We break down The Tower - an idle-defense hybrid that turned a solo dev into a millionaire.

We spoke directly with Anthony (Tech Tree Games) about design, monetization, and UA strategy.

🔥 Topics covered:

4-person team, 25 contractors

$80K/day revenue, 10% ads, FastSpring web store

Best-performing creative = the dev himself

How “The Perfect Tower” inspired this hit

💬 Quote:

“The Tower proves you don’t need art to make art.” - Matej Lančarič

“The Tower” by Tech Tree Games is the ultimate underdog success story:

a solo dev project turned $50M+ global hit built by four full-time employees and 25 contractors.

The game proves that mechanical depth, community obsession, and smart UA execution can outperform big studios — even with zero art and an Excel-like UI.

Three years after launch, The Tower still breaks records, generating up to $80K/day, driven by organic community power and a dedicated creator-led UA ecosystem.

“This is the Stardew Valley of mobile free-to-play.” - Jakub Remiar

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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

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

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Game Overview

02:14 Game Design Insights and Unique Features

06:22 Gameplay Mechanics and Strategies

14:31 In-Depth Game Analysis and Features

18:01 Game Mechanics and Optimization Strategies

22:50 Ad Revenue and Monetization Strategies

27:59 Game Design Inspirations and Core Mechanics

34:05 Community Engagement and Game Evolution

39:07 Game Design Excellence and Community Engagement

42:18 Creative Strategies in Game Marketing

45:42 The Cinderella Story of Game Development

49:33 Building a Strong Community and User Acquisition

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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 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