Is your mobile game studio struggling to stand out? Stillfront CEO Alexis Bonte gets real about the brutal competition, why AI is now a survival tool, and how a laser-focused strategy can keep players—and profits—from walking away. This is direct advice for developers navigating today's tough market, from someone who's built and sold a game company and now leads a major group.
The mobile game scene is incredibly competitive. Developers are fighting to get noticed, retain players, and manage rising user acquisition costs. It's a crowded, fast-moving space.
Broad strategies and simply throwing money at ads or new tech like AI won't cut it anymore. Alexis argues that studios must make tough choices: focus on what truly works and leverage AI to genuinely enhance the player experience. The alternative? Becoming another casualty in a market that increasingly favors the focused few.
🎯 KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS:
⚠️ THE MOBILE GAUNTLET [0:06:45]:
"Now I think it's a thousand times harder if you're doing mobile free to play... what you need to succeed in mobile games in terms of development, speed, quality of life, operations, scaling your game with performance, marketing and all that, it's just massive."
This starkly defines the challenge. Understand why the barrier to entry and success in mobile F2P has skyrocketed. Must-watch segment. 👀
✨ AI OR OBSOLETE? [0:21:51]:
"This is simply about one thing is making your game better and making the player experience better. So if AI serves you in doing that and you're not embracing it and others are, you’re going to lose."
This is the core message on AI: adapt it for player benefit, or risk becoming irrelevant. This changes everything about prioritizing AI.
⚡ SMARTER RETENTION [0:40:59]:
"I don't believe in cross promotion across a whole portfolio... I don't think a Match 3 player you're gonna cross promote to a strategy game. It's not gonna happen... On the other hand, within my big game franchises... like the Supremacy franchise... if you're playing our 1914: World War 1 game and we're seeing that you're starting to potentially churn... why don't you try our Conflict of Nations: World War 3 game."
Get the actionable strategy for effective cross-promotion that actually works, by focusing within relevant game universes. Save this timestamp. 🔖
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - From Startup Exit to Gaming CEO
03:49 - Lessons from Building and Selling eRepublik
05:36 - Why Launching a Studio Today Is 1000x Harder
08:14 - The Case for Mobile Free-to-Play in 2025
10:28 - How Stillfront’s Studios Are Using AI Today
13:51 - Game Design Breakthroughs Using AI Partners
14:58 - Balancing Personalization With Shared Gaming Moments
19:00 - Navigating Creative Resistance to AI Tools
23:08 - Leading Stillfront Through a Strategic Pivot
29:37 - Benefits and Challenges of Being a Public Games Company
36:12 - Why Stillfront Is Doubling Down on Top Franchises
40:45 - Smarter User Acquisition Through Focused IP and Cross-Promotion
47:03 - Why Original IP Still Matters in a World of Franchise Fatigue
🔗 CONNECT WITH KONVOY & STILLFRONT:
• Konvoy: https://www.konvoy.vc/
• Jason Chapman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondchapman/
• Stillfront Group: https://www.stillfront.com/en/
• Alexis Bonte LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisbonte/