two & a half gamers

In this solo episode of Two and a Half Gamers, Matej Lancaric reveals his full Soft Launch Framework: the exact 40-page playbook he uses to validate retention, monetize effectively, and decide whether to scale or shut down a game before global launch.

From three critical stages — Tech Test, Retention, Monetization — to precise KPIs, country targeting, creative iteration, and UA channel sequencing, Matej walks through the step-by-step process he’s used across dozens of successful launches. This isn’t theory, it’s built from real campaign data, retention curves, LTV models, and monetization funnels from midcore, puzzle, and RPG hits.

Key insights from the episode:

Why a soft launch should run 3–6 months (not one) to capture real LTV and retention curves.

The 3-stage framework: Tech stability, Retention validation, Monetization scaling.

Exact geo picks for each stage (Philippines, Mexico → Poland, Brazil, Netherlands → UK, Germany, Canada).

UA sequencing: Facebook → Google → TikTok/Unity, shifting from MAI to event-optimized to purchase campaigns.

Retention benchmarks (ideal 40/20/10) and what “healthy” ratios actually look like.

Creative strategy: 10–15 videos per month, 3–5 playables, gameplay-first to avoid misleading retention data.

How to kill a game quickly if it can’t meet KPIs — and save your studio in the process.

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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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 Soft Launch Framework

04:06 Key Performance Indicators for Soft Launch

07:17 Stages of Soft Launch Testing

09:55 Retention and Monetization Strategies

12:21 Understanding Game Metrics and KPIs

14:48 Technical Testing and Data Evaluation

18:54 Retention Strategies and User Acquisition

21:36 Pre-Launch Strategies and Market Selection

25:07 Monetization Strategies and Campaign Optimization

27:58 Creative Approaches and User Engagement

37:34 Preparing for Global Launch and Final Thoughts

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

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

How a Chinese Survivor.io Clone Is Printing $170K/Day in a Brutal Category?

We tear into Mech Assemble: Zombie Swarm, a high-performing “shoot ‘em up” that’s managing to out-earn Survivor.io in a red-ocean market. With nearly $4M monthly revenue, $170K/day at peak, and only ~12K daily downloads, the game is proof you can win with ruthless monetization, creative overload, and a mix of East + West appeal.

Key takeaways:

Category Killer: In a genre where most titles die after launch month, Mech Assemble is holding and scaling revenue.

Revenue Mix: 85%+ IAP with whales from the US, Japan (20%), South Korea, Taiwan, and Tier 1 EU. Ads add ~$14K/day.

Customization Hook: Fully movable, functional weapon placement on mechs — a novelty in the subgenre.

Onboarding Power Move: Classic “Asian onboarding” — start overpowered, then strip it away.

Aggressive Monetization: 200-pull pity timers, daily ad boosts, limited waifu offers, and multiple battle passes.

Creative Strategy: 500+ pages of creatives across TikTok, Google, and Facebook. Mix of AI-generated, meme-driven (Skibidi Toilet, Gundam knockoffs), and misleading playables.

UA Reality: CPIs hitting $30+ in US, mitigated by whale-heavy spending and blended campaigns. Downloads modest, but ARPDAU sky-high.

Why It Works: Strong East + West monetization, relentless creative testing, genre familiarity + novelty in mech customization.

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 Introduction to the Episode

04:21 Exploring the Game: Make Assemble

07:16 Gameplay Mechanics and Features

10:10 Monetization Strategies and Revenue Insights

13:14 Customization and Player Engagement

16:08 Creative Marketing and User Acquisition

19:22 Comparative Analysis with Other Games

22:09 Future Predictions and Closing Thoughts

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

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 dissect Miniclip’s War Drone 3D, a surprise hit blending realistic drone fantasy, hypercasual onboarding, and ruthless gacha with relentless ad monetization. With over 50 percent organic downloads, scaling past 300,000 installs per day at peak, and daily revenues topping $65,000, War Drone 3D proves you can go viral with core gameplay, slick visuals, and a smart (but sometimes broken) upgrade loop.

What’s inside:

Viral Organics: Over half of all downloads are organic, driven by gameplay that looks and feels like real drone footage. Younger demographics are hooked on the “news media” aesthetic and immersive perspective.

Tower Defense, Shooter, Hypercasual: Fast onboarding, no menu bloat, and you’re shooting in seconds. The core loop is classic tower defense, layered with shooter upgrades and skill cards—instantly accessible, but with depth for longer-term play.

Rewarded Ads and Gacha Monetization

Progression and Pain Points

Creative UA and Organic Blend: Ads leverage real drone footage aesthetics, survival hooks, and “breaking news” memes. Vertical and story formats are underused—big opportunity for TikTok and Instagram growth.

Key Takeaway:

War Drone 3D proves you can scale to millions without heavy UA if you nail fantasy, onboarding, and reward loops. Add better gacha balancing, creative iteration, and the sky’s the limit.

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 Introduction and Technical Issues

02:04 Overview of War Drone 3D

04:00 Gameplay Mechanics and Balancing

07:03 Game Design and User Experience

12:02 Monetization Strategies and Ads

19:09 User Engagement and Replayability

22:58 Market Performance and Future Prospects

25:21 Ad Revenue Insights and Gameplay Mechanics

28:03 Game Design and User Experience

30:59 Improving Game Mechanics and Progression Systems

35:00 Marketing Strategies and Audience Engagement

39:57 Creative Approaches in Game Advertising

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

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]

In this solo episode, Felix Braberg cuts through the hype and breaks down what’s actually happening in mobile ad monetization networks in 2025. The real mediation market is cornered by AppLovin MAX, Unity LevelPlay, and Google AdMob—with upstarts like Amazon Publisher Services and Moloco making surprise moves. But even the biggest ad-revenue studios (Rollic, Habi) are running from ads to IAP-first strategies. ECPMs are down 20 percent from pandemic peaks, networks are harder to work with, and the “walled garden” is stronger than ever.

What’s inside:

Mediation Monopoly: AppLovin MAX now dominates mediation market share, with exclusive features like AdROAS and BlendedROAS campaigns locking in publishers. Unity and Google still matter, but the stack is closed and hostile to new entrants.

Amazon’s Banner Play: Amazon Publisher Services quietly became the top banner revenue source in the US and Europe, beating Google—but getting on the platform is a lottery. Last month, Amazon kicked 100 publishers off with no warning. TAM (Transparent Ad Marketplace) deals are lucrative, but rare.

Moloco’s Rise: Moloco, a DSP, is exploding with rumored $2.2B in 2025 spend, going direct to top publishers with its SDK. Publishers see 8–15 percent ARPDAU boosts on video and 20 percent or more on banners after adding Moloco. The secret? Once DSPs get big enough, they need direct supply, not just reselling.

Ad Monetization Shift: The biggest ad studios are pivoting hard—Habby’s Whittle Defender and Rollic’s latest puzzle hits (Whole People, KnitOut) now get as little as 11–20 percent of revenue from ads, compared to 50–50 splits just two years ago. IAPs are the future, and “remove ads forever” packages are everywhere.

Why ECPMs Are Down: ECPMs are 20 percent below 2021. Reasons include: post-pandemic demand crash, privacy updates (especially iOS), the loss of waterfall calls in mediation (bidding is the default), and “walled garden” platform control. It’s harder than ever to keep prices up or diversify your stack.

Key Takeaway:

If you’re not building your stack around AppLovin, Amazon, and Moloco, you’re missing where the real money flows. But even the best ad ops can’t beat macro headwinds—hybrid monetization is dying, and you need more IAP or you’ll be left behind.

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

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 Ad Monetization Trends

02:31 Shift from Ad Revenue to IAPs

05:07 ECPM Trends and Market Dynamics

07:22 Mediation Platforms Overview

09:42 Amazon Publisher Services: A New Player

13:30 Moloco: The Rising DSP Star

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

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]

In this episode, we break down Tile Survive! FunPlus’s biggest 4X pivot yet and their boldest copy of Century Games’ “Dark War” playbook. From idle meta and scripted roads to resource overload creatives and meme awards, Tile Survive is showing that copying the leaders is now the fastest path to $50,000 a day. Find out what’s new, what’s missing, and why FunPlus may finally scale back into the 4X top tier.

You’ll learn:

The real gameplay and meta changes—what’s new, what’s just Dark War with cartoon paint

The evolution of 4X ad creatives—Golden Goblins, AI memes, Minecraft hooks, and fake UGC

Why simplifying onboarding, events, and gacha is now the winning move

Key Takeaway:

Tile Survive is proof that the new 4X playbook is copy, simplify, and scale—then innovate only once you’re printing money. FunPlus finally stopped reinventing, and the numbers are speaking for themselves.

How to master the template and what FunPlus might do next

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 Revisiting Forex: A Nostalgic Dive

04:05 Game Review: Tile Survive Unpacked

06:53 Game Mechanics: Simplification and Comparison

10:03 Market Trends: Analyzing Downloads and Revenue

13:06 Creative Strategies: Marketing and User Engagement

16:05 Future Predictions: The Path Ahead for Games

25:00 Emerging Trends in Game Development

27:05 Creative Strategies and Marketing Insights

30:25 Game Mechanics and User Engagement

34:00 Benchmarking and Performance Metrics

37:55 Final Thoughts and Future Directions

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

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

This episode, Two and a Half Gamers sit down with analytics legend Russell Ovans—the mind behind Professor ARPDAU and the author of game analytics’ “bible.” Learn the brutal truth about retention, ARPDAU, LTV, and the “golden cohort” trap. If you want to scale your game profitably in 2025, you need these formulas, tools, and lessons - no hype, no BS, just results.

You’ll learn:

Why retention is the only metric that matters (until ARPDAU takes over)

How to model and predict your LTV, player days, and payback window using real retention curves

The difference between analytics and data science, and why cohorts are your best friend

How to avoid burning your UA budget chasing “golden cohorts” or missing your D7 ROAS target

Free tools at arpdow.com to plug in your data and get real answers

Key Takeaway:

Retention plus ARPDAU equals real growth. Track cohorts, model your curve, and never fall for the golden cohort trap or ad network happy talk. If you want more, arpdow.com has the tools.

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

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

Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.

https://www.vibe.co/

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

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

Special Guest: Russel Ovans

https://arpdau.com/

https://arpdau.com/ltv

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 Analytics in Gaming

05:38 Russell Owens' Journey in Game Analytics

08:29 Understanding Analytics vs. Data Science

11:37 The Importance of Cohorts in Game Analytics

14:43 Retention Metrics and Their Significance

18:44 Key Performance Indicators for Game Success

21:39 The Relationship Between LTV and CPI

24:37 Predicting Retention and Its Impact on Game Design

30:41 Understanding Retention Metrics

33:42 The Importance of Retention in Monetization

36:31 Expected Player Days and LTV Calculation

43:43 Tools for Predicting LTV and ROAS

50:41 Final Thoughts and Homework for Game Developers

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

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]

Jakub Remiar takes you on a no-bullshit, data-driven tour through the real top 25 grossing mobile games in the West (Jan–July 2025). The episode breaks down portfolio dynamics, market shifts, revenue spikes, and the high-stakes race for dominance between 4X, casino, merge, puzzle, and gacha giants. This is not just another leaderboard—this is the context and commentary you need to understand who’s winning, who’s stalling, and what’s really changing the game.

What’s inside:

Who’s #1? Last War Survival takes the crown at $823 million, but with all Rivergame’s 4X titles, the real number is much higher—and growing. Whiteout Survival, King Shot, and the rest of the portfolio keep pushing the category forward.

Royal Match & Royal Kingdom: Dream Games keeps the match-3 crown, with Royal Kingdom’s celebrity campaign finally moving the revenue needle. Royal Match and Royal Kingdom together are pulling in around $5 million a day.

Monopoly Go’s Web Shop Power: Monopoly Go remains a revenue beast at $130 million/month, with a hidden 15–20 percent more from web shop sales. Coin Master is unfazed, rolling steady at $2.5 million a day, and now launching its own board adventure to fight back.

Chinese Giants, Untouchable at Home: Honor of Kings is a $10 billion-plus machine, with 99 percent of revenue from China and a massive rebranding push in 2025. PUBG (China and global) still brings $120–180 million a day. Dungeon & Fighter’s mobile launch is a new top-10 contender.

Category Movers: Gossip Harbor (+76 percent in six months) and Tasty Travels are scaling the merge genre to new highs, while Township’s relentless content drops make it the most stable revenue engine in the Playrix portfolio. Gardenscapes and Homescapes are steady, but Township is the new king.

Gacha Spikes & Declines: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Honkai Star Rail, and the MiHoYo/HoYoverse catalog are defined by spikes and dips—each banner, new set, or collaboration moves millions, but overall trends are down.

Supercell’s Double Life: Brawl Stars is declining after a wild 2024, but Clash Royale’s merge tactics update drove a surprise revenue spike. Clash of Clans and other classics are still stable, with web shop dollars boosting the baseline.

Key Takeaway:

The market is bigger, richer, and more dynamic than ever—but the winners are the ones playing the portfolio game, pushing multi-game launches, and finding new ways to own the top 25. If you want to break in, you better bring more than one hit.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

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

Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.

https://www.vibe.co/

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,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

Chapters

00:00 Overview of Mobile Game Revenue Trends

05:02 Top Grossing Games Analysis

08:24 Game Dynamics and Market Competition

11:10 Impact of Updates and Marketing Strategies

14:02 Emerging Games and Future Predictions

17:22 Regional Performance and User Engagement

20:13 Concluding Thoughts and Future Insights

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

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]

Today, we break down Granny: the solo-developed mobile horror hit that racked up a billion downloads and $50,000 daily ad revenue with no UA, no team, and nothing but YouTube virality.

You’ll learn:

The secrets behind Granny’s viral growth and billion-plus downloads

Why four simple interstitials are better than banners, IAP, or rewarded video

How meme culture, Let’s Plays, and YouTube Shorts keep the DAU high

How a lack of mediation and adops left $50 million on the table

What makes Granny so replayable—and why nobody’s cloned the formula

The untapped goldmine of horror games on mobile

Key Takeaway:

You do not need a team, UA, or even high production values to win. Build for memes, embrace virality, and never underestimate the power of a good scare on mobile.

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

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

Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.

https://www.vibe.co/

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

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 Introduction to Granny: The Horror Game

04:26 Game Mechanics and Design Exploration

07:27 Gameplay Experience and Strategies

10:26 Monetization and Revenue Insights

13:26 Multiple Endings and Replayability

16:23 Personal Reflections on Horror Games

19:22 The Evolution of Granny: From One to Two

21:50 Connecting the Dots: Granny and Slendrina Lore

23:57 The Passion Behind Game Development

26:42 Analyzing Download Trends and User Engagement

31:08 Revenue Insights: The Financials of Granny Games

35:17 Optimizing Ad Placements for Better User Experience

36:18 Game Design and Monetization Strategies

37:29 Understanding Ad Mediation and Revenue Loss

39:52 Calculating Potential Revenue Losses

42:00 Leveraging YouTube for Marketing

44:09 The Impact of Horror Games on YouTube

46:05 Challenges in the Horror Game Genre

50:01 Future of Horror Games and Closing Thoughts

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 Century Games’ Tasty Travels, the new merge hit muscling into a category long dominated by Travel Town and Microfun. Tasty Travels is not just a clone.

It’s a polished, high-velocity merge machine, doubling the ARPDAU of Travel Town and already scaling toward $200,000 daily revenue, with a launch playbook built on AI, altered gameplay, and relentless creative iteration.

We explore why Century’s approach to UA and live ops could make them a serious threat to every top-grossing merge game and why nobody wants to go head-to-head against them.

What’s inside:

Insane UA and Creatives

Onboarding and Pace

Events, Live Ops, and Monetization

Market Impact!

Clone Wars and Copycats

Key Takeaway:

Tasty Travels is not just another merge game. It’s Century Games' statement that nobody is safe from a studio that can outspend, outclone, and out-iterate the entire category.

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

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

Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.

https://www.vibe.co/

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

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

Youtube: https://youtu.be/IreEye1zjF0

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 Tasty Travels

04:14 Gameplay Mechanics and Features

07:15 Comparative Analysis with Travel Town

10:06 User Experience and Game Economy

13:22 Event Structures and Engagement

16:15 Innovative Elements and User Acquisition Strategies

21:13 Introduction to UA Play and Gameplay Mechanics

24:15 Live Operations and Monetization Strategies

27:14 Ad Monetization in Merge Games

31:16 Revenue Insights and Market Trends

37:46 Future Predictions and Competitive Landscape

40:17 Exploring Creative Strategies in Gaming

43:26 The Role of User Acquisition in Game Success

46:42 Innovations in Game Design and User Engagement

51:51 Competitive Landscape in the Gaming Industry

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

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]

In this solo episode, Matej breaks down the new rules of user acquisition for mobile games in 2025, backed by real survey data from 20,000+ newsletter subs and hundreds of UA managers.

Full report: https://lancaric.substack.com/p/q1-2025-brutally-honest-ua-report

From channel splits and rewarded UA to the creative volume arms race, fraud, AI hacks, and why your next UA hire needs to be a creative prompt engineer, nothing is off the table. This is the data-driven, brutally honest update the industry needs.

What’s inside:

UA Channel Reality: Most studios still pump 80 percent of spend into Facebook and Google, even when running across nine channels and doing seven million a year. Some are forced to pause Facebook or shift heavy budgets to Applovin—yet diversification is still rare and risky.

Rewarded UA Surge: Rewarded UA channels are exploding, with more vendors than ever. The scale is better, but fraud and LTV prediction remain massive headaches. Retention falls off after D7, so you need tougher targets, multi-step offers, and real post-install engagement to make the math work.

Creative Arms Race: The volume of creatives needed has never been higher. The best ad-monetized games now pump out 2,000+ creatives a quarter—more shots on goal, more winners, and more chance to beat your “stuck” top creative. Iteration and refresh speed is everything.

AI Eats Creative: AI-generated creatives, AI UGC, and meta-style hooks are not a trend—they’re the new default. The best teams use AI to pump out, localize, and iterate hooks, voiceovers, and even UGC cameos faster than ever.

Creative Testing & Skills: Most teams test new creatives by launching them straight into BAU (business as usual) campaigns, rather than in separate tests. TikTok and Apple, not just Facebook, are where new winners show up. If your UA manager can’t write a killer AI prompt, you’re already behind.

Key Takeaway:

2025 is not about more channels or smarter spend—it’s about creative firepower, AI leverage, and hiring UA pros who are part prompt engineer, part analyst, part storyteller. Copy the benchmarks, scale the winners, and never stop refreshing.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

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

Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.

https://www.vibe.co/

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

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 Lancaric⁠

Youtube: https://youtu.be/8tC8hnnDbiw

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 State of User Acquisition

04:19 Key Findings from the UA Survey

07:12 Current Trends in User Acquisition Channels

10:09 Challenges in Rewarded User Acquisition

13:19 Creative Strategies for Effective User Acquisition

16:12 The Role of AI in Creative Production

19:22 Testing and Iterating Creatives

22:22 Future Skills for User Acquisition Managers

25:05 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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

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]