MobileGroove

What happens when your audience becomes your investors—and your co-creators?

In this episode of MobileGroove, recorded live at Gamescom, host Peggy Anne Salz talks with Dan Francis and Shem Selah of Fateless Games, the studio behind the upcoming game Godforge.

It’s a deep dive into a community-powered game development model that’s raised $14M, attracted 50,000+ alpha testers, and brought together Emmy-winning talent and game veterans—all without traditional VC funding.

They unpack:

🎮 How their content creator roots shaped a community-first approach

🧱 Why they designed the entire alpha as a tower-based competition

🔥 What it takes to build not just a game—but a living, breathing IP and brand

🎯 Why modern devs must master activations, narrative, and long-tail loyalty

If you’re building a game, brand, or fanbase from the ground up, this is a masterclass in turning early engagement into lasting momentum.

Gaming is no longer a niche — it’s where culture, identity, and consumer attention all converge. In this MobileGroove x Gamescom special, Peggy Anne Salz sits down with Bastian Bergmann (COO of Solsten and author of Press Play) and Erika Wykes-Sneyd (Adidas, PlayStation) to explore how brands can truly show up in games — not just as logos, but as immersive, strategic partners in play.From building a 24/7 virtual store in Roblox to selling NFT-based avatars, Erika shares how she led Adidas’ gaming evolution and aligned internal stakeholders along the way. Bastian explains how Solsten helps brands move from stereotype to strategy — and why it’s time to treat gaming like the channel it is, not just an experiment.Whether you’re in marketing, brand strategy, product, or innovation — this is your playbook for getting gaming right.

Rewarded ads are evolving—and return on ad spend is just the beginning.

In this episode of MobileGroove, host Peggy Anne Salz sits down with David Ruggiero from TyrAds to explore a more holistic approach to rewarded user acquisition—one that blends personalization, timing, and real user motivation.

With firsthand experience on the publisher side, David shares how TyrAds is:

• Building a new SDK for level-based rewards and better segmentation

• Applying rewarded strategies across verticals—from mobile games to FinTech apps

• Using data and loyalty loops to increase engagement and retention

• Helping developers understand what makes rewarded ads work (or fail)

Whether you’re launching a new app, optimizing monetization, or looking beyond ROAS, this episode is packed with strategies to help you grow smarter.

David Ruggiero: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-ruggiero-810766100/

TyrAds: https://tyrads.com/

Offerwalls are back—and this time, they’re not just for whales. 🎯In this episode, recorded live at Gamescom, Travis Anderson, VP of Global Publisher Partnerships at Xsolla, breaks down why offerwalls are experiencing a resurgence—and how they’re evolving into something much bigger: a unified monetization layer that spans webshops, wallets, quests, and even cloud gaming.Travis shares how today’s offerwalls deliver real value across the full player base—not just spenders—by creating personalized, gamified incentives that feel native, not intrusive. He also explains how publishers can tie multiple monetization tools together into a cohesive reward system, reducing reliance on third parties and reclaiming control over the player relationship.💡 Whether you’re an indie team looking for scalable monetization, or a large studio exploring first-party platforms, this episode offers tactical insights and a clear look at how Xsolla is shaping the next era of game commerce.

Travis Anderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisandersonpro/

Xsolla: https://xsolla.com/

From toothpaste to purple hair dye, brands are showing up inside games—and players are loving it.In this live episode from Gamescom, Sarah Chafer, SVP of Global Ad Sales at Xsolla, joins Peggy Anne Salz to explain why brand-formance is the future, how offerwalls are leveling up, and what makes a great reward-driven experience for players and brands alike.🎮 What gaming gets right about user sentiment🏆 How to build win-win offers for brands, devs, and players💡 Why “everyone is a gamer” is more than a slogan📈 How Xsolla is helping brands track ROI—not just awareness🚀 Where G-Commerce is headed next (and how to stay ahead)If you’re building games, selling virtual goods, or helping brands connect with players, this one’s a must-listen.Sarah Chafer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahprescottchafer/Xsolla: https://xsolla.com/

Attribution is broken. Trust in the data is shaky. And most publishers are still leaning too hard on a single channel. But Geeklab is changing the game.

In this episode recorded live at Gamescom, we sit down with Jani Torppa and Jesse Lempiäinen, the minds behind Geeklab, to unpack what’s really going on in the world of mobile growth—and what studios can do to fix it.

They share how Geeklab helps developers rebuild confidence in their creative, rework campaigns that have stopped performing, and bring back value from platforms like Meta and TikTok (yes, even after ATT). They also discuss why most attribution models are still misleading, how to test smarter without overspending, and why diversifying UA spend is no longer optional.

🧠 The key insight? It’s not about throwing money at the problem—it’s about bravery, transparency, and making smarter creative decisions backed by real signals.

🎯 Whether you’re scaling up, stuck in a plateau, or questioning your media mix, this is the growth therapy session you didn’t know you needed.

Everyone’s talking about growth. Thomas Hopkins is diagnosing it.

In this episode, the Head of Growth at GrowthOps unpacks why attribution is broken, why your creative probably isn’t working, and how to rewire your funnel around perception—not just awareness.

🎯 The three types of awareness (and why it changes your messaging)

🧠 The real reason B2B and B2C campaigns underperform

🎤 The influencer-led playbook that works before people know your product

📊 Why GrowthOps surveys differently—and gets better insights

🚀 The “What Buzz Does” model for modern performance marketing

Whether you’re an operator, a founder, or just tired of marketing that doesn’t convert, this episode delivers the playbook.

What if your car could tell brands how to help you without giving up your privacy?Fred Dimesa, Head of Product for Marketing Solutions at Arity, joins host Peggy Anne Salz live at POSSIBLE in the Podcast Corner to show how mobility data has evolved from crude geofences and last-click coupons to predictive insights that anticipate needs, tailor messaging and guide retail foot traffic.Arity’s platform ingests over 2 trillion miles of driving data and adds 1.5 billion miles each day. By reading signals every one to 15 seconds, they can see the complete picture from work commutes to the Tuesday coffee run and use AI modeling to predict the “why” and “when” behind consumer movement. “We’re not selling data,” Fred says. “We’re delivering insights that marketers can activate without touching personal information.”From prompting Uber rides in Life360 to helping retailers target high-value customers in the right context, Arity is proving mobility data can be assistance, not intrusion. The future, Fred says, is about sharper prediction, richer context and keeping consumer trust through transparency.This is how smarter, privacy-forward data is reshaping marketing and why the next competitive advantage may be knowing not just where your customers are, but where they are going next.

Why are more brands and agencies giving gaming a bigger seat at the table, and why might the next wave of premium advertising just be inside your favorite game?

These are the questions Itamar Benedy, CEO and co-founder of Anzu, and host Peggy Anne Salz explore in a conversation recorded live at POSSIBLE in the Podcast Corner that zero in on how in-game advertising has reached a true tipping point.Anzu’s approach, known as intrinsic in-game advertising, blends branded content seamlessly into gameplay. Think billboards in Call of Duty, team jerseys in sports titles or posters on in-game walls. The result is a more realistic environment for players and a new revenue stream for publishers who have never accepted ads before. “We’re giving brands incremental reach into audiences who don’t watch cable or scroll social,” Itamar explains, “and we’re doing it in a way that feels native to the game.”

With campaigns now running across multiple cross-platform premium titles, Anzu is showing how to make ads part of the culture, not an interruption. And when the gaming community embraces an activation, it sparks conversations on Reddit, TikTok and Twitch that far outlast the in-game moment.

Can you create binge-worthy IP in 90 seconds or less?

Michael Vito Valentino, Editor-In-Chief at NowThis, says yes. And the proof is in the numbers. In just three months, Are You OK? attracted 500,000 net new followers and now averages up to 1.5 million views per episode. The secret? A formula powered by comedy, consistency and a mission that’s as clear as it is catchy: “Make it into the group chat.”

Recorded live at POSSIBLE in the Podcast Corner with host Peggy Anne Salz, this episode explores how NowThis is rewriting the rules of reach and resonance. Michael breaks down how “snackable” doesn’t mean shallow. Each episode delivers a full story arc in 90 seconds, building loyal fandom through emotional beats, authenticity and repeatable IP.

“We’re not just integrating brands,” he explains. “We’re elevating the viewing experience.” That approach has made NowThis a magnet for Gen Z and for major advertisers who see the value in content that’s real, relatable and relentlessly shareable.

If you're looking to understand what works now in short-form storytelling and why Gen Z doesn’t just accept ads but cheers them on, this conversation is your playbook.