariusz Gąsiewski. Nicknamed “The Insights Guy,” he turns numbers into narratives that guide game devs through the emerging trends they can’t afford to ignore. In this episode, he shines a light on the latest shifts in geos, genres, and growth opportunities to give Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow a clear path to the gaming industry’s next big opportunities and advice on boosting user retention and cutting marketing costs.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:18 - Get used to never having enough time

03:13 - Trends in the best-performing genres

08:58 - It's never one-size-fits-all

11:57 - Geos with the most growth

13:57 - Opening up to new audiences

18:57 - Affordable and profitable geos

24:59 - Double-digit revenue decline

28:43 - Growth: PC/Console vs. Mobile

37:46 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Traditionally, studios faced a tough choice: either crank out hypercasual games at speed or concentrate on crafting deeper player engagement with fewer releases. TapNation breaks this mould—and brilliantly—mastering both approaches to top 1 billion downloads just four years after its founding. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Vincent Février, Chief Marketing Officer at TapNation, returns to share the winning strategies behind the company’s rapid rise and recent acquisition of UA Hero. Vincent unveils how TapNation’s company culture fosters creativity and bold moves, driving the daring shifts in its marketing strategy that spurred a near 10% LTV uplift. He explores how their focus on product-led growth drives long-term engagement, reveals the CMP TapNation chose to power customer-driven privacy policies, and shares the retention and retargeting strategies proven to keep and call back players.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:00 - Hiring at TapNation

06:29 - A shift in marketing

11:02 - Product-led growth

13:28 - Where the success comes from

17:24 - Why the next billion downloads will be harder to get

19:22 - Real-growth retention strategies

22:29 - A win-back reward

27:03 - How TapNation hacks hybrid ad mon

33:25 - CMPs affecting revenue

36:39 - TapNation's main goal in the next 12 months

42:44 - Wrapping up

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into Savvy Games Group's big MENA investments and partnerships, the closure of Finnish developer Lightneer, and how Pokémon Masters EX has quietly generated $335m+ in gross revenue. Craig also talks about the Godzilla movies a little bit too much.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/savvy-games-group-strikes-key-deals-to-power-mena-industry-growth/ 👉🏻 It's lights out at Lightneer as the studio officially announces closure - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/its-lights-out-at-lightneer-as-the-studio-officially-announces-closure/ 👉🏻 Pokémon Masters EX turns five: Lessons from an IP and monetisation masterpiece - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pokmon-masters-ex-turns-five-lessons-from-an-ip-and-monetisation-masterpiece/

Pixel United, known for its portfolio of popular F2P titles and millions of active players, has nailed the art of squeezing revenue from ads without squeezing the fun out of a game. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Kelly Kang, Senior Director of Ad Monetisation & Partnerships at Pixel United, joins host Peggy Anne Salz to share pages from her playbook and to shed light on what the role of an ad monetisation manager means in today’s games market. Kelly delves into her unexpected experiences in the role, the importance of collaborating with game developers, and which ad formats truly deliver value. She also explores why brands are slow to embrace in-game ads, the effectiveness of in-app header bidding, and what it takes to build a top-tier ad monetisation team.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - The unexpected part of the job

07:12 - Convincing the game devs

10:45 - Which ad formats are worth the hype

13:43 - What's different about the offer wall? 

15:56 - Why are brands lagging behind?

18:52 - How to get in front of brands

23:20 - What the agencies want

27:06 - Experiences with CMPs

30:28 -What does ad-mon really do? 

34:50 - Is in-app bidding really better?

37:41 - What does it take to build a good ad-mon team?

41:10 - Favourite games Q&A 

43:00 - The mark ad-mon can leave on a studio

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We provide a breakdown of the key stories and trends from Devcom and Gamescom 2024. Meanwhile, we discuss Apple's latest changes following regulatory pressure, peek into the data that shows Squad Busters is on the up, and cover the big reveal of Monument Valley 3, coming exclusively to Netflix.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/5-things-we-learned-from-devcom-and-gamescom-2024-1812461/ 👉🏻 Monopoly GO! A game that was(n’t) created for ads - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/monopoly-go-a-game-that-wasnt-created-for-ads/ 👉🏻 Game analysis: Squad Busters update makes radical changes on a quest for lasting success - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/game-analysis-squad-busters-update-makes-radical-changes-on-a-quest-for-lasting-success/

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We offer tips on surviving Gamescom, discuss a drive for games industry sustainability efforts, delve into why Xsolla is sponsoring English League One football team Stevenage FC, and Apple aficionado Daniel gives the iPhone giant a ticking off.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

Kooapps is no stranger to building big brands and successful games. Its portfolio, which includes Snake.io, Piano Tiles, Pictoword and Stacky Bird, has garnered more than 450 million downloads to date. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Kooapps CEO CK Wang joins host Peggy Anne Salz to discuss his journey from Microsoft to co-founding his own company, evolving out of the hypercasual space and building strong brands. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:43 - Microsoft Research lessons 05:38 - Snake.io anniversary 07:34 - Hypercasual to unified casual 14:05 - Snake.io monetisation strategies 17:49 - Rewarded video ads 19:49 - Building a brand 25:40 - Listening to players 28:29 - Tools for the job 32:11 - Survival tactics 36:51 - ROAS modeling 39:24 - Kooapps’ future 43:25 - Favourite games Q&A * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** 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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We analyse the mobile games market's return to growth, discuss Nazara's $100m war chest, and talk about Turkey's big Roblox ban. Daniel also gets mad about Beetlejuice.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

👉🏻 Top 50 Mobile Game Makers nominations - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/nominations-open-for-pocketgamerbizs-top-50-mobile-game-makers-2024/

A seasoned games professional with over 15 years of experience at top-grossing studios, including Rovio, Voodoo, and PlayStation, Sophie Vo knows the drill and how to drive success. But she also learned first-hand that companies can only go from good to great when they have exceptional and empathetic people at the helm. That's why she founded Rise and Play, a company helping studio leadership up their game. Offering services from high-performance team and 1-1 coaching to streamlined hiring, training, and onboarding processes, Rise and Play equips games professionals with the resources and network they need to level up and create lasting change within their company. Sophie joins our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow this week to discuss common leadership challenges, why she "sees suffering in most leaders," and lift the lid on the 3 questions you can ask yourself to elevate your emotional management skills.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:44 - Sophie's journey

04:55 - Why pivot now?

08:35 - Common leadership challenges

11:37 - Managers vs leaders

14:40 - What good leaders look like

17:22 - Training leaders

25:28 - Creating the right system

28:50 - How to reinvent yourself

32:46 - Expanding outside the game market 

36:05 - Three questions to ask ourselves 

38:28 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into AppMagic's $3m raise and the future of market intelligence, discuss the big SAG-AFTRA games strike against AI, and the team gets very British about the weather.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

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👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/ 👉🏻 Top 50 Mobile Game Makers nominations - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/nominations-open-for-pocketgamerbizs-top-50-mobile-game-makers-2024/

Deceptive and disturbing ads are gutting your game. Recent reports found that nearly 60% of mobile gamers have encountered creatives that blatantly misrepresent gameplay and more than half of all games are uninstalled within 30 days. Simply put, bad ads are bad for business. Alex Yerukhimovich, Head of AppHarbr, likens locating and blocking these creatives as a game of whac-a-mole—exhausting, time-consuming, and ultimately something you can’t win on your own. To get you out of this spiral and back into the driver’s seat, AppHarbr manages and eliminates these ads for you before they hit the screen. Alex takes the mic this week to tell Peggy and Brian how AppHarbr's SDK and ad management platform, powered by GeoEdge, gives power back to the publishers, allowing them to control which ads appear alongside their games. He's joined by Vincent Février, CMO at TapNation. Together, the two break down the types of bad ads, how they affect game performance, and how AppHarbr helps publishers to police and put a stop to poor-quality ads before a user sees them.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro 

03:20 - Types of bad ads

07:32 - Most harmful ads for publishers

12:12 - Side effects of bad ads 

20:25 - How AppHarbr helps publishers to police 

26:40 - Putting your foot down

30:05 -  AppHarbr's services to fight bad ads

32:47 - How to create ads policy and audit

35:55 - Games studios should make games

37:56 - Vincent's advice to publishers

40:10 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into how Lilith Games builds billion-dollar mobile games, discuss the Humble Games layoffs and the confusing messaging about its restructure/closure, and Craig gets angry about the definition of downloads.

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 Inside mobile hitmaker Lilith Games - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/inside-mobile-hitmaker-lilith-games/

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Monopoly GO! is now its own board game... plus discuss the future of B2B games media and the closure of Axis Studios - the team behind that famous Dead Island trailer.

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 Story Mode Podcast - Tips on how to use game PR to drive success from Craig Chapple from PocketGamer.biz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMhCLqXMzbk

For smaller studios, building long-term relationships with ad networks is crucial. This means asking the right questions, leveraging the right data, and utilising all available resources effectively. Sergey Sukhov, Chief Business Development Officer at AdQuantum—a performance marketing agency that offers unique support to smaller game studios on top of traditional UA services—offers his advice for nailing all three in this episode. Alongside our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Sergey shares exactly what studios should bring to the negotiating table and how to obtain the right data from ad partners to know for certain whether to keep or kill your game. What's more, he breaks down Ad Quantum's bespoke solutions tailored to studios of all sizes and the creative format that outperforms all others.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:17 - What does AdQuantum do?

04:35 - Tactics and questions for smaller studios

10:20 - Studios biggest challenges

12:15 - Navigating negotiations

15:20 - Building relationships with ad networks

20:35 - Get creative about creatives

24:15 - Formats that perform well

26:08 - AI for measurement

28:28 - Metrics that matter

30:00 - Emerging trends

32:20 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the big takeaways from the Develop: Brighton conference with advice on how studios can survive to 2025, and ask whether web3 gaming is still all talk.

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👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

Whether it’s webshops, alternative app stores or multiplatform, the race to find more ways to get your game in front of more users is real—and so is the competitive edge you achieve if the channels you choose put the player experience first. In this episode, we zoom in on InMobi Group’s Nostra, a platform revolutionising game publishing and development in Southeast Asia and India by creating snackable, instant gaming experiences—all on your phone’s lock screen. It’s a unique offering and a crowd-pleaser, according to the numbers. Nostra, powered by the Glance, dominates the region, boasting a roster of 500+ games and 100M+ monthly active users. Deepak Venkatramani, Vice President of Business & Operations at Glance, steps onto the show this week to tell Peggy and Brian how Nostra offers any game access to players anywhere in the world, allowing them to scale fast and win big. Felicity, a studio that gained 1M+ MAUs with a three-person team, shares its success story with Nostra. Felicity Founder and CEO Anurag Choudhary joins the episode to share how Nostra’s rapid feedback features and fee-free access to players across the globe literally change the game for his studio and hundreds more across the globe. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:55 - What is Nostra?

08:00 - How lock screen gaming increases engagement

10:00 - Nostra scaling games

14:15 - Rapid feedback affecting process

18:00 - Impact on developer ecosystem

22:20 - What makes Nostra different?

25:24 - Going global  

28:50 - Expanding the pie

33:24 - Advice for smaller studios

35:00 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover Squad Busters' first month revenue data and ask whether it's a success or failure, review June 2024's top games and publishers, and get industry opinion on those sexist ads.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

Monster IP may require a monster budget, but smaller studios can still tap into cultural trends to perform well in the app stores—provided they know the right questions to ask and licensors to pitch. Enric Pedró, SVP of Marketing at Tilting Point, gives us all the answers about IP ahead of his studio's upcoming release, Godzilla vs. Kong: Titan Chasers. From overlooked sources of IP to the tools you need to start integrating product placement in your games, Enric reveals everything studios need to consider when launching a game with intellectual property. Whether you’re an indie developer looking to make a splash or a seasoned pro looking for fresh strategies, this episode is packed with actionable insights to level up your studio and leverage IP in your mobile games.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:28 - How Enric got into games

03:49 - Working with monster IP

05 - Smaller studios can leverage IP

10:31 - Value of IP

16:02 - Overlooked sources of IP 

22:18 - What do you need to start?

28:55 - How to talk to licensors

33:26 - Product placement

36:09 - Keeping your team on track

45:30 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover the news that Apple faces huge fines in the European Union for its App Store practices, Supercell's latest game Project R.I.S.E, and Square Enix's backtracking on its AI investments.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

It used to be that big wins demanded deep pockets. Now, achieving success on a shoestring budget isn’t the exception but the rule. It all comes down to one question: how much are you spending on your backend?

This week’s guest estimates that studios spend an average of $21 million and three years developing their own backend. With Metaplay, you can do it in two weeks. Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow sit down with Teemu Haila, Co-Founder and CPO of Metaplay, to share how the brand scales smaller studios and saves them $1 million per year with one SDK.

Teemu dives into the tech, explaining how Metaplay’s solution offers the infrastructure to successfully scale live service Unity C# games, facilitates smooth real-time interactions, and ensures a safe and fair player experience by making your game 100% secure from cheaters and bots.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:20 - Teemu's journey into games

05:46 - Scales as a service 

08:30 - 4 pillars of scaling  

11:57 - Strategies for a larger player base

15:20 - How studios succeed during layoffs

19:46 - Building around live-ops 

28:40 - A flexible studio culture

31:20 - A live-or-die market

33:18 - Metaplay's growth blueprint

36:29 - Making cheating impossible

39:32 - Working with Metaplay

43:15 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover the news that the EU could be set to fine Apple for infringing Digital Markets Act regulations, and delve into the history of the mobile games industry and where things are are heading.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

A leaner team paves the way for a smarter UA strategy—a must-have for studios with a broad portfolio like Gazeus Games. Estela Dos Santos Rocha, Marketing Coordinator at Gazeus, tips her hand to share the savvier steps any marketer can take to make the most out of their tight-knit team, from attracting the awareness of attention whales to playing to the preferences of old and new users alike. After that, our host, Peggy Anne Salz, dives deep into growing and re-engaging mobile app consumers with Aman Sareen, CEO of Aarki. Aman breaks down the Aarki rebrand, reveals the metrics that really matter, and surprises us with his take on how many partners marketers should work with to move the needle on campaigns—and remain sane.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Estela Intro

01:58 - Managing UA across a broad portfolio

05:30 - Attention whales

08:15 - What entices players?

09:18 - Estela in her own ads

10:30 - Making the most of a small team

12:48 - Appeasing new and old players

14:33 - What to pay attention to in A/B tests

16:55 - Small step, big career impact

19:25 - Maintaining motivation

21:10 - Aman Intro

22:20 - 3 pillars of the new Aarki

24:00 - More or less partners?

25:35 - What metrics matter?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover the news that Mike Verdu is no longer leading Netflix's games business, a campaign to stop sexist ads in user acquisition, and Apple's big WWDC announcements.

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

Hybrid monetisation is in, and relying solely on either in-app purchases or ad-driven revenue to power profitability is out. There’s no question that modern monetisation is merging and morphing, so we called in a professional to help us navigate the trends we need to be watching through the rest of the year. Daniel Tchnernahovsky, VP of Global Business Development at AppLovin, sees the games world from a different perspective and shares it all with Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. One trend on the top of his radar is maximising your LTV by customising your game to player spending habits. “The truth is that patterns of behaviour are a result of design,” Daniel says. The solution: design your game for high retention by sending users to a version of your game that resonates with their preferences. It can be heavy lifting, but Daniel has a few workarounds. To get the lowdown on all of his top trends and no-BS advice, listen in to this episode.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:56 - The growing approach of hybrid monetisation

09:50 - Response from developers on hybrid monetisation

12:05 - How to implement hybrid effectively

16:41 - Non-negotiables on a high-value player

19:15 - Spread your investment

23:26 -  Enabling studios to move to hybrid

25:14 - A different game for every segment 

29:30 - Where else should marketers put their money?

33:20 - AI's place in innovation

36:05 - What is coming that will have a major impact on games?

38:51 - The mindset for hunting whales

41:30 - Favourite games Q&A

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover the big Star Wars: Hunters launch from Zynga and provide some of the inside scoop on its development, why mobile MOBAs fail in the West, and discuss those Xbox handheld rumours.

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover Supercell's big Squad Busters launch, compare Steam's user-first approach to discoverability that's at odds with Apple and Google's strategies, and discuss whether YouTube Playables will ever work.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

A hit game can harbour hope for an up-and-coming games company. But living up to the game's name and weathering the changing tides of player needs, industry upheavals, and privacy concerns can test the limits of any studio. In this episode, María Sayans, CEO of ustwo games peels back the layers of ustwo’s monumental success, Monument Valley—now celebrating its 10th anniversary and over 160m+ downloads—and offers indie developers concrete advice on cultivating a sustainable studio that can succeed despite any storm. She sheds light on how ustwo games adapts and evolves its keystone game to keep pace with changing player habits and how cross-platform is powering the studio’s success for years to come. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:30 - Who are ustwo games?

05:42 - How Monument Valley shaped games

07:58 - Biggest changes to games audiences

12:30 - Are boomers the biggest gamers?

16:57 -  How ustwo games evolved to match player need

21:08 - Would Monument Valley succeed if launched today?

25:09 - Maria's leadership model

29:00 - How ustwo’s company calendar builds company culture

32:19 - Is premium still a viable model?

35:55 - Why cross-platform?

40:07 - Ustwo’s upcoming releases

43:20 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Brian Baglow, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover ByteDance's latest plans for its $4 billion acquisition of Mobile Legends developer Moonton, remote work and leadership skills challenges, UGC investment opportunities, and ask if Unity developers really are over the runtime fee.

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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

2024 is turning out to be the year of alternatives. We have the rise of alternative app stores, alternative ads, and a sharp focus on alternative monetization models to maximise revenue potential for gaming studios. Some are mashing up advertising and in-app purchases, while others are tapping strong IP to monetise players' eyeballs. This week, we’re talking about an alternative model that raises the bar for some studios and arguments amongst others—subscription. Teis Anker Mikkelsen, CEO and Co-Founder of Multisctiption—a company offering a cross-publisher subscription service for F2P games—joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow again in this episode for a sweeping discussion of subscriptions and how the model inherently increases retention, player re-entry, and in-app spend. He shares tips for creating a friction-free payment experience, addressing subscription fatigue, scaling, and a checklist to determine if a subscription model is the right fit for your game. 

00:00 - Intro

03:11 - Understanding subscriptions in apps

10:42 - Subscription increases retention

13:09 - Creating a friction-free payment experience

15:56 - Addressing subscription fatigue

19:56 - How to smooth the transition to subscription

23:36 - Who is a subscription model best for?

36:07 - How big can you scale subscriptions?

41:34 - How to adapt the model to different players

43:27 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the Xbox mobile games store and whether it's doomed to fail, the AppLovin and Unity financials nearly two years after the acquisition drama, and analyse a survey that claims Gen Z love bitcoin.

** Let's Connect **

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Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Xbox has closed Bethesda studios including Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games and Tango Gameworks, and discuss Microsoft's troubled games business and Game Pass strategy.

We also dive into Krafton's comments about using generative AI in game development, and Apple's iPad problem.

** Let's Connect **

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Great games start with a great understanding of gaps in the industry and the factors that play a pivotal role in predicting profitability. This week, we welcome a guest with a keen eye for both and a sixth sense for high-potential startups. Akin Babayigit, Co-Founder and President of Tripledot Studios joins our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. The business side of games is baked into Akin's DNA—a talent that helped him build Tripledot from the ground up and go on to effectively scout out and scale lucrative studios like Dream Games and Luna Labs Limited. In this episode, he shares pages from his playbook on recognizing the signs of commercial success in a specific title and tells Peggy and Brian the specific data points that are most crucial to the decision-making process at Tripledot. Tune into the show for his insights into the unique opportunities for app marketers in Turkey and advice to embrace the new science of performance marketing.

**Chapters**

00:00 - Intro 

01:55 - Akin's background

07:52 - How Tripledot stands out

14:39 - Signs that a game will be a success

28:01 - Market conditions in Turkey

35:18 - Embrace the new science of performance marketing

42:15 - Favourite games Q&A

Brian Baglow, Daniel Griffiths, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Supercell's Brawl Stars has already smashes its 2023 revenue total so far this year, Square Enix's warning to investors of "extraordinary losses", and Erling Haaland's introduction as a character in Clash of Clans.

** Let's Connect **

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MENA is a fast-growing gaming territory with high-paying and highly engaged players, but what will it take for the region to gain recognition on the global stage? Our host, Peggy Anne Salz, sits down with a Saudi studio for an insider look into the local opportunities and challenges. Miikka Lindgren, VP of Publishing at Sandsoft—a studio making waves in MENA and displaying impressive growth in a growing industry—shines a light on Sandsoft’s strategic focus on global publishing and its innovative approach to data-driven decision-making that underscores their commitment to sustainable growth. He emphasizes the importance of product as marketing, balancing short-term metrics with long-term growth targets, and staying focused amidst numerous ideas and opportunities in the industry. Plus, he gives us a sneak peek into Sandsoft’s arcade simulation game, Business Dudes. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:14 - Opportunities in MENA

08:23 - Sandsoft grows despite downturns

11:13 - Balancing short-term metrics with long-term growth

13:17 - Don't be afraid to dream big

15:31 - What to learn from Chinese studios

21:44 - Alternative distribution platforms

23:21 - What's next in MENA and for Sandsoft?

30:39 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Supercell is launching Squad Busters globally on May 29th, Embracer Group's break-up into three new public companies, the TikTok ban, and why Apple's Vision Pro isn't selling any headsets.

** Let's Connect **

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The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

MENA is a region ripe with opportunities for game industry professionals. Our host, Peggy Anne Salz, sits down with an expert on the area and headline speaker at the GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects, Kadri Harma. Co-Founder of the investment fund and mentoring program, GameFounders, and Venture Partner at Sisu Game Ventures, Kadri brings her on-the-ground expertise to the show this week, lifting the lid on unlocking the MENA market. She shares the investment opportunities and player behaviour that make the region stand out, the government initiatives that empower the local industry, and the actions indie studios can take to attract the attention of the investor community. Listen in and register now for the GameExpo Summit on May 1-2. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - Understanding the MENA market

07:57 - MENA's appeal

12:48 - Opportunities for investment

20:36 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Brian Baglow, Paige Cook, Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover a new report that delves into the UK games industry's skills crisis, the Fallout TV show's success, App Store emulators, and Epic's endless court battles with Apple and Google. Craig and Brian also have a moan about Rebel Moon.

Extra links:

RaptorVerse Presents... The DMA Breakdown Webinar: https://news.raptorpr.com/raptorverse-presentsthe-dma-breakdown

The top mobile games in soft launch right now: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/60621/the-latest-and-most-interesting-mobile-games-in-soft-launch-update/

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

Acquiring valuable users is only half the battle. To truly power profitable growth, studios must focus on the smart strategies that retain their users for years rather than days. Faith Price, pioneers this approach in gaming as the Director of Growth Marketing at DoubleDown Interactive, a leading social casino and mobile games studio. She joins host Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to share how she uses lifecycle marketing to extend the lifespan of DoubleDown’s 13-year-old app—and the tips you can implement to do the same for your game. She opens up about her testing tactics and routine and reveals the three steps anyone can take to reinvent themselves during this industry downturn. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:50 - Determining the features that acquire vs retain

05:36 - Timing and testing communications and community

11:26 - What does the testing routine look like?

12:31- How to reinvent yourself in games

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Brian Baglow, Paige Cook, Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover Squad Busters heading into soft launch, the state of the Finnish games industry, and retro game emulators on the App Store

** Let's Connect **

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The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

In today's noisy, data-constrained market, studios can't afford to splash the cash on multiple soft launches. Instead, they must identify innovative ways to test and validate concepts while keeping their costs low. It's a path stacked with strategic decisions that can seem daunting for smaller studios or leaner teams. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz links up again with Piyush Mishra, Director of Growth at Product Madness, to learn about his playbook for producing stellar games on a shoestring budget, from concept testing to global launch. He reveals the metrics that matter most when evaluating creative and the questions to ask to effectively greenlight games across genres.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:22 - The creative metrics that matter

08:12 - Using UA to test and validate concepts

11:38 - Keeping costs down during testing

15:36 - Using UA to test gameplay creative

17:29 - Benchmarks for greenlighting a game 

23:15 - Marketing must be there from the start

27:28 - What genres does this work for?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover Sensor Tower's acquisition of data.ai and our interview with COO Tom Cui, we discuss 10 years of Monument Valley, and PocketGamer.biz's upcoming MENA Month!

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

For smaller studios on shoestring budgets, diving deep into data can feel daunting. But having a leaner team doesn’t equate to less impressive results—if you have the right tools at your fingertips. When tasked with managing her studio’s UA and monetisation, Clary Xiaodan Zhang, Head of UAM at Elia Games, created a fully customisable, no-code automation system that transforms marketers’ time management and democratises data using two readily available, low-cost tools—Google Sheets and Notion. Clary joins us on this week's show alongside hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. She explains how her system delivers on three fronts: It serves as a data analytics platform, matches specific actions with campaign performance, and sends smart alerts that tell marketers in minutes the campaigns that need their attention most. Clary reveals how she saves 50 hours/week integrating this automation and shares the blueprint that studios of all sizes can follow to build their own system in-house.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:28 - Balancing UA and monetisation at the same time

05:58 - Clary's no-code solution

08:48 - How Clary's solution helps studios of all sizes

11:10 - AI strengths and weaknesses in UA & monetisation

16:01 - How AI is changing job descriptions

20:52 - Saving 50 hours/week with a no-code solution

24:12 - Disrupting the non-gaming industry

26:47 - Cultivating creativity with Clary's no-code AI

29:40 - How to build a system like Clary

34:48 - Favourite games Q&A

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover the European Commission's investigations into Apple and Google over possible DMA violations, offer takeaways from a big week at GDC, and delve into the big news coming out of the MENA market.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 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/

Brian Baglow, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover Sensor Tower's acquisition of rival mobile market intelligence firm data.ai, the reveal of the Epic Games Store coming to mobile by the end of 2024, and discuss Apple's latest antitrust woes - this time with the US Department of Justice.

** Let's Connect **

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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/

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in our new 'Week in Views' series. We cover Supercell's new development structure for new games and live ops, as well as dive into TikTok's potential ban in the US and what it means for games.

Players who relate to your game are easier to retain. But how do you pinpoint the story that enhances your game’s USP, resonates with your player base and sparks the desire to stay in the game? Deniz Kekeç, Performance Marketing Manager for casual simulation game Sunrise Village at Innogames, has cracked the code with a pioneering approach to UA that she calls “narrative marketing.” It’s a content-driven approach that involves writing a game’s story or enhancing an existing one “in a way that the user can bond with the product themselves.” And it works because the engaging narrative appeals to players’ emotions and builds their preferences into gameplay from the start. In this insightful episode with hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Deniz delves into the formula for success and how studios can determine, test and adapt the right narrative for their game. She should know—she tested several, including love stories, mystery yarns and a strange relative with secrets. Curious about the concept that excited players and transformed Sunrise Village’s reach and retention? Well, you’ll have to listen until the end for that. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:53 - What is narrative marketing?

06:59 - Determining the right narrative

11:33 - Testing the narratives

17:50 - Adapting the narrative to different UA channels

20:53 - Advice for getting started

26:12 - Yoga lessons in marketing

28:55 - What story won? 

30:22 - Favourite games Q&A 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in our new 'Week in Views' series. We cover Apple's battle with Epic and the European Union's Digital Markets Act, Deconstructor of Fun's games industry predictions for 2024, and InnoGames' disclosure of staff salaries.

Extending a game’s lifespan is every studio’s grand objective, but the path to effective execution is packed with difficult decisions. Studios can lean into Live-Ops to keep content fresh and cultivate profitable partnerships to enhance their marketing mix, or they can centre community management and leverage audience listening. Or, like Innogames, they can do all of the above. Our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow welcome three guests from Innogames for insider insights into how the studio successfully lengthens the lifespan of their legendary games, Tribal Wars and Forge of Empires, which just reached 20 years of play and hit the one billion lifetime value milestone, respectively, and continuously nets new audiences for both. Matthew Milligan (Product Head), Stefan Flinterhoff (Head of Game UA), and Thorsten Schankin (Senior Product Manager) dive into Innogames' unique approach to UA and company culture—one that puts games first and centres teams around titles instead of channels. They also chat about community engagement and sourcing inspiration from Forge of Empires’ million daily active users. From forecasting tools and Live-Ops to embracing power creep and integrating cross-platform before it was cool, this episode is loaded with useful information for indies and triple-As alike.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:19 - Product and marketing come together

07:19 - Leaning on your community

11:13 - Cross-platform before it was cool

17:52 - In the case of power creep

19:50 - Forecasting tools

25:08 - Community starts internally

28:05 - Constantly testing new partners

30:37 - Staying novel

34:16 - A little more about Matt, Thorsten, and Stefan

38:15 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in the first episode of our new ‘Week in Views’ series. We cover layoffs, Apple Arcade, Unity’s troubles, why the head of the European Games Developer Federation is unhappy, and much more!

** Let's Connect **

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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/

In Guy Gadney’s eyes, implementing AI into your game development is like “cooking with eggs.” You can use it as an ancillary tool to optimise your current creative endeavours, or you can “make an omelette”, baking AI into your game from the beginning and establishing it as a fundamental component of character or world creation. The application options are endless—if guided by the right questions. Peggy Anne Salz welcomes Guy Gadney, Co-Founder and CEO of Charisma—a plug-and-play platform creating interactive stories with virtual characters—onto the show again to reveal what to ask to effectively apply AI to your creative process, revolutionise your entertainment experience, and “fundamentally change the art of storytelling.” After their dynamic discussion, Peggy chats with another AI expert and entrepreneur, Harry Holmwood. Harry describes how Magicave, a game company designing digital hobbies similar to Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer, uses AI to transform data into real-time world-building with digital dice, characters, and tiles. Listen, learn, and love this episode as we talk about co-creating engaging experiences with players, implementing AI ethically, and how to navigate the machine learning minefield in 2024. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro 

00:51 - AI is like cooking with eggs

07:29 - Navigating compliance

10:19 -  AI will fundamentally change storytelling

13:10 - Using AI to create new worlds every day

17:41 - Copyright and fair IP

22:28 - Monetising and the Pay To Learn model

24:00 - Magicave's vision

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

How did Yahtzee break revenue records? What’s up with webshops, and are subscription models shaping up to match past hype? We answer all these questions and more in this episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast live from the floor of PGC London. Host Peggy Anne Salz leads a captivating conversation with Steel Media Ltd. executives Chris James (CEO), Craig Chapple (Head of B2B Content), and Aaron Astle (News Editor). The group gets into the weeds about redefining customer relationships, advancing IP through AI, and how studios are saying sayonara to Apple’s near 30% commission fees. Tune in for our team’s hot takes and exclusive insights on gaming in 2024, and register today for PGC San Francisco!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:08 - Show highlights

05:47 - Small changes make a big difference

08:23 - Advancing IP through AI

14:34 - Webshops and Apple's 27% commision

21:00 - Subscription models

23:02 - Favourite talks and tracks

29:02 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Past predictions into mobile gaming foresaw an industry slowdown in 2024, but recent data reveals a different reality. Peggy Anne Salz welcomes two mobile mavens onto the show this week to lift the lid on the actual state of the market, and the trends studios should pay the closest attention to in the coming year. First, Karl Knights, Global VP of Customer Success at mobile data and analytics platform data.ai, digs into the latest data in the State of Mobile 2024 report. He shares surprising findings, reveals the monetisation methods dominating the app stores and walks us through the models that can predict future app performance. Then, Lirui Ding, Senior Associate at Transcend Fund—an audience-first gaming venture firm—dives deep into the rapidly evolving world of Esports. He details how game studios can use Esports to elevate engagement and community building and new ways VR is poised to revolutionise mobile gaming. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:50 - The truth about mobile growth and ad spend

05:49 - Breaking down successful games and subgenres 

12:09 - data.ai's MPS

14:05- The state of esports in 2024

19:40 - Effective community building

21:20 -  VR eSports

30:17 - Lirui’s hopes for 2024

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

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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

While some studios are cashing in their chips on hypercasual and casual games, a few future-focused brands are doubling down and winning big by placing their bets on rewarded play. Indeed, though once a taboo UA tactic, rewarded play now opens doors for lasting loyalty and long-term engagement. That’s why Mistplay, a leading loyalty platform for mobile apps, provides rewards that fit the bill for every player. Gabriel Lewis, Senior Director and Global Head of Accounts at Mistplay, joins Peggy Anne Salz in this episode of the PG.biz Podcast, where he explains how Mistplay goes beyond cashback offerings to deliver a variety of perks custom-matched to player interests. He says rewards are more than just bonuses but catalysts for continued gameplay. Tune into this show for insider tips on leveraging these turbo boosts—plus loyalty and LTV—in your game design and a look into the secret strategy that Mistplay mobilises to keep gamers glued to their screens.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:41 - First impressions and exciting trends

02:30 - Mistplay and rewarded ads

08:34 - Designing for rewards types

12:37 - Rewarded ads in the years to come

15:29 - What's next for Gabe?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

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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

In an industry where data-driven decision-making pays dividends and a deep content pool is the difference between customer churn and a long-term connection, game studios need a tool capable of gathering granular user data and satiating consumers' content cravings. NAK3D—a startup recently awarded for its innovation by the World Economic Forum—delivers on both ends. Kelly Vero, CEO and CTO of NAK3D joins Peggy Anne Salz for an on-the-ground interview into how the interoperable fashion marketplace leverages AI-developed data to provide developers a constant stream of new in-game content while empowering fashion and retail brands to establish a digital presence. She says the future of game commerce (or g-commerce as she calls it) lies in digital assets and putting the power back into the hands of the player. Few people are as daring, future-focused, and driven as Kelly, which is why major designer brands like Alexander McQueen and Lulu Guinness trust NAK3D to bridge the gap between digital and physical retail and deliver actionable insights into Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. Don’t miss out on this mega-meta episode—the first in a series of special live podcasts connecting you with the sharpest minds and savviest innovators in gaming.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:54 - Davos, the metaverse, and trends in Asia

07:06 - The evolution of Nak3d

12:29 - The future of Gcommerce and information sourcing

19:30 - Digital death and the metaverse

26:28 - Look outside the games industry

29:03 - What is Kelly looking forward to most?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

To acquire valuable players and boost rank in the app stores, studios have to shift focus and budget to offer each user a customised experience that aligns with their unique player motivations. But the path to pinpointing player intent isn’t straightforward--especially in a privacy-first landscape that makes prediction more challenging than ever. It’s a perfect storm of conditions for revisiting and rethinking approaches that reward players for staying in the game.  Adam Jaffe, Founder and CEO of Mega Studio—an end-to-end gaming agency offering services in everything from product creation to marketing to monetisation—joins hosts Peggy Anne Samz and Brian Baglow to discuss how incentivised is powering UA and much more. Adam observes that rewarded approaches pay dividends, producing retention rates that are “40% higher” than those of non-incentivised users. This is because rewarded gives marketers bonus insights into player behavior. As Adam puts it, marketers know “exactly why” a user downloaded, allowing them to create a “railed environment” or direct path that users are nearly guaranteed to follow. He shares smart strategies to optimise this approach, from how to finetune features to create long-term users to where to place ads to maximise monetisation. Lastly, he offers advice on marrying product and marketing and explains why incentivised traffic can potentially become a critical data signal studios can harness to optimize everything. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:15 - Why gamification? 

05:44 - Biggest misconception about rewarded traffic

09:30 - The nuts and bolts of incentivised traffic

13:05 - Maximising monetisation

18:16 - Finding the incentivised sweet spot

24:18 - Optimising for player motivation

27:08 - The future of incentivised traffic

32:45 - Favourite games Q&A with Adam

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Profitable UA is about connecting with the right players at the right time in the right context. Using traditional targeting tools, UA managers can manually parse through data to predict who is the best fit. But ultimately, this approach eats up marketers' time—and ad spend. Gamelight’s AI-powered algorithm cuts out the guesswork, locating only the players sure to produce high LTV and delivering 4x ARPU uplift in just a few days. Günay Aliyeva, Co-founder of Gamelight, a company that removes the heavy lifting from UA, joins host Peggy Anne Salz on the show this week. She says it's time to toss the timeworn targeting tools and embrace automation to revolutionise UA. She talks about trusting AI to optimise monetisation and how Gamelight’s self-learning algorithm builds upon itself to extract the most value from new and existing players. Finally, she shares how to level up your game and what it takes to establish a successful startup. She would know—she’s built three!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:23 - AI optimising in-app purchases

06:48 - Perfecting player targeting and UA optimisation

14:05 - Learning to trust the algorithm

17:10 - What it takes to build a successful startup

21:46 - Build your app during launch, not before

24:34 - Favourite games Q&A with Gunay

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

The games industry faced a brutal year in 2023, with unofficial layoff estimates reaching an alarming 10,000. The stakes remain high in 2024, and job seekers need to double down to secure a position amidst reduced hiring and increased competition. We learn how to “pimp our LinkedIn” and get the most out of networking opportunities in this episode with Oleg Paliy, CEO of Games Factory Talents, a recruiting agency that connects global talent with leading Finnish games studios. Joining our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Oleg gives PG.biz Podcast listeners some tough love and expert advice on nailing your dream job in 2024. If you like what you hear in this show, don't miss out on your chance to connect with him in real life at PGC London, where Games Factory Talents will be hosting the career zone and giving attendees advice on their LinkedIn, resume and next career move.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:38 - The layoff landscape for 2024

04:20 - How to "pimp" your LinkedIn

07:13 - How to capture a recruiter's eye

10:28 - The most in-demand positions of 2024 

14:51 - Hiring for soft skills 

20:39 - Are you a diver or a surfer?

24:05 - Connect with Games Talent Factory

28:33 - Favourite games Q&A with Oleg

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

An evolving market calls for an evolved approach to user acquisition—one that treats players as individuals and weighs each user’s needs against all available acquisition tactics. When preparing to adopt this approach, though, game studios must consider one key question: Should they stick with the mainstream channels (META, Google, Apple, etc.) that provide reliability but unpredictable ROAS or focus their attention on alternative channels that bypass saturation and offer users that are 50% more likely to make in-app purchases? Studios face some tough choices in 2024, and this week’s guest encourages marketers to embrace the shift from “growth at all costs” to more targeted acquisition strategies yielding high-value users. We ring in the new year—and PG.biz podcast’s first anniversary with hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brain Baglow— with digital marketing veteran and Fluent Cofounder and Chief Customer Officer Matt Conlin. In this insights-filled episode, Matt reveals where some studios are missing the mark and evaluates how game-changing UA trends (including rewarded discovery and influencer marketing) light the path to sustainable growth. He also shares his exclusive SWOT analyses of UA channels (both new and old), what games studios can learn from retail, and, most importantly, which tactics will power profitability in 2024 and which are better left in 2023. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Happy 1 year to the podcast

02:20 - Trends to watch in 2024 

08:00 - The incentivised player

12:18 - The value of rewarded discovery

15:28 - SWOT analysis on rewarded platforms

19:37 - SWOT analysis on influencer marketing

23:10 - The new mobile landscape

26:24 - What's on the radar for 2024?

29:40 - How Fluent navigates rapid change

31:10 - Favourite games Q&A with Matt

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

The path to profitable growth is fraught with tough choices. Studios can net new audiences by pumping out new titles and features at the pace of change, or they can push the envelope (and extend the lifecycle of their legacy title) with content, Live Ops and real-life events. Or, in the case of Zynga, they can do all of the above. Yaron Leyvand, Executive VP at Mobile Studios at Zynga, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to share pages from the playbook that keeps the games giant growing amidst industry downturns and transformations. Yaron recalls the milestones in the journey that brought Zynga from a small gaming company with a start on Facebook to a leader in casual gaming with over 4 billion downloads and 200+ million monthly players worldwide. He also delves into Zynga’s unique approach to M&A—one that bolsters smaller studios and trusts in local talent. Don’t miss this info-packed episode as Yaron describes how Zynga and Take-Two are shaking up the industry with their landmark collaboration, and Peggy and Brian announce the biggest celebration in PG.biz history — the 10-year anniversary of PocketGamer Connects hosted at PGC London in January.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - The must-attend event of the year

03:09 - Introducing Yaron

03:48 - Zynga's 2024 mentality

07:09 - Most innovative shift in puzzle games

11:43 - The secret to Zynga's success

14:46 - Zynga's acquisition approach

20:02 - The power of combining forces

25:37 - To license IP or not to license IP

27:56 - How to make a "forever franchise"

33:04 - Favourite games Q&A with Yaron

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Success starts with a great game, but profitable growth is fueled by ongoing engagement that treats players as individuals. And, although it’s not rocket science, the SuperScale report, Good Games Don’t Die, reveals this is where most studios miss the mark. Nearly 40% fail to deliver relevant and engaging content to their users. It’s also one reason 83% of games fail within three years of launch. How can gaming companies step up engagement to ensure their game (and audience) is thriving years down the road? Jim Laurain, Head of Growth at Aampe, a company that leverages AI to level up your communication stack, shares some smart approaches in this week’s show with our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. Jim reveals how 75% of top gaming apps fail to welcome new players and outlines how these same companies can significantly increase engagement in just one step. He also zeroes in on the stages where top games are getting their messaging and segmentation wrong. He wraps up with an experiment every game dev can run to gain a deeper understanding of their players and “massively increase their retention and activity” in the process. And this is one experiment you can do at home!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:51 - 75% of apps miss this crucial step

10:11 - How are 25% of apps getting messaging wrong?

14:01 - Popular trends in messaging flow

22:28 - Tailor messaging based on player motivation

24:58 - An experiment to reveal player types and relevant messaging

33:05 - Using CRM data to shape UA

37:42 - How does Aampe help devs with messaging?

40:46 - Favourite games Q&A with Jim

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

During the hypercasual reign, short-term metrics, like the seven-day LTV curve, were the golden standard for an app’s scalable potential. Now, looking further down the road and building an environment that encourages players to set down roots for 30, 60, or even 365+ days is how studios can come out on top and predict profitability. So, how can studios get to the bottom of what causes churn and retain players for years instead of days? John Wright, Vice President of Mobile Publishing at Kwalee — the UK publisher with 70+ published games and 1 billion+ mobile game downloads — has the answers in this week's episode. Alongside our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, John dives deep into prioritising player loyalty, creating memorable (and profitable) user experiences, and the strategy that increased Kwalee games’ LTV by 40x. “It’s a mindset shift from ‘How do we get users as cheaply as possible to how do we maximise our users moving forward.’”And we end on a high note, talking about Kwalee’s first-ever virtual event and how you can participate. 

Gamemasters Summit, powered by Kwalee - register here

Understanding Player Loyalty Is A Game-Changer For Mobile Publishers (Forbes)  - read here

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:00 - Upcoming PG.biz and Kwalee events

06:43 - Why hybrid casual?

11:02 - Is hypercasual dead?

12:14 - Is the worst of privacy changes behind us?

14:10 - A loyalty driven approach to growth

18:08 - How to get someone more invested in your game

20:54 - Becoming a multi-app experience

24:59 - Should your metrics change?

28:36 - Where does John see growth? 

33:13 - Favourite games Q&A with John

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

There’s no shortage of benefits that games bring to players, from increased creativity to developing interpersonal skills to greater self-confidence. Yet, gaming popularity grows, so do the silent risks posed to children online. Fortunately, there is an organisation leading the fight against child abuse and developing safe game design guidelines. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is the UK’s leading children’s charity, protecting and advocating for youth in the UK and Channel Islands for 139 years. Joining host Peggy Anne Salz on the show this week is NSPCC’s Head of New Product Development and Innovation, Andy Sallnow, and Gaming and Digital Disruption Consult, Kevin Antao. Andy and Kevin discuss how children experience games differently, channels that pose the greatest threat to young users, and the Safe Games Festival. From February 5-11, 2024, at a state-of-the-art eSports venue and featuring live streaming, safeguarding workshops, and a fierce eSports competition, this festival joins parents, youth professionals, young gamers, and industry leaders to celebrate games and “promote safer gaming through design, production, and education.”

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:25 - How has social gaming impacted children?

08:03 - Safe game design

14:06 - Research into harm in the metaverse

17:35 - Is privacy-first harmful for children?

20:26 - Game Safe Festival

24:08 - The Games Bundle

26:05 - How to get involved in preventing child abuse

29:10 - Impactful NSPCC partnerships and resources

34:26 - Favourite games Q&A with Andy and Kevin

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

In a time when investors are calling for prudence and playing it safe, one company has managed to not only persevere but prevail. Elena Grigorian, CEO of MY.GAMES, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to explain the key strategies and developments that delivered a 14-fold increase in MY.GAMES’ effective marketing investments, a 4-fold increase in the company’s business, and an opportunity to crack the Chinese market. What’s more, Elena discusses her journey and challenges to becoming one of the few female CEOs in gaming and MY.GAMES’ impressive efforts to empower women and embrace multiculturalism in gaming. From diversification to centralisation to how to ride the game industry's highs and lows, this episode has it all. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:55 - MY.GAMES centralisation of marketing

07:42 - Should studios convert to 100% remote?

09:20 - How MY.GAMES leverages diversification 

14:07 - Empowering women and cultivating diversity in games

18:48 - How to ride the games industry highs and lows

20:44 - The development is Elena most excited about

26:51 - Favourite games Q&A with Elena

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Good games offer great experiences, and accurate and timely issue resolution is imperative to keeping LTV high and your game in good graces with its users. And it’s not just a must to please your players. App store algorithms have begun to rank games based on performance metrics and can punish games that go on the fritz. But, as all devs know, pinpointing the source is complicated, especially since most resolution tools either lack the data to determine the real cause or the holistic view of the player journey to check if other factors, like low bandwidth during the commute, are the real culprit. Years of frustration trying to figure out the root cause of the problem during his years as a co-founder of Scopely motivated Eric Futoran to build Embrace. The mobile-only monitoring solution effectively removes the guesswork by providing a “play-by-play of each user experience,” so your team can spend less time pointing fingers and more time building a #1 game. Eric joins host Peggy Anne Salz in this week’s episode to explain how Embrace “collects [an app’s] exhaust” and walks us through the key features that empower engineers to find solutions and, more importantly, take their seat at the decision-making table. “My goal at Embrace is to [prevent] you from constantly thinking about crashes and ANRs,” Eric says. “And allow you to get back to building games and making your users happy.” 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:06 - When you're forced to release a game

07:29 - Eric's lessons from his time at Scopely

10:47 - Give engineering a seat at the table

14:18 - Performance metrics now affect your ranking

17:30 - The need for proactive tools

21:39 - How does Embrace empower engineers?

26:30 - Examples of Embrace's effectiveness

33:07 - Eric's vision powering Embrace

35:48 - Can UA teams use Embrace?

37:29 - Advice to mobile studios + devs

41: 05 - Favourite games Q&A with Eric

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

If your ASO strategy isn’t motivated by real-time data insights that dive deeper than traditional tools to provide hourly insights into hot keywords and trends, you’re missing a massive opportunity. This is top-of-the-list advice from Mike Rhodes, CEO and Founder of ConsultMyApp, an app marketing agency with awards from Top CRM Consulting Company UK to Most Effective Use of Data 2022. ConsultMyApp believes in democratising ASO knowledge and that quality data “shouldn’t only be available to people [able] to spend thousands of dollars a year.” That’s one of the reasons Mike developed tools like APPlyzer that studios of all sizes can use to up their game and even have some fun exploring new keyword universes. Mike takes centre stage on this week’s show to share how studios can combine acquisition and engagement to increase monthly organic install volumes 10-15x and reveals the four things studios need to start doing now to end Q4 with a bang. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:36 - Mike's journey

05:15 - How apps across verticals can all benefit from data

08:59 - What's the next big change in games?

11:07 - A tool to democratise data

14:46 - What APPlyzer tells you that other tools can't

20:32 - Uplift expectations for devs

21:29 - How to end Q4 with a bang

35:18 - Keeping high energy and staying on top

37:39 - Favourite games 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

The PG.biz Podcast team has known that games can be used for more than just entertainment. We’ve discussed charity and climate action use cases, but what about self-care, mental development, and skills improvement? Trail-blazing gaming company Skillprint enhances all three. Skillprint combines neuroscience and AI to create adaptive and personalised games that equip devs and players with actionable insights into player personality and behaviour. Skillprint’s CEO and Co-Founder, Chethan Ramachandran, joins Peggy Anne Salz to discuss how Skillprint transforms the way game developers “find, keep, and monetise their audience” and “gives the power of a massive LiveOps team to every game developer in the world.” 

You don’t want to miss out on this episode as Peggy and Chethan delve into the company’s latest report on the cognitive and psychological benefits of gaming and how devs can harness this data to understand their games and dramatically increase engagement and retention. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:15 - What is Skillprint?

04:30 - Chethan's personal journey

10:12 - Altering the playing field for devs

13:18 - How are Skillprint customers using the data?

15:51 - Will I become a couch potato?

18:41 - Games Can Be Good For The Mind Report

25:53 - Games as meditation

29:04 - What's next for Skillprint?

34:49 - Favourite games Q&A with Chethan

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

It’s already known that games can positively impact mental health, but did you know they can positively impact the planet, too? Lisa Pak, Sustainability Consultant and Project Manager at Playing for the Planet, joins host Peggy Anne Salz to describe how, with its superpower reach, the games industry can wield the power of play in the fight against the climate crisis. Lisa brings her passion for sustainability to Playing For The Planet, a global alliance supported by the United Nations Environment Programme that unites and supports game studios and trade bodies in reducing carbon emissions and implementing green activations in games. Through planet-powering programs, campaigns, and the annual Green Game Jam, Playing for the Planet members bring a new meaning to gaming for good — and so can you!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:44 - What is Playing for the Planet?

05:38 - Lisa's journey to Playing for the Planet

08:45- Green Game Jam

11:45 - Saving the Harlequin toads with games

14:27 - How to get involved in the Green Game Jam

17:31 - Integrating sustainability into game ads

20:27 - How to start being green at your game company

25:02 - Farming with friends

28:45 - Favourite games Q&A with Lisa

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Few franchises can stand toe to toe with the IP power of Jurrasic Park. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the renowned first film and the 5th anniversary of Jurrasic World Live, a game with seismic numbers behind it. The geolocation game has racked up 33 million downloads and 2.3 billion play minutes, prevailing through the pandemic and fast-moving game market, proving studios can stand the test of time if they play their cards right. Here with the PG.biz team is Rose Agozzino, marketing wizard and Senior Product Marketing Manager at Jam City, to talk about the partnerships that make the Jurrasic player experience what it is today. Detailing LiveOps strategy and nostalgia-driven digital collectables, Rose reveals the strategy that keeps players coming back and inspires players across generations to dive into the daring world of Jurrasic Park.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:26 - Celebrating five years of Juarrasic World Live 

04:53 - Mutually valuable partnerships

08:02 - This is the era of nostalgia

11:18 - Jurassic's "stickiest" event

13:43 - How to forge valuable partnerships

19:09 - It's all about open communication

23:13 - What's next for Jurassic LiveOps?

25:08 - Favourite game Q&A with Rose

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Removing friction, taking control of user data, and enhancing customer engagement throughout the funnel are necessary steps to increase game margins and retain valuable players. However, the app store duopoly can put a block in the road, restricting access to players in growing markets, charging high transaction fees, and limiting commerce capabilities. This week’s guest, Xsolla, clears those obstacles. Xsolla is a game commerce platform that helps devs distribute their games directly to players, bypassing the oversaturated app stores and putting the power back in the hands of creators. Chris Hewish, President and Interim CEO of Xsolla, takes centre stage in this episode to tell devs about the company’s innovative solutions that maximise player LTV, give companies increased control of their data, and provide fully customisable, alternative monetisation tools that don’t interrupt gameplay and can increase revenue per paying user by 8X. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

0:10 - Intro

02:45 - What does Xsolla do?

05:39 - A new era of game distribution

09:06 - Is it more cost-effective to ditch the app stores? 

14:40 - The Digital Markets Act

16:46 - Giving developers more control over what they create

21:23 - How does a web shop increase your revenue?

26:15 - A headless checkout

28:20 - Accelerate XR and Xsolla Mall

33:34 - Favourite games Q&A with Chris

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

The best and brightest gaming professionals gathered in Helsinki this September to share their thoughts, tips, and predictions about the latest gaming trends and what teams need to know to make their mark in the marketplace. Listen in as Steel Media CEO Chris James and COO Dave Bradley recap the candid conversations that took place in Finland’s capital city last month. From IP as a brand and revenue tool to the abundant opportunities for expansion in the Middle East to alternative monetisation methods that give smaller studios a spot in the market, our PG.biz team provides the in-depth industry information you need to succeed. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro to Helsinki

03:58 - Indie competitions and audience choice champions

06:00 - The defining parts of Helsinki 2023

09:40 - Is mobile gaming struggling?

12:23 - Alternative monetisation and advertising methods

14:05 - Attracting audiences with PC and cross-platform play

17:00 - Wielding IP as a brand and revenue tool

20:14 - Opportunity in the Middle East

24:41 - Updates on Scottish Games Week 

26:30 - Upcoming 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 

Automated forecasting isn’t just about saving time and money. It’s about finding a gap in the market and going after it. With all the facts on the table, teams can decide early whether to keep, kill, or crank up the effort on a game. Ramp’s automated forecasting tool provided SpaceApe Games with the data to do just that. Angus Lovitt, Ramp CEO and Hong Nguyen, SpaceApe Games CFO, are back for part two of our series on the value-adds of Ramp’s revamped forecasting. This week, the two tell host Peggy Anne Salz how Ramp’s approach helped SpaceApe make the data-driven decision to increase their investments into Chrome Valley Customs and crack the top ten in puzzle games on the App Store. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - How an automated forecasting tool can empower team members

05:28 - Real-time forecasting changes the game

08:04 - True data-driven decision making

10:56- Good forecasting is more than just data

13:23 - The future of forecasting

17:02 - Q&A with Hong and Angus

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Good forecasting is necessary to predict performance or make tough decisions about your game. But it's not just about the numbers. Winning demands a single source of truth, insights into real-time data and a departure from the timework tools and approaches that have allowed team members to pass the blame, not the benchmarks. Fortunately, this week's guests are uprooting traditional forecasting practices for a more democratized, innovative and granular cohorts-based approach. "Fundamentally, [forecasting] is a process of alignment," says Angus Lovitt, Co-Founder of Ramp, a startup that integrates data across departments to provide studios with unified and accurate forecasts. In this first episode of a special two-part series, Angus and Hong Nguyen, CFO at SpaceApe Games, teach the entire team —from devs to marketers to finance —how to make better decisions informed by data.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:03 - Where is everyone going wrong with forecasting?

04:38 - Why is forecasting innovation important now in the gaming industry? 

09:01 - Bad forecasting is more than a bad formula

13:40 - How Angus disrupted the gaming industry for three years

16:52 - How does RAMP reenvision forecasting?

21:40 - The benefit of a single source of truth

25:46 - What does automation bring to forecasting?

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** Let's Connect **

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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

Though there’s no algebraic algorithm that churns out games with guaranteed success, there are consistencies between top-ranking mobile games. The Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 from data.ai spotlights these similarities and delves into the data behind the success stories. Lexi Sydow, Director of Corporate Marketing & Insights at data.ai, joins our hosts again this week to highlight the heavy hitters in mobile gaming and simplify the strategies that shot them to the top. Alongside Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, she breaks down data.ai’s composite metric, the mobile performance score (MPS), and describes the “new gamer” that defies demographic stereotypes and will redefine the mobile industry.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Peggy's garden intro

01:24 - Four components of the mobile performance score

05:38 - Making waves with Monopoly GO

09:37 - FIFA Soccer fights its way to the top

13:12 - Royal Match ranks highly 

16:16 - What do successful games have in common?

20:38 - Who is the "new gamer" to watch out for?

25:36 - Q&A with Lexi

Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 - https://www.data.ai/en/go/gaming-report-idc-2023/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

Mobile remains the primary growth driver for digital games consumption despite a “softening in direct consumer gaming consumer spend.” But diversification rules as the strategy that will allow devs to generate revenues by ensuring their games are on all platforms and their monetization uses all formats and approaches -- especially rewarded video. This advice, and the stats to back it up, comes through loud and clear in the latest Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 from data.ai. In this special 2-part series, our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, dive deep into the key findings with Lexi Sydow, Director of Corporate Marketing & Insights at data.ai. They discuss how shifting player tastes pave the way for emerging genres and why contextual market data is a must to overcome ad fatigue in an oversaturated market. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 02:56 An adjective to describe the current mobile market and latest report 05:29 The Gaming Spotlight report 09:37 Publishers, watch out for these subgenres 14:09 What does the data say about cross-platform gaming? 17:39 Are in-game ads coming to an end? 22:07 Contextual data to get your ad seen 26:09 Vote for PocketGamer in the British Podcast Awards Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 - https://www.data.ai/en/go/gaming-report-idc-2023/
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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

Diving into different game genres is no simple feat, especially as innovations in games call for new approaches to net valuable players from the get-go. The trick to coming out on top? Diversify your UA efforts as you diversify your portfolio, says this week’s guest. Ryan Davies, Head of Digital Marketing at Kwalee and recent 30 Under 30 performance marketer, joins us on this episode’s podcast. An expert in creating campaigns that crush it on all platforms, he chats with our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow about pathways to profitable growth in hypercasual, hybrid, and casual games. He also discusses genre commonalities that transcend platforms and shares life lessons to help you lead teams, rely on your intuition and embrace risk.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:15 - Key skills to be a great UA manager

06:50 - Maintaining growth across different genres

08:45 - Is this the end of hypercasual games?

10:42 - Marketing tactics to match the metamorphosis of hypercasual games

13:43 - Navigating UA challenges on console and browser

19:20 - Ryan’s biggest lesson from six years in UA

22:45 - Balancing the qualitative and the quantitative and embracing risk

27:13 - Incentivising AI ideas

28:20 - Q&A with Ryan

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

PG Connects Toronto is done and dusted, and the PG.biz team is here for the recap. Dave Bradley, Steel Media COO, joins the show again this week to break down the high points of the event. Alongside Peggy and Brian, Dave details topics like getting more mileage out of your game and player retention. What’s more, he gives a view into upcoming PGC events and teases new locations.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:16 - PG.biz Save The Dates

06:50 - Some PGC Toronto attendees

10:21 - Gaming tech beyond gaming

13:40 - A chance to win an audience choice award

19:42 - Recapping PGC Dubai

22:00 - New locations for PG Connects

24:30 - Reflecting on the growth of the games industry

28:18 - Wrapping up the international tour with Scottish Games Week

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

To build a great gaming ecosystem, “Think global, act local,” says Anton Gorodetsky. Anton is the Head of Industry Relations at the leading European publisher and developer, MY.GAMES. He joins the podcast this week to explain how to build a comprehensive ecosystem dedicated to loyalty, branding, and retaining players that generates revenue years into a game’s lifecycle. He brings us behind the scenes of cultivating relationships that matter and one influencer partnership that raked in a 20% DAU increase and 6 million MAUs.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro & MY.GAMES’ expansion

05:17 - Communication is key 

09:27 - A collaboration that paid dividends

13:01 - Building a cohesive ecosystem

21:16 - New audiences, not new games

25:23 - InvestGame--your guide to gaming deals

27:46 - Q&A with Anton

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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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

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 **

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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 **

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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

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** Let's Connect **

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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 **

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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 **

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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 **

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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 **

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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 

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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 

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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?

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** Let's Connect **

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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

“Targeting is becoming more and more of a problem,” says Piyush Mishra, Head of Growth Marketing At Product Madness, a top-grossing leader in social casino mobile games. The host of his podcast, In The Sandbox with Adam Smart, explains how consumer preference for privacy-centric practices pressures marketers to rethink targeting and embrace contextual clues. Alongside our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Piyush reveals the techniques UA managers can rely on to understand their attribution data and build user data amidst these ongoing changes. Piyush also shares where marketers are failing when it comes to creatives and speculates on the future of UA with AI.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introducing Piyush and his journey into data

05:00 - Major changes for growth marketers and updates to the Privacy Sandbox

09:55 - The two types of UA managers

12:47 - How companies are responding to targeting changes

17:29 - How does creative build user trust?

20:26 - Tips and shortcuts for early-stage developers

24:40 - What is UA without AI?

30:07 - Piyush's current and all-time favourite games and what's next for his podcast

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

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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

According to Kooapps Co-Founder and CEO Chun-Kai (CK) Wang, ad monetisation needs to shift toward a more unified approach. Games need to monetise off ads and in-app purchases. Luckily, maximising the ad side of game revenue is easier than ever with in-app bidding. In this episode of The Groove at 5 O’Clock, Peggy Anne Salz discusses this advanced advertising method with CK and Shobeir Shobeiri, Senior Director of Business Development at Mintegral, an AI-driven global mobile advertising platform. Shobeir reveals how switching from waterfall to in-app bidding lifted ARPDAU by 80% in some regions, while CK breaks down the key components to a killer playable ad. The trio also discuss balancing data and creatives to scale campaigns and what CK thinks is the next big opportunity in mobile gaming.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - How Shobeir and CK get into The Groove

03:34 - How Kooapps approaches unified monetisation 

09:07 - Live ops that involve the community

11:35 - The key components to a killer playable

16:20 - How in-app bidding brought a 40% ARPDAU uplift

18:29 - Finding a creatives campaign that works and the benefits of an opposite approach

24:06 - The best network for testing creatives

27:22 - It's data, data, data

29:26 - Kooapps is going global, and how to find the best region for your campaign

31:34 - The next big thing in mobile gaming

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 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

Global game developer Outfit7 is reaching new audiences and taking control of its data with its unique approach to A/B testing. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz meets with Nina Oblak, Outfit7 ASO Team Lead, to discuss how the company uses split testing beyond creatives and content to inform choices at every stage of the game cycle. Owning its data is a big part of Outfit7’s success. With the help of Kayzen, the world’s first mobile in-house bidder™, Outfit7 has total control of its programmatic campaigns. Ryan Goeden, Business Development Lead at Kayzen, joins Peggy and Nina and reveals how Outfit7 and Kayzen partner to reach new users in different genres and the hidden data signals marketers can use to improve their campaigns.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Hello to Nina and Ryan

02:58 - Testing a fake app store for AB Testing

07:41 - The skill gap that is separating advertisers

10:21 - Outfit7's split testing routine and how to test on a budget

15:20 - Testing new genres without fully taking the plunge

21:30 - Tricks to getting the most out of your AB testing

25:50 - Using testing for more than just distribution 

28:40 - Q&A for Nina and Ryan

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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 hit game doesn’t wait for user feedback until after publishing; a hit game integrates it during development. AppQuantum, a mobile free-to-play game publisher, collects that feedback. Whether through creatives testing, monetisation strategy, or by measuring session time, AppQuantum delivers user input at every stage of a game’s life cycle. In this episode, our cohosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, sit down with AppQuantum’s Victoria Beliaeva (Head of Bus. Dev. and PR) and Alexey Gavrilov (Marketing Producer) to discuss how the international publisher uses a structural approach to boost games from every genre—from hyper-casual runner games to large-scale live-ops or RPG games. Victoria and Alexey reveal how AppQuantum increased one game’s monthly revenue from thousands to millions and why integrating marketing early in development is the best decision you can make for your game.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Welcome Victoria and Alexey

02:39 - Fail small, fail fast, fail cheap

07:36 - How to tell if a game will be a hit

09:35 - What is the next big game feature?

13:24 - Test from the beginning

15:02 - Taking a game from thousands in revenue to millions

18:50 - The casual mobile game market in 2023

22:25 - Victoria and Alex's current and all-time favourite games

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

The PGC team is back from GDC 2023! In this episode, our cohosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, regroup with Steel Media CEO Chris James and COO Dave Bradley to recap the latest and greatest in the world of gaming. The four discuss a new blockchain ecosystem, how AI is empowering storytellers and reshaping NPC interactions, and if the F2P era is coming to an end. Chris and Dave also share what to expect from PGC Seattle 2023 and reveal a new, unexpected PGC event location.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - GDC is back!

02:07 - Is the free-to-play era on its last legs?

06:16 - Blockchain games after the hype-curve

08:53 - AI to enhance storytelling

10:55 - VR made a splash at GDC 2023

14:07 - What to expect from PGC Seattle

16:47 - PGC and game events for the rest of 2023

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Construct 3 is revolutionizing games creation and helping grow a new generation of content creators. Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, talk about the 2-D, block-based game engine with Construct co-founders Ashley and Tom Gullen. With Construct 3, anyone can build a game. The beginner-friendly design showcases game-making as an art form and an educational tool. The tool has an impressive roster of customers and fans. NASA and Microsoft use it for prototyping, universities to teach programming, and even the Royal Navy relies on it to simulate submarine driving. Ashley and Tom explain the benefits of using a fully web-based engine and how Construct 3 helps indie developers ramp up their publishing revenue.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

There's a hidden universe inside every narrative game just waiting to be discovered. The technology at Charisma has the power to unlock it. Charisma, a plug-ʼnʼ-play platform for creating interactive stories with believable virtual characters, redefines how we play games. In this episode, our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, talk with Charisma Co-founder and CEO Guy Gadney about how Charisma harnesses the power of AI to increase game complexity and allow players to interact with every character. Characters enhanced by Charisma aren't limited to a prewritten dialogue. They can remember your name and your answers to questions and quote you later in gameplay. NPCs come to life in a way that Guy says would be impossible to write without AI technology. You might need a bag of peas for your head after this episode as Peggy, Brian, and Guy get philosophical and ask the world: what role should AI play in games, and what does good AI x human collaboration look like?

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Hello to Guy Gadney

02:02 - The lampposts at SXSW

05:13 - Using AI to create limitless narrative options

07:27 - Creating an immersive theater in a game

10:05 - Predicting the future of game characters

14:12 - "AI is not gonna take your job, but the people who know how to use AI will"

17:49 - Let's start vertical binging

20:13 - What does good collaboration with AI look like?

26:02 - Bringing your dreams to life...literally

30:57 - Where could AI have been used to improve a narrative game? 

33:24 - Where will Charisma be in a year from now?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

How can publishers boost retention and user acquisition efforts and bring stability to their game all in one step? Teis Anker Mikkelsen says you can have it all by joining Multiscription and offering Unleashd, a cross-publisher subscription service for free-to-play games, to your players. In this on-location chat with our co-host Peggy Anne Salz, Teis explains how his company leverages the “strength in numbers” approach. The Multiscription co-founder and CEO works with publishers across genres, bundling their games into one package under one fee. In addition, Teis says that unifying under one service allows players to explore games they typically wouldn’t download and quickly revisit ones they’ve left, amplifying UA and simplifying retargeting campaigns. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Why use a subscription service for mobile gaming?

02:27 - Easy revenue and easier retargeting with Multiscription

04:27 - How to hook a subscriber and benefits to publishers

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

According to Ray Gregory (Founder/CEO) and Noah Rosenfield (CMO) of One Ton, the more solutions in a game, the better. Peggy Anne Salz journeyed to the cowboy-hat-clad pair at PGC London 2023 to learn how they are lassoing in a new era of puzzle games. In One Ton's beta game, Addagrams, players are encouraged to make different anagrams than their fellow users—a 180 from traditional word puzzles with only one solution. Ray explains, "[You can play] different words yet [have] the same score. So it's all what you see and how that reflects on your personality." There is no wrong answer at One Ton Games when you build community and personality directly into a game.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - The "One-Ton Man" and personalized Addagrams

02:29 - Entertaining without being competitive

03:40 - Beta testing around the world

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

What if you could predict what players need, personalize pricing and generate more revenue in the process? This is the sweet spot where Assetario is staking its turf, and enabling publishers to predict LTV with high certainty. Peggy Anne Salz meets with Assetario’s CEO, Matej Novak, to learn more about the B2B machine learning engineer that partners with gaming leaders like Century Games to raise their LTV by 30%. Matej reveals how Assetario utilizes first-party, cost, and anonymized metadata to deliver never-seen-before, customizable campaign and revenue predictions.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Assetario: the B2B ChatGPT 

02:15 - Machine learning for live ops, global spending, and UA

05:26 - Personalized pricing

07:07- Combining data in ways human marketers struggle to

10:50 - A customizable AI service

13:28 - Branching into subscription apps

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Want to improve your user experience, develop relationships with major brands, and significantly increase your ARPDAU? Odeeo has got you covered. Peggy Anne Salz chatted with Odeeo Co-Founder and CEO Amit Monheit at PGC London 2023 about how the company's audio ads delivered 5-15% incremental ARPDAU uplifts to studios Superfine (previously Gamejam Co) and TapNation. Amit says in-game audio advertising is ideal for mobile gaming, allowing players more control over their ad experience while increasing brand awareness. He thinks this ad category will be "huge within the next three or four years," so get on board now!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Jingles for games?

03:52 - Increased ARPAU and brands' dedication to games

06:32 - Working with B2C and D2C brands in mobile games

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

Someone get Ezra Regev and Isacc Goldenberg a crystal ball because they are on fire predicting the marketing future. The co-founders of PlayBatch chat with Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to explain how their hybrid-casual games studio foresaw Apple’s privacy changes and built their game and company structure accordingly. PlayBatch’s latest game, University of Magic, combines a larger merge game with several smaller hyper-casual games—each with a custom product page. The pair share how this setup optimises attribution and merges F2P and P2E for an improved player experience. Ezra and Isacc encourage developers to build with privacy policies in mind instead of responding to them after publishing. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Anticipating marketing changes with games within a game

03:32 - Work with the new data structure instead of going around it

06:15 - Marketing and product teams as one

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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

With probabilistic matching coming to a close soon, marketers must start testing ad campaigns focusing on contextual signals and first-party data. Our co-host, Peggy Anne Salz, reunites with Philip Gontier, Chief Revenue Officer at Smadex and the “Godfather” of mobile advertising, in this episode to learn how the DSP is leading the charge in privacy-centric advertising and landing 500 million daily impressions for their clients. Peggy and Philip also discuss the metric benefits of CTV and how Smadex is already planning optimization campaigns for SKAdNetwork 4.0. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Smadex testing in SKAN 4.0

03:38 - Looking outside the DSP box with CTV

05:54 - What game publishers are missing

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** 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 host Peggy Anne Salz brings us another on-the-ground interview this episode as she chats with Playstack’s CMO, Harriet Hughes. The two get honest about the decision to work with a publisher and how developers can find the right one. Harriet says that a publisher’s job is not to take over the game but to make the community as excited for release day as the developers are. She shares how Playstack helped a two-brother studio and a single developer grow their creations into critically acclaimed games with hundreds of players and why free casual games might fade away.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - What does a successful developer-publisher relationship look like?

03:33 - Good publishing=good community-driven marketing

05:44 - Let developers develop!

08:21 - Is subscription gaming on the rise?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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

Creative is king, and Luis Leon is here to tell you how to deliver killer content on a budget. Peggy Anne Salz is on the ground in this episode with Luis, Head of Creative Business Development at Creadits, a production platform for performance marketers. Luis says Creadits is a "creative partner, not a creative agency." The company strategizes with studios, advising them on what is working now in gaming ads. Luis also shares a hack on how to do more with less while A/B testing.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - A creative partner, not a creative agency

01:08 - Doing more with less

02:55 - Creadit's best creative and the company's future with UGC

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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

2023 is the year to perfect your live ops, and Leanplum is here to help. This mobile marketing platform simplifies multichannel campaigns to increase customer engagement and surpass revenue goals. Peggy Anne Salz linked up with Yeshas Nakshathri, Head of Partnerships at Leanplum, to discover how the platform helps renowned companies like Big Fish Games and MobilityWare exceed their expected revenue by 300% for a single live op event. Yeshas also shares how to integrate hyper-personalization and data feedback to reduce churn and bring back past users.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00- Leanplum reinventing live-ops

02:59 - Hyperpersonalization the right way

05:35 - What can the data tell you?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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 

We're going back to basics in this episode. This week we chatted with Thomas Jonasson, Head of Publishing at Gold Town Games, about how his small Sweedish studio perfects quality game design and development. Throughout the episode, Jonasson shares a psychology trick that helped boost the company’s live ops, resulting in a 20-70% game revenue lift; what developers can learn from e-commerce; and how to look deeper into trends to truly understand your customers' desires and what your studio can add to the conversation.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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

Despite a market valuation of nearly two billion dollars worldwide, many people still view gaming as a pastime with little social or cultural value. Tiltify is here to change that belief. In this episode, we meet Tom Downie, UK Charity Manager of Tiltify, a livestream and digital fundraising platform, who says the games industry is actually a community-centric space bursting with people who do good. Tom explains that studios who have fundraised in the past are discouraged from hosting events often because of obstacles like navigating taxation and physically delivering the money to charities. With Tiltify, fundraising becomes a part of gameplay and sends cash to verified organizations in real-time. For example, developers can offer exclusive DLC whose profits go immediately to the charity of choice, giving them a chance to connect with their community and the greater corporate responsibility. With Tiltify, Tom says, “Suddenly, they’re not “gamers” or people addicted to their screens any more. They’re philanthropists, and they’re amazingly generous people in our community who get together to support something that we all care about.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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 host Peggy Anne Salz is on the ground at PGC London 2023 again this episode, where she chats with two experts in live ops and trend analysis. First, we meet Alex Haley, Principal Games Operations Manager at Product Madness, one of the largest mobile game studios in the world. Alex shares a live ops crash course and the strategy that helped Product Madness host over 600 in-app events last year. Afterward, we ask Patty Toledo, the genius behind every Pocket Gamer event, for her advice on how to get in touch with trends and curate epic events. According to Patty, you have to go where the players are, and the most important people to talk to might not be the CEOs and VPs. Tune in to this episode to hear it all and peek into Peggy's dungeon.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00- Entering Peggy's dungeon...duh duh duh

01:42 - The foundations of a killer live op event

04:51 - Don't worry about creating a perfect campaign; just start one!

07:05 - You might not need that Christmas campaign

09:21 - Optimize your onboarding strategy

13:09 - The tools and structure to create a successful live ops team

17:23 -Pocket Gamer's rennaissance woman, Patty Toledo

20:16 - How Patty tracks and predicts trends

26:09 - Balance international trends and local interests

30:10 - Get in touch with the Pocket Gamer Podcast

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** 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

Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023 was Steel Media’s biggest event yet, with over 2600 attendees and 1200 companies attending the leading mobile gaming industry conference. Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, recap “wow” moments from the show with the “PG Tribe” of Chris James (Steel Media CEO), Dave Bradley (COO), and Daniel Griffiths (PG.Biz Editor). This game-loving group also weighs in on hot topics and how AI can help indies take on major studios and win.

Peggy also welcomes a surprise (and furry) co-host and chats with Daniel Helmhold, VP of Marketing and Head of Growth at Big Fish Games, an industry leader in casual mobile gaming. Daniel is a big believer that branding starts on Day One and shares what you can do now to avoid expensive changes later. He also reveals the equation you can use to measure brand value and impact on LTV.

In a fast-paced and wide-ranging discussion, co-hosts Brian Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz speak to the companies which are helping developers offer a flawless user experience from start to finish, with a focus on keeping players happy (and playing the game).

Brian is joined by Eric Vermillion, the CEO of Helpshift, Peter Gerson, a Senior Manager with Keyword Studios, KatanaAI’s Technology and Sales Director Dominick Kelly and Oz Syed, a Game Development Evangelist from Backtrace.

This crack team explores how to do more with less, exploring the ways in which technology and automation can bring speed and efficiency to areas such as player support, localisation, quality assurance (QA) and more.

As the role of artificial intelligence in game development and publishing becomes an ever more contentious topic, we dive into the reality of AI and machine learning in the player journey, looking for examples, case studies and best practice to help every studio without breaking the bank.

** 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

Want a winning formula to pick your winning ad creative and streamline your A/B testing? In this episode of the PocketGamer Podcast, our hosts Brian Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz chat with Trailmix’s Senior UA Manager Philippa Layburn on how she is changing the ads playbook with constant creatives analysis. Part of her secret: think outside the box and measure success using a metric blend that makes sense for their game. This episode isn’t one you want to miss as Philippa details hook rates (her new metric, by the way) and how she hacked Google Ads using UGC.

00:00 - The PGB Podcast Mini Class

03:51 - Introducing Phillipa

06:11 - Your narrative should go beyond written words

07:29 - Influencing ad spends with good creative

11:36 - Hook rate: the key to understanding why your ad works

16:20 - Phillipa “called out” her gameplayers…and it worked

18:11 - Cultivate a team mindset of iterating to reduce CPI

23:55 - Your ads need to include real gameplay

25:14 - Don’t be afraid to break the playbook

28:23 - Peggy and Brian’s wrap-up

** 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 

Building and maintaining a great game doesn't require a big budget. Take it from Larry Hsieh, Principal Product Manager at MobilityWare. In this episode, Larry joins our partners in crime, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, to share his tips and tricks on engaging and retaining users through customized events and live ops. By capitalizing on Santa, building scalable tools, and designing a flexible system with multiple variables, anyone can create a game on par with those from the top 50 developers.

00:00 - A new pair on the PG Biz Podcast

04:39 - Introducing Larry Hsieh: Lover of Live Ops

09:03 - Solitaire meets Monopoly in a strategic partnership for ultimate gameplay

12:33 - Attracting and retaining users with push notifications, segmentation, and flexible targeting

18:39 - Santa's "Naughty or Nice" list as a case study in event customization

23:07 - Personalizing customer touch points and in-app messaging with Leanplum

25:03 - Reduce, reuse, reimagine: a mantra for indie studio success

27:32 - "Use your engineers to build scalable tools"

29:59 - What's in store for the PG Biz Podcast in 2023?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  

** 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

The global games market is becoming ever more competitive, with increasing numbers of developers, publishers, and games all vying for attention.

In such challenging market conditions, how can game creators make sure that their hard work and creativity is supported by a robust launch strategy? To answer this question and more, the PocketGamer.biz team spoke with Jen Lui, Senior Product Manager at Google, who leads Google’s advertising solutions for games.

“What’s the saying - you only get one chance to make a first impression?” Lui said. “The same can be said for mobile game launches, particularly today. With mobile phones, everyone’s a gamer, pretty much anyone can play any game anywhere, and switching costs are pretty low - if you don’t like one game, you can move onto the next one just like that.

“Because you only get that one chance, it’s critical to have a strong launch strategy to set up your game for success and get a headstart towards driving installs and revenue within the first week or month after game launch.”

Google is on the case, with a whole range of solutions for studios - at every stage of development, to maximise the return on their investment and ensure their game has the best chance to make that vital first impression.

Tune in now to learn how your next game could benefit.

The PocketGamer.biz podcast is back with a bang - with a whole new team on board for the journey! We welcome on board two of the new PG.biz editorial team, in the shape of Iwan and Lewis, who join Brian to talk about their experience so far in the world of mobile games. As former console and PC gamers, how are the team finding the world of hybrid monetisation, alternative app stores and hypercasual hits?

Brian then speaks with Nick Button-Brown. Investor, advisor, board member, executive - Nick has been part of the mobile games world from the outset, working with studios, publishers and organisations across the games ecosystem.

From tools and technology to emerging trends, Brian and Nick drill down into the challenges and opportunities facing game creators, publishers - and players - as the sector continues to evolve. As the global games market breaks the $200 billion mark in 2022, where do we go from here? Tune in and find out…

Follow Nick Button-Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbuttonbrown/

And Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickbuttonbrown

The Games Angels website: https://thegamesangels.com/

Remember to subscribe to the PocketGamer.biz newsletter for daily summarises of the latest mobile gaming news.

Welcome back, podcast pals. Our deep dive into development continues in this episode as we talk to the entirely excellent Riley Andersen, the CEO of Umami Games.

Umami is an indie development studio in Copenhagen in Denmark, which has established an enviable reputation in the hypercasual market. The creator of hits such as ABC Runner, Umami describes itself as a ‘metrics-driven’ studio which values innovation and fun. Find out more at its LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

Our host Brian (managing editor of PocketGamer.biz) speaks to Riley about the studio’s formation and the challenges of working in such a challenging environment as hypercasual. The interview takes in Riley’s passion for games, the studio’s ambition in other genres and the realities of a studio operating at the cutting edge of mobile games.

Riley has spoken several times at our Pocket Gamer Connects conferences too. If you’ve been lucky enough to hear her, you’ll know she encapsulates a genuine love for making games, with deep insight into the market. 

In 2022, in hypercasual, is it enough to "make what you love" and hope for the best?

Listen, learn, love!

Umami Games - Online / LinkedIn / Twitter

What makes everlasting hypercasual experiences - PG.biz

The common missteps of an indie hypercasual studio - PG.biz

In this episode of the PG.biz podcast, we explore the reality of building and running a mobile games studio with the wholly awesome Jackie Jin. Jackie is the founder and CEO of Squid Games, a casual games studio based in the Bay area.

From design and development to monetisation and recruitment, Jackie and Brian discuss the challenges and opportunities for the studio and developers worldwide.

In a market which is evolving and changing so rapidly, how can a small games studio compete? Does company culture play a role? In 2022 can a developer afford to focus on design and development, or does every studio need to engage with monetisation, lifetime value and user acquisition?

Back in the first episode of season two, we went big, speaking to Greg Hartrell, the head of Android and Google Play at Google, which claims over three billion players around the world. In this episode, we’re focusing on the journey of a new games studio, working on its first title and exploring the challenges and opportunities facing game creators working on their first title. Enjoy.

Welcome to season two of the PocketGamer.biz podcast, your porthole into the ever-growing world of mobile games.

Things move pretty quickly in mobile. From the explosive growth of hypercasual to the deep monetisation of more traditional role-playing games, the sheer scale of the market means there's something out there for everyone, whether they're using a $20 Android or a $1,000 iPhone. 

And today we're back with a new podcast season! This time around we'll be bringing you even more insight and updates from the people and organisations across the whole mobile ecosystem. From the pioneers and founders to the creators and makers, we'll be talking to the folk who are redefining fun, games and everything beyond. This is the place where you can listen to - and learn from - people who are engaged in making the mobile scene so incredibly exciting.

In this episode, we start at the very top. We speak to Greg Hartrell, the product director of Android and Google Play. As the person responsible for making games available to over three billion gamers around the world, Greg has a lot to say about the state of the mobile market. From what drives players, through to the opportunities for ever more cross-platform gaming, it's incredible insight from the company which is opening up gaming to the next billion gamers in the world. 

Plus, the PocketGamer.biz editorial team discuss the state of mobile gaming in 2022 and ask if we're anywhere near 'peak gaming'.

We're glad to be back. We look forward to exploring more fascinating and fun areas of mobile gaming and hope you can join us for the journey. 

Listen in. 

Hello world! Welcome to episode six of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, your regular round-up of the world of mobile gaming.

In this episode, we have a world exclusive chat with the ‘supergroup’ studio Original Games. Founded by veterans and executives from Machine Zone and Rovio, the developer has just raised a significant amount of money and plans to take their merge game mechanic into the big time. Listen in to find out more and hear from co-founders Ville Heijariand and Arseny Lebedev. (11m:45s)

The team also dive into the recent news, with a focus on funding and finance. According to Drake Star partners, the amount of investment in 2021 to date is already double that from the whole of 2020, with 844 individual deals identified, with a total value exceeding $71 billion. The PG team explores where this is taking us… (01m:37s)

Useful links:

• https://originalgames.io/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/asia/news/77206/mobile-premier-league-raises-150-million/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/77342/homa-games-raises-50-million/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/77333/mygames-venture-capital-invests-tworogue-wideview/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/asia/news/77337/nazara-raises-42-million-to-fund-growth-initiatives-and-acquisitions/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/77335/bitkraft-ventures-75-million-fund-blockchain-gaming/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/77308/original-games-6-million-seed-funding/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/77328/zynga-closes-starlark-acquisition/
• https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/77327/applovin-buys-mopub-from-twitter-1-billion/

We also run down the forthcoming events, conferences, pitches, parties and rap battles coming from the team at Steel Media. (36m:27s)

With thanks again to Ville, Arseny and the Original Games team. Do check out Merge Inn on your devices of choice.

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast. If you are, please let us know. You can drop us an email directly to: [email protected] or leave a comment on Twitter where we are @PGBiz. 

If you can leave a comment and a review for the podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to, we would truly appreciate it. It’s a fast, simple way to help us get the word out to a wider audience and helps us make the podcast better, faster, shiner and ever more fabulous.

Thanks again for listening.

Welcome to episode five of the PocketGamer.biz podcast. This is our regular roundup of the global mobile games market, and deep dive into the issues that matter to you, whatever your role and wherever you are.

In this episode we’re talking about the current key trends in the games market. Apple, Epic, China. Lawsuits, launches and limitations. Is the app store opening up? Are restrictions on gaming in China going to profoundly impact the country’s developers and publishers. And what about esports? The PocketGamer team ponders. We also welcome a new sister site to the PG.biz family, with the launch of Beyond Games. What does the future hold? You can find out here.

(02m:30s)

Our special guest interview for this episode is the amazing Imran Khan, the sales lead for Facebook Audience Network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We’re talking about monetisation. Where it is, where we’re going and how game developers and publishers are going to be able to take advantage of the change and evolution occurring across the industry. Whether you’re an independent developer, a growing studio, or an experienced publisher, trust us, you are not going to want to hear more about the changes and trends that are changing the way your games make money.

From waterfall bidding to cloud gaming, hybrid monetisation and more, we dive into Facebook Audience Network’s new Future of Monetisation Report: http://fb.me/AMIO

(13m:30s)

We also run down the biggest events heading your way from Steel Media, from our flagship PocketGamer Connects Digital #8 (September 27th - October 1st) and our next Big Indie Pitch for PC & console developers (September 28th), we have brought together the brightest, best and most brilliant speakers, panellists from around the world. We combine that with all of the opportunities to meet, network and do business with the people important to you and your company.

Show Notes

• Apple, Epic Lawsuit judgement - the saga continues
• China imposes new restrictions Chinese youth respond
• Mobile Mavens Respond
• BeyondGames.biz launches
• Facebook Audience Network AMIO Report
• PocketGamer Connects Digital #8
• The Big Indie Pitch (PC & Console Edition)

We love recording the podcast and we hope you’re enjoying it too. If you are, please let us know. You can drop us an email directly to: [email protected] or leave a comment on Twitter where we are @PGBiz.

If you can leave a comment and a review for the podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to, we would truly appreciate it. It’s a fast, simple way to help us get the word out to a wider audience and ensure we’re bringing you the very best the global mobile market has to offer.

Thanks again for listening.

Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Yes on episode four of the world’s favourite PocketGamer.biz podcast - and that’s official - we’re looking at the future of mobile games.

In this show we’re talking about the current key trends in the games market. More mergers, more acquisitions, more money. New studios and new games hitting that incredible billion mark. Whether it’s in dollars, or downloads, that’s a LOT of games.
(02m:00s)

We cover the growing number of members in the Billions club. Whether it’s downloads or dollars, more and more companies across the mobile games market are pulling in some seriously big numbers.
(07m:25s)

We also mention music in the metaverse. With news of new tours, greater gigs and online album launches, are Fortnite and Roblox now the best place to catch the biggest acts and the new hot up-and-coming artists?
(10m:00s)

Our special guest in episode four is the astonishing, epic and riveting - in every sense of the word - Kelly Vero. Games industry veteran, media expert, futuregazer and self confessed creative badass, Kelly explores the past, present and future of the games industry.

We discuss the changing role of developers, the opportunities and challenges facing game creators. Streaming games, the metaverse and much, much more.
(13m:30s)

Whatever your role in games. Whether you’re a creator, a publisher, a producer or a player, you’re not going to want to miss this one.

We also run down the biggest events heading your way from Steel Media, from our Big Indie Pitch, to our next round table, exploring how to create the next big hypercasual hit.

Once again, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. All the topics, all the talks, all the top tips and talent you could possibly need, piped directly into your ears for your comfort and convenience.

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast. If you are, please let us know. You can drop us an email directly to: [email protected] or leave a comment on Twitter where you can reach us @PGBiz.

And we always appreciate your reviews, ratings, likes, loves, shares, tweets and general enthusiasm for what we’re doing here.

Until next time - lots of love

The PG.biz team

Greetings and salutations, people. Welcome to episode three of the PocketGamer.biz podcast, the premier audio periodical for the global mobile games market.

In this episode, the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the winners of the recent Mobile Games Awards, the news that two major ‘media’ companies are moving into games, and the troubling news that one of the world’s largest games publishers still can’t treat all of its staff equally, fairly or respectfully.

(02:50)

Our guest in this episode of the podcast is Mark Ettle, the founder and managing director of Cobra, a game development studio based in Dundee, Scotland. Mark is a pioneer of mobile gaming and a veteran of the games sector, starting his career with the legendary DMA Design, the studio behind Lemmings, Hired Guns, Body Harvest and that car theft game everyone seems to like.

Mark discusses the studio’s pioneering work in the App Store, it’s approach to development and why Cobra has gone from a mobile only, to a mobile first studio.

We round up with all of the forthcoming events, from the Steel Media network, including LaunchPad, the Big Indie Pitch, and the first sighting of the ever epic Pocket Gamer Connects Digital (#8 fact fans).

(33:00)

Show Notes

• Mobile Games Awards
• Netflix and Zoom move into games
• Activision Blizzard faces lawsuit and strike action as over 3,000 staff complain about discrimination and harrassment.
• Special guest: interview with Cobra Mobile’s Mark Ettle
• Pocket Gamer Launchpad (12-13/08/2021)
• The Big Indie Pitch (26/08/2021)
• Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #8 (27/09 - 01/10/2021)

Sit back, relax, prepare to be fascinated.

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts and ideas. Email us: [email protected] or get in touch via our @PGBiz handle on Twitter. 

If you’re enjoying the podcast, do please leave us a review or rating. We’d appreciate it.

Until next time - Listen, love, learn.

The PG.biz team

Welcome back. Yes, it’s the second episode of the still new, but already legendary PocketGamer.biz podcast, which has already been rated one of the top 50 mobile games podcasts, by the editorial team of Pocketgamer.biz.

In this episode Brian and Jon discuss the growing value of funding deals within the global games market, the ongoing phenomenon which is Pokemon Go and the world’s top 50 mobile game creators (since we’ve just opened applications).

(02m 25s)

Following on from the epic insight of episode one. Our difficult second album ramps up the awesome with our special guest, Ella Romanos, the co-founder and CEO of Live Ops expert Fundamentally Games. Ella shares her work in the games sector, and discusses the ongoing evolution of live games, the way they differ from mere ‘online’ games and where the sector may be heading next.

(10m 00s)

We also cover the incredible range of online events coming up from the Steel Media team, including pocket Gamer Connects Digital #7, the Big Indie Pitch and the Mobile Games Awards 2021, because we care and you feel that.

In short, it’s the perfect way to learn more about the wonder of mobile gaming, while keeping your hands free for other important tasks.

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts and ideas. Email is at: [email protected] or get in touch via our @PGBiz handle on Twitter. Or, if you’re enjoying the podcast, leave us a review or rating.

Until next time.

The PG.biz team

Hello and welcome to the first PocketGamer.biz podcast. This is a regular new feature from the PocketGamer.biz editorial team, which will provide insight into the rapidly evolving world of mobile games. 

Join Jon Jordan, Matthew Forde and Brian Baglow as they tap into their industry contacts to bring you the innovators, the pioneers, the creators, the founders and the business leaders who are shaping the global mobile market, and lifting the lid on the topics that matter most.

To kick off this week’s show, the team looks at some of the key stories we’re seeing in our news feeds (03:25m): 

• The acquisition of Golf Clash developer Playdemic by games giant EA - could golf finally topple football from the hearts and minds of the global gaming public? (spoiler: no).
• In-game advertising - can we finally wave goodbye to the intrusive interstitial video ad? (spoiler: meh)
• Hypercasual game jams - There are millions of dollars on offer to developers for new ideas, is this the mark of a mature market, or is the sector already running out of steam (no spoiler: you’ll have to listen in to find out)

The first-ever podcast guest is the excellent Martin Macmillan from Pollen VC, who explores the world of funding and finance - but not as you know it. Despite the company name, Pollen VC is not a venture capital fund, but a finance company of a different kind. Martin talks to Brian about funding and finance in game development, what it takes to support a successful title, and why equity funding isn’t always the answer. We also highlight new research which suggests that game developers need to think very carefully about their role in the industry, if they ever anticipate an ‘exit’.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. You can email us: [email protected], or like and leave comments on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pgbiz

If you enjoy the podcast a rating or review is always welcome. Thanks for tuning in.