PocketGamer.biz Podcast

This week, the hosts dive into Ubisoft's notable delays and challenges, revealing the impact on their stock prices. They discuss Genshin Impact's monumental achievement, reaching $6.3 billion in just four years while facing some hurdles. The conversation also addresses Netflix's expansion into gaming with a new title related to Lord of the Rings and explores the role of AI in language learning, spotlighting Duolingo's innovative approach. It's a fascinating look at the vibrant yet complex world of mobile gaming.

Safia Dawood, a Senior Data Scientist at Moloco with a rich background at major tech companies like Ubisoft and Meta, dives into the complexities of data in mobile gaming. She highlights how data alone doesn't drive success; context is crucial. Safia discusses market trends, the importance of remarketing, and strategies to boost engagement and repeat purchases. She also reveals insights into what top-performing games are doing differently and identifies emerging trends that developers should watch closely for future growth.

Craig Chapple, a mobile games industry commentator, Paige Cook, an expert analyst on trends, and Aaron Astle, a contributor focused on the latest developments, discuss Playtika's staggering $1.95 billion acquisition of SuperPlay. They shed light on the secretive yet lucrative world of WeChat Minigames, revealing how it generated $2.3 billion in just the first half of 2024. The trio also analyzes the shifting landscape of mobile gaming and why companies are moving away from traditional gaming models.

Patrick McSteen, an App & Game Monetisation Expert with extensive experience, joins the discussion with hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. They explore how strategic ad monetisation can determine whether an app becomes a unicorn, camel, or hog. Patrick shares insights on optimizing ad revenue without hurting in-app purchases, the importance of integrating monetisation into game design, and overcoming resistance in studios. He also emphasizes leveraging user behavior data for creative ad placements that enhance engagement.

Oscar Clark, CEO of Fundamentally Games, joins the discussion to share insights on Unity's recent decision to cancel its controversial Runtime Fee, a significant shift for developers. The team also dives into Microsoft's job cuts post-Activision Blizzard acquisition and the broader implications on the gaming workforce. They touch on Apple's iPhone 16 announcement and the impact of Dutch Games Garden's closure. Emphasizing the industry's challenges, they reflect on trust issues and innovation dynamics in mobile gaming.

Mariusz Gąsiewski, a leading expert in mobile gaming and apps at Google, known as 'The Insights Guy', discusses the importance of data in game development. He reveals emerging trends in casual and strategy games while highlighting shifts in revenue dynamics, particularly between the UK, Germany, and the declining US market. Gąsiewski emphasizes adapting strategies for different audiences, the rise of hybrid casual games, and opportunities in emerging markets like Brazil and Saudi Arabia, providing invaluable insights for game developers.

Traditionally, studios faced a tough choice: either crank out hypercasual games at speed or concentrate on crafting deeper player engagement with fewer releases. TapNation breaks this mould—and brilliantly—mastering both approaches to top 1 billion downloads just four years after its founding. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Vincent Février, Chief Marketing Officer at TapNation, returns to share the winning strategies behind the company’s rapid rise and recent acquisition of UA Hero. Vincent unveils how TapNation’s company culture fosters creativity and bold moves, driving the daring shifts in its marketing strategy that spurred a near 10% LTV uplift. He explores how their focus on product-led growth drives long-term engagement, reveals the CMP TapNation chose to power customer-driven privacy policies, and shares the retention and retargeting strategies proven to keep and call back players. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 03:00 - Hiring at TapNation 06:29 - A shift in marketing 11:02 - Product-led growth 13:28 - Where the success comes from 17:24 - Why the next billion downloads will be harder to get 19:22 - Real-growth retention strategies 22:29 - A win-back reward 27:03 - How TapNation hacks hybrid ad mon 33:25 - CMPs affecting revenue 36:39 - TapNation's main goal in the next 12 months 42:44 - Wrapping up * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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, Daniel Griffiths, and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We delve into Savvy Games Group's big MENA investments and partnerships, the closure of Finnish developer Lightneer, and how Pokémon Masters EX has quietly generated $335m+ in gross revenue. Craig also talks about the Godzilla movies a little bit too much. ** 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/ 👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/ **Articles** 👉🏻 Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/savvy-games-group-strikes-key-deals-to-power-mena-industry-growth/ 👉🏻 It's lights out at Lightneer as the studio officially announces closure - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/its-lights-out-at-lightneer-as-the-studio-officially-announces-closure/ 👉🏻 Pokémon Masters EX turns five: Lessons from an IP and monetisation masterpiece - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pokmon-masters-ex-turns-five-lessons-from-an-ip-and-monetisation-masterpiece/

Pixel United, known for its portfolio of popular F2P titles and millions of active players, has nailed the art of squeezing revenue from ads without squeezing the fun out of a game. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Kelly Kang, Senior Director of Ad Monetisation & Partnerships at Pixel United, joins host Peggy Anne Salz to share pages from her playbook and to shed light on what the role of an ad monetisation manager means in today’s games market. Kelly delves into her unexpected experiences in the role, the importance of collaborating with game developers, and which ad formats truly deliver value. She also explores why brands are slow to embrace in-game ads, the effectiveness of in-app header bidding, and what it takes to build a top-tier ad monetisation team. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - The unexpected part of the job 07:12 - Convincing the game devs 10:45 - Which ad formats are worth the hype 13:43 - What's different about the offer wall?  15:56 - Why are brands lagging behind? 18:52 - How to get in front of brands 23:20 - What the agencies want 27:06 - Experiences with CMPs 30:28 -What does ad-mon really do?  34:50 - Is in-app bidding really better? 37:41 - What does it take to build a good ad-mon team? 41:10 - Favourite games Q&A  43:00 - The mark ad-mon can leave on a studio * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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, Daniel Griffiths, and Paige Cook from PocketGamer.biz delve into the standout trends from Gamescom 2024. They discuss Apple’s new policies in response to regulatory pressure and how this impacts the mobile gaming landscape. The excitement surrounding the exclusive reveal of Monument Valley 3 for Netflix is palpable. There’s also a spotlight on the rise of Eastern game developers and the evolving revenue trends, particularly the backlash against the 30% revenue share model. Insights into new game features like rewarded ads in Monopoly Go add to the conversation.