two & a half gamers by Lancaric.me

September 11, 2025 🌾 Little Farm Story: SayGames’ New #1 Title. The Ad Simulator Farming.

Today, we dissect Little Farm Story Idle Tycoon — SayGames’ latest farming-idle hybrid that feels like a mashup of Dreamdale, My Perfect Hotel, and Idle Breaker.

Key insights:

Gameplay Loop:

Clearing grass → unlocking fields → harvesting → selling resources.

Heavy reliance on ads for progression (resources, boosts, even eggs).

“Annoyance monetization”: progress gates force you to watch ads or buy “No Ads” pack.

Monetization:

~$67–70K/day in revenue.

~53% from ads, ~47% from IAP.

Ad breakdown: ~$24K rewarded, ~$10K interstitials, ~$500–700 from banners (“why bother?”).

“Remove Ads” pack is likely the top IAP — players pushed into it by frustration.

Design Choices:

Map expands with resource conversions (tomatoes → ketchup, chickens → eggs, wood → upgrades).

Inventory/capacity upgrades disguised as RPG-like gear, but tied to ad rewards.

Cosmetic shop + IAP items scattered on map.

UA & Creatives:

Ads mirror Township / Playrix resource ads and Century Games’ UA tricks (suction devices, backpacks).

Low-poly art style keeps CPIs down, but LTVs capped.

Playables + AI-generated UGC, but “Township-from-Wish” vibe.

Heavy interstitial cross-promo inside SayGames portfolio (even multiple in a row).

Market & Scaling:

Currently SayGames’ #1 title by IAP revenue.

~$2M monthly run rate, growing but not viral like Dreamdale or My Perfect Hotel.

Audience skew: ~63% US revenue, Tier 1 heavy.

Takeaway: Little Farm Story is a polished ad-driven idle hybrid, but its top IAP being “Remove Ads” caps its growth potential.

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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 and Game Overview

03:48 Gameplay Mechanics and Features

07:25 Monetization Strategies and Ads

12:42 In-App Purchases and User Experience

17:17 Revenue Insights and Conclusion

18:15 The Decline of Traditional Ads

19:23 User Acquisition Strategies in Gaming

21:17 Ad Monetization Archetypes

23:46 Comparative Analysis of Game Creatives

25:57 Performance Metrics and Revenue Insights