two & a half gamers

What if you built a puzzle game in the most crowded genre on earth……and scaled it to 5M downloads per month?In this episode, we sit down with Vlad from Malpa Games and Ritzki from PVX Partners to unpack:Why Malpa focused on production before ideas90%+ ad revenue strategyWhy is ad tolerance in puzzles insanely highHow Cardscapes grew 200% month over monthWhy AppLovin ROAS campaigns are the scaling engineHow UA cohort financing unlocked aggressive growthThe truth about incentivized traffic in ad-heavy gamesWhy retention beats everything in ad monetized scalingThis is not a flashy hybrid casual story.This is disciplined production, AB testing, and pure operational excellence.🔥 Key TakeawaysProduction is more than a “Brilliant Idea”1% retention lift = huge winScale increases ad marginsIncent traffic works if you tune your gameCohort financing removes cashflow ceilingAppLovin ROAS = main growth engineEvergreen puzzles can still explodeGet 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---------------------------------------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 Lancaric⁠Special guests: Uladzimir Tsimashkou & Ridzki Syahputerahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ridzkisyahputera/[Malpa Games Website] https://malpagames.com/[Uladzimir Tsimashkou] https://www.linkedin.com/in/tsimox/[Malpa Games LD] https://www.linkedin.com/company/malpagames/Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – Why Cardscapes Is Exploding02:00 – Malpa’s 10-Year Production Philosophy06:00 – 90%+ Ad Monetization Strategy10:00 – Why Puzzle Ad Tolerance Is So High14:00 – Scaling with AppLovin ROAS18:00 – Why Facebook Doesn’t Work Here21:00 – Incentivized Traffic & Ad Tuning26:00 – Cohort Financing with PVX Partners30:00 – Why Scale Increases Ad Margins34:00 – Retention vs Monetization Tradeoffs38:00 – Final Lessons for Founders---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

D2C Trends 2026: Steering is still allowed in the US. No fees (for now). But that window is closing. In this episode, we sit down with Chip Thurston from FastSpring to break down:The current state of D2C in the USJapan’s 15–20% platform feesBrazil joining the partyApple’s 7-day attribution windowGoogle’s 24-hour windowWhy this might actually increase D2C adoptionHow to treat web shops like e-commerce brandsWhy hybrid monetization is the real playThis isn’t theory.This is how publishers are thinking about 2026.🧠 Key TakeawaysThe no-fee US window won’t last foreverJapan and Brazil are the blueprintPlatform fees don’t kill D2C — they mature itTreat web shop CAC like paid UAMid-core and social casino win differentlyEmail + community = long-term marginGet 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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Special guest: Chip Thurstonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/thurstonchip/Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – The D2C Jet Fuel Moment02:30 – The US No-Fee Steering Window05:00 – Japan’s 15–20% Platform Fees08:00 – The 24h vs 7-Day Attribution Problem11:00 – Web Shop as Customer Acquisition Cost14:00 – Segmenting Payers Smartly18:00 – Why Hybrid Monetization Wins22:00 – Mid-Core vs Social Casino D2C26:00 – When Should You Launch a Web Shop?30:00 – Brazil & Global Regulation Trends34:00 – The Future of Direct-to-Consumer---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo 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 is special. We sit down with Akin Babayigit — early Facebook gaming, Audience Network launch team, King, co-founder of Tripledot, investor at Arcadia — to talk about what actually builds winning game studios.We go deep into:Why Pixelflow explodedWhy Match Villains keeps growingWhy China, Turkey & Vietnam are aheadWhy copying doesn’t kill winnersWhy are ads misunderstood?Why execution beats everythingAnd why is there no such thing as an “end game” in your careerThis is not surface-level advice. This is 15+ years of pattern recognition distilled into one conversation.🧠 Key TakeawaysExecution beats ideas (but intuition is back)If you know you have something, scale aggressivelyAds are not the enemy. Poor integration is.Turkey’s gaming ecosystem is structurally advantagedChina wins because of patience + scaleMatch-3 is not dead — the bar is just brutalLong-term greedy beats short-term greedyThere is no finish line in building--------------------------------------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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Special guest: Akin Babayigithttps://www.linkedin.com/in/akinbabayigit/Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SAChapters00:00 – Why This Episode Is Special02:10 – Akin’s Background (Facebook → King → Tripledot → Arcadia)06:00 – The Birth of Audience Network10:00 – Ads: The Most Misunderstood Revenue Stream16:00 – Hybrid Monetization & CPM Decay20:00 – Pixelflow’s Explosive Growth27:00 – Copycats, China & Scaling Fast34:00 – Why Match Villains Keep Growing40:00 – Turkish Gaming Incentives Explained48:00 – China’s Work Ethic & Competitive Edge55:00 – Career Philosophy: There Is No End Game---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

Mobile revenue barely grew in 2025. Downloads fell on both app stores. Meanwhile 200,000+ new games launched across iOS and Google Play. The market is saturated and attention is fragmented.The only category that keeps expanding across downloads, revenue and time spent? Strategy. Especially 4X. Deep systems, high LTV, long retention curves. That’s where scale still exists.The lesson is simple. You can launch another puzzle game. You can chase trends. Or you can build depth and monetization power. In 2026, monetization design and category selection matter more than ever.---------------------------------------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 Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – Strategy Is Still Expanding (Hello Kingshot)00:30 – Fresh Game Launches This Week01:15 – Tencent x Blockblast Talks01:55 – ByteDance Selling Moonton?02:20 – Sensor Tower State of Gaming 202603:05 – 55K Games Launched… Downloads Falling03:30 – Rainbow Six Mobile Goes Global03:50 – Agatha Christie & Survivor Partnerships04:10 – Playtika Earnings Breakdown---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo 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 break down War Inc: Rise, the new title from the studio behind Art of War: Legions - a game that previously generated over $150M.The gameplay? Solid.The systems? Efficient.The monetization? Confusing.The UA strategy? Questionable.We dive into:Why War Inc feels like Battle Legion + Lucky Defense combinedHow Fastone Games recycled their old IP smartlyWhy ad monetization is almost nonexistent (and why that’s crazy)The missed Applovin opportunityCreative strategy mistakes that cap scaleWhether this can become their next big hitThis game should be scaling 2–3x harder. It’s not. And the reason is simple.War Inc is actually good. Clean core loop. Smart recycling of IP from Art of War. Efficient production. Even layered modes like Lucky Defense built in.But here’s the problem.They barely monetize through ads. They don't push AppLovin. They’re still heavy on Facebook and Google. And their creative playbook looks like 2021.The lesson? In 2026, you can’t just build a good game. You need the full growth stack aligned. Miss one piece of the puzzle and you cap your scale.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 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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – “Why Isn’t This Game Bigger?”02:00 – First Impressions & Battle Legion Comparison06:30 – Core Loop Breakdown (Merge + Army Builder)10:30 – Gacha System Explained (And Why It’s Weird)15:30 – Limited Banner Strategy & Power Units18:30 – Lucky Defense Mode Inside War Inc23:00 – Why Co-Op Actually Matters26:00 – Comparing It to Art of War: Legions30:00 – Revenue & Spend Deep Dive ($40K/Day Reality)33:30 – Retention, Payback & Scaling Limits36:00 – Creative Strategy Review (What’s Missing)39:00 – The Ad Monetization Mistake41:30 – AppLovin, Blended ROAS & The Missed Scale43:00 – Final Verdict: Great Game, Capped Growth---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me

I also built a playable during the recording! Playables are no longer optional. If you're running on AppLovin, Unity, ironSource, or any SDK network and you don’t have playables, you’re leaving scale on the table.https://playablemaker.com/25gamers/ build your playables now!In this solo episode, I break down:• Why top games produce 60 playables per month• The real playable testing structure• Why “just wrapping your tutorial” doesn’t work• Template strategy vs gameplay fidelity• How to iterate instead of building from scratch every time• And I built a playable live on cameraThis episode is a teaser for the upcoming Playable Bible.If you want to scale outside Meta/Google/TikTok in 2026, this is mandatory.🧠 Key TakeawayPlayables are not a creative asset. They are a system these days. If you build one playable and stop, you lose. If you build a pipeline that outputs 5+ per month, you scale.Recent playable trends: https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/playable-ads-trends-in-mobile-games-127?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true---------------------------------------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 Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – Why Playables Are Mandatory in 202602:20 – The Shift to SDK Networks (AppLovin, Unity, etc.)05:00 – Why Longer Ad Units Convert Better07:30 – Build Playables as a System, Not One-Offs10:00 – What’s Working Now (4X, Merge, 3x3, Gates)13:00 – Templates vs Real Gameplay Debate16:00 – Anatomy of a Converting Playable19:00 – Testing Structure (Video + Playable Combinations)22:30 – Iteration Framework & Monthly Cadence25:00 – Case Study: 3x3 Puzzle That Scaled27:30 – Building a Playable Live (Quick Walkthrough)29:00 – Final Advice + Playable Bible Teaser---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

AI game creatives just made another massive leap. In this episode, we break down 127 new creatives across Dark War, Top Heroes, Township and more and the quality jump in just one month is honestly insane.We’re talking:• Full anime-quality world model sequences• AI influencers everywhere (grandmas, gamers, street interviews)• 50+ completely different “games” promoted under one title• Movie-level 4X fantasy ads• Hyper-niche creative strategy instead of broad targetingThis is not an incremental improvement. This is a structural shift in how UA works. If you run paid UA, creative production, or mobile marketing… this episode is mandatory.👇 Drop your hottest AI take in the comments. WE CAN'T WAIT!Key TakeawayThe creative strategy is shifting from “broad appeal” to “own every niche.”AI now allows studios to generate dozens of fully different game fantasies — and scale them all at once.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 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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – The AI quality jump in 30 days01:20 – 127 creatives this week (yes, seriously)03:25 – King Shot & localization with AI06:45 – AI influencers take over UGC09:50 – Cute overload & grandma trend12:10 – Stitching vs realism: does it even matter?14:30 – Dark War’s massive creative evolution20:30 – Old vs new: 1 month difference22:40 – The River team = top AI creative squad27:00 – Township & AI story hooks29:50 – Top Heroes goes nuclear (50+ concepts)33:00 – “All niches” strategy explained36:30 – Why this shouldn’t work… but does39:10 – AI fantasy RPGs that look real41:45 – What this means for UA teams---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

This week’s episode centers around two major AI developments in gaming. Unity claims its upcoming AI beta will allow developers to prompt full casual games into existence. At the same time, Meta has begun embedding Manus AI into Ads Manager, signaling deeper automation inside UA workflows. The industry is clearly shifting — but whether this is real product evolution or investor-driven positioning remains the big question.🧠 CORE INSIGHTS1️⃣ Unity Is Selling the “No Code” DreamPrompt-based game creation sounds revolutionary. But fully AI-generated casual games are not realistically replacing studios yet. Templates and tooling? Yes. Instant hits from text prompts? Not there.2️⃣ AI’s Real Impact Is MarketingCreative generation, playables, automation workflows — that’s where AI is actually changing mobile gaming today. Not full game engines.3️⃣ Meta Is Signaling AI MonetizationManus AI inside Ads Manager is less about utility and more about showing investors measurable AI impact. Automation + reporting + agents = Wall Street comfort.4️⃣ M&A & Global Power Shifts ContinueByteDance potentially selling Moonton to Saudi-backed Savvy signals broader strategic repositioning in gaming.5️⃣ Regulators Are WatchingThe UK's ban on Call of Duty’s ad shows edgy marketing still has limits. Creative boundaries matter.---------------------------------------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 Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join 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.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo 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 break down what’s really happening in mobile game creatives right now. Creative trends for January 2026 are here.. From Kingshot clones everywhere to Pixel Flow conveyor belts invading other genres… from 2022 impulse puzzles coming back to life… to the brutal truth about creative fatigue lasting DAYS instead of weeks.We look at Golden Goblins, Royal Kingdom, Match Factory, Tasty Travels, Tile Survive and more, and what their ads tell us about 2026.If you work in UA, creative production, or game marketing… this one matters.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 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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters0:00 – Why Creative Trends Matter More Than Ever2:45 – Golden Goblins & The Decline Curve6:20 – Creative Fatigue Is Now Measured in Days10:05 – Borrowing Hypercasual Mechanics Into 4X12:10 – Noob vs Pro Is Back16:00 – KingShot’s Influence Across Genres20:00 – Royal Kingdom, Block Blast & Fake Mini-Games23:10 – Tower War, Mob Control & Genre Crossovers28:40 – 2022 Concepts Are Working Again30:55 – Elevate vs Impulse & The “IQ App” Strategy33:00 – Tile Survive & Massive Playable Scaling36:45 – Tasty Travels & 10-Click Playables38:25 – The Real Lesson for 2026---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

If you think eCPM is the most important metric in ad monetization, this episode is for you.Felix breaks down:• eCPM vs Fill Rate• Why Ad ARPDAU is king• Recency model & impression decay• Why more ads can hurt revenue• SDK crash risks & ANR thresholds• Aggressive end cards & churn• How mediation doubles revenue• Networks vs exchanges explainedThis is a practical introduction to how mobile ads actually work once the SDK is live.Key takeaway:Ad monetization is not about showing more ads. It’s about optimizing per user.The biggest misconception in mobile ad monetization is obsessing over eCPM. eCPM alone is meaningless. Revenue comes from eCPM × fill rate, and the only metric that truly matters is Ad ARPDAU. That’s your real performance line of sight. If eCPM goes up but fill drops, you can still lose money. Networks respect publishers who talk about Ad ARPDAU because it shows you understand the business, not just vanity metrics.eCPMs are not fixed. They are dynamic and driven by complex algorithms. Networks use dozens of parameters including device type, geo, historical installs, auction loss rate, and most importantly recency models. The first few impressions per user are the most valuable. After 5–7 impressions, the per-unit value drops sharply. If you keep pushing more interstitials, you may increase impressions per DAU but flatten total revenue while damaging retention. More ads ≠ more money.Operational discipline separates professionals from amateurs. Never rush SDK updates. Android ANRs and crash thresholds can destroy organic distribution. Aggressive end cards increase churn. Mediation doubles revenue when implemented correctly because it creates a marketplace instead of a single buyer. And exchanges are not networks — they are resellers. Understanding these mechanics is the difference between earning $100 a day and scaling to $1,200+ before expanding demand sources.---------------------------------------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 Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – Why Most Studios Misunderstand Ads01:20 – The 4 Metrics That Actually Matter03:30 – Why eCPM Is Overrated05:10 – Ad ARPDAU: The Only Metric That Counts07:00 – How Networks Calculate eCPM09:20 – Recency Model & Impression Decay11:40 – Why More Ads Don’t Always Mean More Revenue13:00 – SDK Risks, ANRs & Crash Thresholds15:10 – Aggressive End Cards & Churn17:10 – Mediation Explained (Why It Doubles Revenue)---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://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 - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------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 LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai