In this solo episode, Matej walks through the exact step-by-step method he uses to launch successful Meta (Facebook) UA campaigns in 2025. From SDK setup to event engineering, targeting, budgets, creative strategy, and daily management - this is the “MVP strategy” every UA manager needs.

Direct links to step-by-step guides:

https://lancaric.substack.com/p/mvp-ua-template-i-want-to-launch

https://lancaric.substack.com/p/mvp-ua-iaa-template-i-want-to-launch?triedRedirect=true

https://lancaric.substack.com/p/creative-brief-template-7-creative

Softlaunch E-BOOK: https://payhip.com/b/fJi9E

What you’ll learn

• Minimum viable tracking setup (Facebook SDK, Firebase, MMPs)

• How to build meaningful event combinations (WY S WYG)

• Purchase-optimized vs. app-event optimized campaigns

• How to structure T1, T2, and ROW for better learning

• Targeting that still works in 2025 (broad, genre interest, lookalikes)

• Budget pacing rules and when to scale

• 3 starting concepts → 9 ad variations

• Using AI hooks, memes, UGC & dev-cam videos

• Daily operations: When you should do nothing

• Moving from AEO to value optimization

• Live example: Creating a full Meta campaign

Actionable checklist

Integrate Facebook SDK + Firebase + MMP.

Build 5–10 event combinations (engagement + monetization).

Start with 3 concepts → 9 variations.

Use T1 (US/UK/DE/CA/AU/NZ/KR/JP) + ROW.

Don’t scale before day 3–5 stability.

Check KPIs 2–3× per day, not hourly.

Switch to value optimization once you have depth of payers.

Key takeaway

Your UA performance is defined by the events you send, the creatives you test early, and how fast you can validate your first 3 concepts.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

---------------------------------------

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

Chapters

00:00 — Cold open & why this solo episode matters

00:40 — The original problem: “Where do I start with Meta UA?”

01:20 — Tracking essentials (SDKs, MMP, events you MUST send)

03:00 — WYSIWYG: “What You Send Is What You Get” explained

04:20 — Event combinations that actually help Facebook find payers

05:40 — Purchase vs. App Event optimization: when to use each

07:00 — Geo setup: US, Tier 1, ROW, and why you always need all three

08:10 — Targeting in 2025: broad, interests, lookalikes (what still works)

09:30 — Budgets: first 7-day rules & how not to break learning

11:00 — Creative framework: 3 concepts → 9 ad variations

12:30 — What concepts to start with (gameplay+finger, AI hooks, UGC/dev-cam)

14:00 — Creative iterations: hooks, pacing, soundtrack, memes

15:10 — Daily UA workflow: why “doing nothing” is sometimes the best move

16:40 — When to switch to value optimization (signals + payer depth)

18:00 — Live walkthrough: building a Meta campaign step-by-step

19:20 — Final advice

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

---------------------------------------

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]

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

This month’s creative trends episode exposes the real state of mobile UA:

We’ve officially entered the Era of Creative Theft 2.0 - not “heavily inspired,” but direct 1:1 stolen ads, chopped end cards, mirrored clips, watermarks still visible… and nobody cares because they convert 4-5× better.

Three mega-trends emerge:

1) The “Stolen but Performing” Era

• Social casino, idle, 4X… everyone is lifting creatives from other genres.

• Teams aren’t even recreating the concept - they’re copying the whole video, trimming it, mirroring it, or leaving the watermark.

• Networks don’t police it, platforms don’t care, and small studios can’t compete with the CPI gap.

2) The Golden Age of ASMR / Wood / Cleaning Satisfiers

• The “Idle Lumber” effect: anything with chopping, slicing, scrubbing, wood, logs, dust → crushing low CPI.

3) The King Shot → Royal Kingdom → Everyone Else Pipeline

• King Shot’s onboarding + mass battle + RTS-style transitions have reshaped the entire industry’s ads.

• Royal Kingdom straight-up used the formula for a match-3 playable.

• 4X games (Last War, Last Z, Total Battle) are adopting the mass-battle → puzzle fusion.

Key takeaway

The best-performing creatives aren’t the most original - they’re the most optimized. The industry now rewards speed, iteration, theft-based inspiration, and cross-genre pattern-breaking above everything else.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

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 — Hook: The “Creative Theft Era” has arrived

01:30 — Missing a month & why trends feel different now

03:10 — ASMR cleaning & wood: why the motif is everywhere

05:20 — Exposed: 1:1 stolen creatives (no end cards, mirrored, trimmed)

08:40 — Why theft works: CPI vs LTV beats morals

11:50 — The ecosystem problem: no creative police, no consequences

14:30 — New industry rule: cross-genre stealing = normal

17:40 — King Shot → Royal Kingdom → Everyone copy

30:10 — The future: watermark creatives, mirror hacks, and AI hooks

43:00 — Wrap-up: where the creative meta goes next

---------------------------------------

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

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]

We break down Supercell’s new twin-stick “boat game” (second alpha): a PvE → PvPvE loop where we farm island quests, haul up to three chests on a fast boat, and can flip a “go bad” switch to steal other players’ chests - triggering bounties and protections for non-PK players (revenge respawns).

What works

Fast, readable boating and clear risk/reward moments when we carry 2–3 chests.

A theft moment (“go bad”) that can create highlight-reel clips for UA if tuned right.

What doesn’t (yet)

Flat progression (gear score + light passives/chips) limits long-term goals.

Ultra-light economy and shaky matchmaking make the loop feel aimless/punishing.

Audience fit feels unclear (Gen-Z, Fortnite-lite vibe vs. strategy/4X loyalists).

Market lens

Supercell’s portfolio still leans on legacy hits; competitors with genre focus + aggressive UA (e.g., strategy/4X) scale more reliably.

Without deeper economies, UA-product co-design, and a clearer genre thesis, this boat may never scale past alpha.

Key takeaway

Depth beats novelty. We need deeper economy + UA-ready moments or this won’t sail beyond alpha.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

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 Why this alpha matters

01:10 Core loop—quests → 3 chests → extract

05:00 Twin-stick feel & aiming on mobile

07:40 Progression—gear score, passives, chips

10:50 “Go bad” theft, bounties, anti-grief

15:30 Matchmaking & PvE→PvPvE tension

19:10 Economy depth vs. moment-to-moment fun

24:20 Portfolio & market reality checks

30:30 UA-product integration: what creatives need

36:30 What would actually ship (templates & seasons)

43:00 Verdict & 2025 predictions

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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]

---------------------------------------

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

Today, Jakub Remiar breaks down the Scopely-style “sticker album” collectible mechanic—popularized at scale by Monopoly Go (global April 2023)—and why it’s sweeping casual and now encroaching on mid-core. Hallmarks: time-limited albums, gacha booster packs, duplicate sinks → premium packs, and peer trading that drives massive social engagement (e.g., official trading groups). It adds perceived depth to shallow economies (soft currency + energy) without adding gameplay complexity, resets cleanly by season, and monetizes whales via “double bottom” albums (a second, higher-reward album with ~50% more rewards and exclusive cosmetics). Implementations span Royal Match (135 cards/≈60 days), Travel Town (162), Monopoly Go (~200), and mid-core experiments like Whiteout Survival and Acecraft (smaller sets, licensed collabs).

The open questions: optimal card counts, season length, and how mid-core will standardize the pattern.

What you’ll learn

How the Scopely/Monopoly Go sticker album works: time-limited albums, gacha packs, duplicate exchanges, trading, seasonal resets, and whale “double albums.”

Why this mechanic adds depth to shallow economies and boosts engagement, retention, and monetization—with examples from Royal Match, Travel Town, Monopoly Go and mid-core tests (Whiteout Survival, Acecraft).

Practical knobs: card counts (≈135–200), season length (30–60 days), guaranteed-missing pack, and social/trading ops.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

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

Chapters

00:00 — Cold open & why albums exploded

01:20 — The template: pages, rarities, grand prize, timebox

03:45 — Rewards & pressure: limited window, page bonuses, grand prize

06:10 — Gacha everywhere: pack sources & duplicate sink design

08:30 — Social engine: trading loops (in-clan & community)

10:20 — Seasonal resets & cosmetics: depth without UX bloat

12:10 — “Double/Grand Album” for whales (~50% more rewards)

14:00 — Case studies: Monopoly GO, Royal Match, Travel Town

17:00 — Mid-core spillover: Whiteout Survival, Acecraft experiments

19:00 — Tuning knobs: card counts (≈135–200), 30–60 day seasons, guarantees

20:30 — Actionable checklist & pitfalls

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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]

---------------------------------------

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

Legend of Elements is a 3D idle RPG from the LoM lineage. Core fantasy is “numbers go up,” delivered via auto-progress + layered upgrades, then monetized through stacked gachas and step offers.

Ads exist but are effectively a decoy; there isn’t even a “remove ads” pack.

UA is ~98% Google (YouTube + AdWords) with AI/UGC and “fake gameplay” motifs.

Systems & sinks (what actually drives playtime/spend)

• Two gachas: character (spirits) and skill, with very low SSR rates; also ad-summon entries (“2 free summons for an ad”).

• “Online chest”: ~5x/day random gacha ticks, granted every ~5 minutes online.

• 3–4 battle passes active during launch window; heavy event stack and daily quests.

• Notification-baiting tactic: tiny “free” rewards (e.g., 5 soft-currency) inside every shop/offer to create badge-clearing behavior and force shop opens.

Monetization architecture (how money happens)

• Ads are a decoy to lift IAP; no VIP/no-ads pack to sell the removal.

• Primary pay drivers: gachas + step offers (offer ladders surfaced early/often).

• Panel consensus: at ~$100K/day IAP scale, there’s little incentive to optimize ads.

UA mix & creatives (why it scales on Google)

• ~98% of impressions from YouTube + AdWords; almost nothing elsewhere.

• Creative pillars: AI faces/VO, UGC narratives, meme remakes, Genshin/Diablo-style “fake gameplay.”

• Uses creator placements (e.g., known Supercell YouTubers featured as ad talent).

Servers & competitive pressure (why shard)

• Thousands of small shards opened continuously; servers “die,” then merge, resetting the race.

• Keep leaderboards small so winning feels plausible; too many whales per shard depresses motivation.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

With Playablemaker, you can finally create playable and interactive ads

NO-CODE + ON-BUDGET + LIGHTNING FAST

https://playablemaker.com/25gamers

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

00:00 intro

00:48 Positioning & lineage

04:40 Core loop & systems

10:10 Monetization architecture

14:40 Live-ops cadence

18:00 UA strategy (98% Google)

33:30 Creatives that convert

41:20 Verdict & KPI checklist

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

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]

Chaos Zero Nightmare is the spiciest deck-builder gacha of 2025! Lovecraft vibes, anime polish, Slay-the-Spire runs, Honkai-style meta, and launch numbers that slap: ~$500K/day, peak ~$800K/day, ~$8M in 2 weeks.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Core loop: deck thinning, evolving cards, run sequencing

Meta design: pity/duplicates, banner cadence, progression layers

Why community is more than broad UA (Discord ≈50k, Reddit ≈120k)

Creative strategy for high-LTV audiences (what to show, what to skip)

Monetization & live-ops beats that actually move revenue

KEY TAKEAWAY

For hardcore, high-LTV audiences, authentic, system-forward storytelling + community momentum beats shortcut UA tactics. Frame content around runs, banners, and boss mastery moments; use paid to amplify the community, not replace it.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

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

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Cold open: “How much money?”

03:31 — What is CZN? Tone, horror-anime polish

03:43 — Design DNA: Slay the Spire / Darkest Dungeon / Honkai / “save data”

09:36 — Core loop & tactics: combos, turn order, auto-off for bosses

20:23 — Company context & positioning

22:20 — Revenue reality: ~$500K/day → ~$800K/day; ~$8M in two weeks

26:08 — UA vs Community: closed betas, brand-safe creatives, Discord/Reddit

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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]

---------------------------------------

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

In this Two & a Half Gamers special, Felix Braberg breaks down how to maximize ad monetization during Black Friday weekend - the new “Q5” for mobile games.

🔥 What you’ll learn:

Why Q5 is gone (and how Black Friday replaced it)

How to tweak cooldowns, refresh rates, and ad logic

The perfect bid floor strategy for banners, interstitials, and rewarded ads

Why CMP setup and app-ads.txt files matter more than ever

The secret timing for refreshing network placements

💬 Quote:

“You don’t pray for CPMs, you prepare for them.”

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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]

---------------------------------------

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

Monopoly Bingo: How Hasbro turned nostalgia Into Revenue

Today, we dig into Monopoly Bingo - the latest Hasbro IP game climbing the charts.

🔥 We cover:

How Tripledot scaled Bingo to $70K/day

Why 60% of revenue comes from U.S. players

Facebook UA strategies for older demos

Collectible album systems and retention loops

Why Bingo still drives $400M/year globally

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

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

00:00 – Intro

02:45 – What is Monopoly Bingo?

05:20 – Hasbro x Tripledot Ecosystem

08:15 – Bingo as a $400M Category

11:40 – Core Gameplay Breakdown

15:10 – LiveOps & Event Design

18:50 – Monetization Deep Dive

23:05 – UA Strategy: Facebook Is Still King

26:40 – Creative Strategy Breakdown

31:00 – IP Constraints & Limitations

34:30 – Performance Data Recap

37:50 – Hasbro’s Strategy Beyond Monopoly

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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]

---------------------------------------

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

In this episode, we play Sudoku Master - the latest “numbers” hit from the makers of Block Blast.

They uncover how Hungry Studio uses 6,000 creatives, constant A/B testing, and ruthless ad optimization to dominate one of the oldest mobile genres.

🔥 What you’ll learn:

How Sudoku Master scales with 600K DAU & 50K/day ad revenue

The hidden “Sudoku War” between Miniclip and Hungry Studio

How A/B testing + creative velocity win evergreen genres

Why Hungry runs 10× more creatives than Miniclip

💬 Quote:

“Imagine testing 6,000 variations of boredom and winning.”

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------

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]

---------------------------------------

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

In this solo episode, Matej Lančarič dives into the new era of creative optimization — where AI tagging, unified dashboards, and ROAS-based insights replace manual testing and spreadsheet chaos.Everyone can create ads with AI, but the REAL BOTTLENECK is knowing which ones actually work. AppsFlyer’s Creative Optimization tool analyzes millions of real-world insights to reveal what drives performance - so you can scale winners, cut wasted spend, and make smarter creative decisions.Check it out: https://www.appsflyer.com/products/creative-optimization/?utm_source=influencer&afc_source=influencer&utm_medium=referral&afc_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Marvelsnap_creative&afc_campaign=Marvelsnap_creative&utm_content=matej&afc_content=matej&utm_term=YouTube&afc_term=YouTube🔥 Topics Covered:How to unify creatives from Meta, TikTok, Google & AppLovinDetecting ad fatigue before performance tanksUnderstanding creative DNA with AI taggingROAS-based creative decisions (quality over quantity)Streamlining collaboration between UA & creative teams💬 Quote:“In UA, data is your superpower and this dashboard is your ultimate power-up.”Everyone can create ads with AI, but the REAL BOTTLENECK is knowing which ones actually work. AppsFlyer’s Creative Optimization tool analyzes millions of real-world insights to reveal what drives performance - so you can scale winners, cut wasted spend, and make smarter creative decisions.Check it out: https://www.appsflyer.com/products/creative-optimization/?utm_source=influencer&afc_source=influencer&utm_medium=referral&afc_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Marvelsnap_creative&afc_campaign=Marvelsnap_creative&utm_content=matej&afc_content=matej&utm_term=YouTube&afc_term=YouTubeGet our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.me---------------------------------------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] 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