two & a half gamers

🤯 AI ads evolved from fake gameplay into full world simulations


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In this episode, we break down how AI ads evolved from fake gameplay into full world simulations. Dark War and Top Heroes are now running up to 90% AI-driven creatives, generating environments, hooks, and pseudo-games that look better than many shipped titles.


We cover sand loops, world models, long-form creatives, IP gray zones, and why teams that fully commit to AI are pulling away fast.


What we cover

• AI world simulation creatives

• Sand loops and seamless rooms

• Dark War & Top Heroes strategies

• Long creatives that actually work

• Fake games that outperform real ones

• The real AI tipping point


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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Podcast:


Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg


00:00 — Intro & why this episode matters

01:40 — AI creatives are no longer a novelty

03:30 — Guess the game & spotting non-AI creatives

04:30 — Golden Goblins, King Shot & early AI signals

06:40 — Hooks that still work in an AI world

08:10 — Drama, grandmas & narrative escalation

10:00 — Fake people, ASMR & viral slop economics

12:20 — IP style borrowing and legal gray zones

14:30 — Dark War enters the big league

16:10 — Seamless rooms and sand-loop environments

18:30 — Why these creatives hold attention

21:50 — World simulation vs classic generation

24:20 — Genie-style models and consistency problems

26:30 — 80–90% AI adoption explained

29:10 — Fake games that look real

32:00 — Why long creatives are winning again

34:10 — Revenue reality: Dark War & Top Heroes

36:30 — The real AI tipping point

38:40 — Final predictions & what teams should do next


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Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

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Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - [email protected]

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If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

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