PocketGamer.biz Podcast

84% of players uninstall games due to disruptive or poorly placed ads, proving that bad ads don't just hurt a game's reputation but its bottom line, too. Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, dive into AppHarbr's recent report, “Player Sentiments On In-Game Ads” — a one-of-a-kind survey of over 600 players — before Peggy hits the floor at Gamesforum London to ask games professionals how they combat problematic creatives. Ad monetisation and growth experts from Kwalee, Product Madness, Moloco, GameBiz Consulting and Playtika share the steps to taking back control of your game's ad quality and where they see the most growth for games in 2025.

Božo Janković - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bozoj/

John Wright - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwright1987/

Bruno Balistrieri - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-balistrieri-5b10a8194/

Piyush Mishra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyush-mishra-4333a340/

Or Zilberman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/or-zilberman-469834131/

Michael Fortune - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mifortune/

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:35 - AppHarbr Survey

03:41 - Relevance, timing, and quality

07:09 - Božo Janković - GameBiz Consulting

13:57 - John Wright - Kwalee

22:19 - Bruno Balistrieri - Kwalee

24:56 - Piyush Mishra - Product Madness

31:38 - Or Zilberman - Playtika

34:38 - Michael Fortune - Moloco

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

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👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.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

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and News Editor Aaron Astle discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode we discuss Miniclip's $1.2 billion acquisition of Easybrain, MTG's big deal for Plarium and ask why is Microsoft talking about mobile acquisitions?

** 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/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/

Offerwall campaigns are rapidly climbing the ranks of top-performing game-mon strategies, delivering 86.1% higher D7 retention rates compared to rewarded video and interstitials, according to Unity's Mobile Growth and Monetisation Report 2024. The good news: high-value players (and whales) are snapping at the bait. The not-so-good news: a growing appetite for rewards can increase the risk of fraud. This week, Alexander Hrankin, CEO and Co-Founder of Scrambly, joins our host, Peggy Anne Salz, to share how the company’s rewarded-discovery platform connects users with games and apps that match their interests and hunts and blocks bad actors and bots. It will always be an uphill battle, but Alex, once a professional boxer, shares how the right training and a can-do attitude can fight off fraudsters.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:09 - Boxing as games training

03:45 - FinTech verification 

05:45 - Aspects of user quality

08:05 - Fraud vs a high-value user

11:27 - How to counteract bad actors

13:02 - Which metrics matter?

16:30 - Low-quality vs bad actors

19:50 - Stopping fraud as it happens

21:51 - Shifts in rewarded

25:47 - Advice for studios starting out

31:25 - Favourite games Q&A

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.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

Discover how Aghanim enables mobile game publishers to boost net revenue by up to 200% through secure & compliant web-based monetization strategies. By integrating Aghanim's suite of tools—covering game-content, liveops automation, community engagement, and payments—publishers can streamline operations and optimize their low-performing web shop approach.

Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, spoke to Conor McLaughlin, VP of Revenue & Partnerships at Aghanim, about how their unique, comprehensive platform is revolutionizing the space and maximizing profits for mobile publishers.

This episode is sponsored by Aghanim.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:40 - Pineapple on pizza

03:51 - What is Aghanim? 

07:19 - The four friction points

14:28 - Giving publishers power again

17:35 - Connecting with the brand outside the game

20:05 - One-size-fits-all

21:53 - Customized by player

26:56 - Autopopulated content

27:58 - UA or ad mon?

29:29 - Aghanim beyond games

32:51 - Be agile

34:15 - Favourite games Q&A 

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** 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

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and deputy editor Paige Cook discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode we discuss Facebook Instant Games finally enabling in-app purchases on iOS, the legal view of Nintendo's Palworld case, and provide key takeaways from Games First Helsinki 2024.

** 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/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/

👉🏻 4 takeaways from Supercell’s Games First Helsinki 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/4-takeaways-from-supercells-games-first-helsinki-2024/

Resilience, grit, and a gut feeling about good talent separate average studios from great ones and determine which can stand the test of time. Few people hit the mark on all three, like Iron Fox Games Founder and CEO Ryan Filsinger. With a legacy of iconic IPs, including The Simpsons, Star Wars, and Marvel, Ryan’s insights stem from 17 years of industry experience and a mindset geared toward endurance. Ryan tells our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow how studios can push through the unexpected, from the loss of key clients to evolving revenue models, and he unpacks strategies Iron Fox uses to diversify risk, sustain client relationships, and balance in-house projects with work-for-hire. He also dives into how Iron Fox is tapping into web platforms to preserve and modernize classic games for today’s players, providing a home for retro titles that may otherwise stay stuck in the past with changing hardware and software standards. From identifying the right monetization model to embracing new platforms, this conversation equips founders and developers with actionable advice to build studios that can go the distance when shift happens.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:07 - An island journey into games

04:24 - Iron Fox Games

09:43 - Preserving classic games with web

14:40 - The power of the browser

16:40 - Everything old is new

17:50 - What to do when shift happens

24:16 - How to keep clients on your roster

29:58 - Talent non-negotiables

33:05 - Hitting 10M 

36:02 - What's next at Iron Fox

39:27 - Where indie studios should focus energy

41:11 - Building something to last 

42:40 - Favourite games Q&A

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** 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

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and Fundamentally Games CEO Oscar Clark discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode we discuss the closure of Netflix's triple-A studio Team Blue, new developer Antihero's comments that Apple's IDFA changes were good for the industry, and the rise of India's mobile games market.

** 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/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/

👉🏻 Netflix closes 'triple-A' studio Team Blue and cuts ties with senior hires - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/netflix-closes-triple-a-studio-team-blue-and-cuts-ties-with-senior-hires/

Alternative distribution channels and app stores are exploding onto the scene and are positioned to be the key growth drivers for mobile gaming in 2025. They offer new revenue streams—and they reshape how developers engage their audiences, optimize their growth strategies, and build trust in a more open ecosystem. Significantly, players also have a huge appetite for alternatives, especially if they offer more choice and less friction. Digital Turbine research reports that nearly 70% of users would use new discoverability features—if they were available—to find and download cool new games. This week, savvy studio leaders and growth gurus at Gamesforum Hamburg weigh in on things alternative, from app stores and alternative monetisation methods to the channels that are “gathering storm” and set to redefine mobile gaming in 2025.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

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** 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 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 the launch of Unity 6, executive departures at Stillfront and Supercell, and the news that Destiny: Rising is heading to mobile.

** 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/

👉🏻 NetEase partners with Bungie for Destiny: Rising mobile game - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/netease-partners-with-bungie-for-destiny-rising-mobile-game/

As our host Brian Baglow always says, “If there’s one constant in the games’ industry, it’s change.” In this episode, we switch gears from talking about how to make winning titles to discussing a winning strategy that will allow you to ride the waves of change—not be crushed by them. Faith Price, Director of Growth Marketing at DoubleDown Interactive, and Gwen Kestrel, digital marketer, educator, and co-founder of Bold Cat Studios, join Peggy Anne Salz and Brian to dive into how to reinvent yourself during a downturn—something both of them have done more than once. Whether you’re facing a layoff, pivoting careers, or future-proofing your skills, learn how to turn setbacks into opportunities—from leveraging your network to building a ‘feel-good book’ and even designing a custom role for yourself. Tune in to discover how to stay resilient, relevant, and ready to thrive, no matter what the market looks like. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:45 - Gwen's journey

05:21 - Mentally preparing for change

10:20 - Tools to be comfortable with uncertainty

13:44 - Creating a role for yourself

18:12 - Apply for the job you aren't qualified for

21:50 - Identify what brings you joy

27:13 - Feeling lost 

29:30 - Leaning on your network

32:51 - Brian's advice 

34:29 - How AI can help

41:50 - Advice on starting over

44:45 - Favourite games Q&A

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** 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