This episode of Two and a Half Gamers dives deep into UA financing with Jeff Cohen from PVX Partners, unpacking how mobile game studios can scale without giving up equity. Jeff breaks down the mechanics of non-dilutive funding, explains why not all financing partners are created equal, and reveals the traps founders fall into when choosing a lender.
Founders' guide: How to choose the right UA financing partner
https://pvxpartners.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-ua-financing-partner-a-founders-guide
Key insights include:
UA financing ≠ publishing — best for post-product market fit games with proven ROAS curves.
Funding scale: PVX clients receive between $500K and $2M/month, with the largest hitting $4M/month.
Market potential: UA financing is projected to hit $2.5B by 2027.
Flexibility matters — some lenders force you to take capital every month, even when you don’t need it, which burns cash.
Hidden costs: setup fees, legal fees, bundled SaaS tools you don’t need.
Risk management: Understand secured vs unsecured loans. With PVX, the risk is on them if funded cohorts don’t pay back.
Alignment is key — avoid lenders whose primary business isn’t lending (publishers, VCs, SaaS providers with side financing).
Scalability: Choose a partner who can grow your facility with you so you don’t stall at scale.
Main takeaway: Treat UA financing like raising equity — vet the partner’s reputation, structure, and incentives as if your studio’s future depends on it… because it does.
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
---------------------------------------
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: Jeff Cohen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-cohen-29930455/
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 UA Financing
04:09 Understanding UA Financing
06:57 The Need for UA Financing
09:53 Choosing the Right UA Financing Partner
12:30 The Business Model of UA Financing
15:29 Pricing and Interest Rates in UA Financing
18:36 Flexibility and Facility Size in UA Financing
22:58 Understanding Risk Management in Lending
25:32 The Importance of Counterparty Risk
29:10 Aligning Incentives Between Lenders and Borrowers
32:46 Navigating Secured vs Unsecured Loans
39:06 Evaluating Lenders: Key Considerations and Red Flags
---------------------------------------
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 - matej@lancaric.me
Chip Thurston, Head of Gaming at FastSpring, returns to Two and a Half Gamers with explosive updates on the Apple and Google rulings that are blowing open the direct-to-consumer (D2C) floodgates. Since Apple’s April ruling unlocked steering — legally directing players from your game to an off-platform payment page — publishers have shifted millions in revenue from Apple and Google to their own web shops, keeping the 30% cut and boosting player value.
Key insights from the episode:
Steering Levels: From conservative in-game banners to aggressive side-by-side pricing and direct-to-checkout flows, publishers are experimenting with how far they can push players to web shops.
Impact Numbers: Playtika reports 25% of revenue now comes from D2C, equating to $667M/year not tracked by Sensor Tower or AppMagic.
Friction Is Dead: New checkout flows get players from game to web payment and back in under 10 seconds.
Global Domino Effect: US first, Japan’s ruling hits Dec 18, 2025, with Brazil, Spain, and Korea exploring similar laws.
Google Twist: Upcoming ruling could allow in-app third-party payments, not just web-based — potentially game-changing.
Why Not Everyone Jumps: 43% of studios still have no web shop — mostly due to fear of Apple/Google retaliation (with zero confirmed cases).
Optimization Endgame: Big publishers now mediate between multiple payment providers, routing by region, payment method, or even pricing for maximum margin.
Bottom line: The payments landscape is shifting fast. Studios that delay web shop adoption are literally leaving money on the table — and their competitors are scooping it up
Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop
---------------------------------------
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: Chip Thurston
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thurstonchip/
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 Context of Payment Rulings
04:18 Shifts in Payment Strategies Post-Ruling
07:05 Exploring Steering Techniques in Mobile Games
09:39 Direct-to-Consumer Revenue Insights
12:35 Examples of Successful Web Store Implementations
15:25 Incentivizing Players to Use Web Stores
18:27 The Impact of Unaccounted Revenue
21:12 Future of Payment Regulations Globally
23:58 The Role of Multiple Payment Providers
26:47 The Evolution of Direct-to-Consumer Strategies
29:38 Anticipating Future Rulings and Changes
32:12 Conclusion and Future Outlook
---------------------------------------
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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - 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 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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - 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 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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
Inside Bending Spoons: the $2.5 billion app juggernaut behind Evernote, Remini, Splice, and more.
Special guest Darius reveals the hacks behind viral UA, review scores, creative iteration, and the brutal playbook that’s rewriting consumer SaaS.
You’ll learn:
The secrets behind Bending Spoons’ $500 million annual revenue
Why TikTok, Shorts, and Reels are more powerful than any ad network for app growth
The playbook for cutting costs, boosting review scores, and scaling faster than competitors
Why retention is all about renewals, not DAU or D30
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: Darius Mora
Youtube channel: @DariusMora
https://www.linkedin.com/in/moravcik/
Youtube: https://youtu.be/xP3AziedKW0
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 Bending Spoons and Guests
02:49 Bending Spoons' Unique Business Model
08:21 Hiring Practices and Company Culture
11:19 Acquisitions and Market Strategy
18:17 Transitioning from Gaming to App Development
24:15 The Impact of Viral Trends on App Success
29:37 User Acquisition and Marketing Techniques
34:14 Subscription Models and User Retention Strategies
37:31 Key Metrics for Success
39:23 Understanding Retention and Monetization in Gaming
41:11 Creative User Acquisition Strategies
42:09 Manipulating Reviews for Better App Ratings
44:07 Leveraging TikTok for User Acquisition
50:19 Navigating Paid User Acquisition Challenges
53:28 The Importance of Creative Testing
55:39 The Power of Authentic Content in Marketing
---------------------------------------
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 - 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 Lancaric
In this live session, the hosts discuss various aspects of game design, gameplay mechanics, monetization strategies, and the future of game development. They provide insights into the gameplay of a specific game, analyze its mechanics, and compare it with other games in the market. The conversation also touches on audience engagement and upcoming events in the gaming industry.
takeaways
The live session format allows for real-time audience interaction.
Gameplay mechanics can often be misleading in marketing.
Deterministic level design enhances player experience and engagement.
Monetization strategies are crucial for game sustainability.
Comparative analysis helps understand market positioning.
Future trends in gaming focus on user engagement and innovative mechanics.
Audience interaction can provide valuable feedback for developers.
Events like Gamescom and ChinaJoy are important for networking.
Game performance metrics are essential for assessing success.
The gaming industry is evolving with new monetization models.
titles
Exploring Game Design in a Live Session
Gameplay Mechanics Unveiled
Sound Bites
"We are live!"
"This is a game changer!"
"We need to have a soundboard!"
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Live Session
03:07 Gameplay Overview and Mechanics
07:15 Game Design and Difficulty Progression
10:01 Monetization Strategies and User Engagement
12:52 Comparative Analysis of Game Performance
18:37 Future of Puzzle Games and Market Trends
28:10 The Scale of Game Revenue
30:16 The Evolution of User Acquisition Strategies
32:56 Insights on Game Development and Monetization
39:21 Analyzing Game Performance and Revenue Projections
45:41 The Future of Game Development Strategies
---------------------------------------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 LancaricLatest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/stay-ahead-in-ua-for-2024-my-top?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=trueDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask Matej AI - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai
Jakub Remiar dives into Uma Musume Pretty Derby’s “Spark” and legacy mechanics—one of the most advanced progression and inheritance systems in any mobile RPG. See why this game’s depth is pulling 100,000 downloads a day and racking up 450,000 dollars daily revenue even outside Japan. From Genshin-style stat RNG to community-driven parent borrowing, you’ll learn why this system is built for both theorycrafters and casuals, and why it’s suddenly trending in the West.
You’ll learn:
How legacy and spark inheritance work, and why this is deeper than anything in Western gacha
Why are there sixty-page guides and two hundred-page translations just to optimize your team
The power of borrowing “whale” parents and building the perfect run
How no-level, stat-based progression makes Uma Musume endlessly replayable
What makes this system so viral on YouTube, Shorts, and Steam right now
Why every risk-reward decision and endless RNG roll keeps the meta alive
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/jk7CmPs4JRY
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 Umo Musume Pretty Derby
04:54 The Roguelite System Explained
08:12 The Legacy System and Its Importance
11:05 Understanding the Spark System
13:59 Social Mechanics and Community Impact
16:53 Replayability and Randomness in Gameplay
20:13 Future Potential and Game Design Insights
---------------------------------------
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 - 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 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 is a tour through the wildest creative trends dominating mobile games in June 2025.
We break down why two- and three-minute video ads are everywhere, how AI hooks and long-form ASMR are pre-qualifying high-value users, and why the best-performing creatives this month are often stitched together from hits of the past.
What’s inside:
Long-Form Video Surge
Copy-Paste Mania
ASMR and Satisfying Loops
AI-Driven Innovation
Clone Wars and IP Theft
Real Life and UGC
Key Takeaway:
If you are not testing long-form videos, iterating ASMR or AI hooks, and watching what your competitors are copying, you are missing out. Quality and innovation are moving at warp speed, and copy-paste is the new default.
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:
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 Creative Trends in Mobile Gaming
04:24 Analyzing Recent Creative Campaigns
07:32 The Impact of Video Length on User Engagement
10:27 Innovations in Game Advertising
13:23 Exploring AI in Game Marketing
16:25 Case Studies: Successful Game Creatives
19:16 Conclusion and Future Trends
20:26 Understanding Player Perception
22:34 Innovative Ad Strategies
26:15 Analyzing Game Trends
30:08 Marketing Strategies for Game Growth
35:22 Emerging Trends in ASMR and Casual Gaming
37:32 Innovations in Game Development and User Engagement
39:22 The Role of User-Generated Content in Gaming
41:07 The Impact of AI on Game Creatives
44:46 AI Developments and Their Influence on Game Marketing
53:08 Conclusion and Future Insights in Gaming
---------------------------------------
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 - 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 Lancaric
We unpack KnitOut by Rollic, a surprising hit blending simple, relaxing puzzle mechanics with clever monetization and UA execution. Underneath the soothing yarn is a sophisticated, scalable system that echoes the Turkish studio’s proven blueprint.
KnitOut is already generating $ 60,000 daily revenue and 20,000 downloads a day, with the US accounting for sixty percent of revenue and CPIs exceeding $10.
What’s inside:
Core Gameplay: Addictive bench mechanic, yarn “block jam” puzzle core, and highly satisfying ASMR touches.
Monetization: Interstitials start after level sixteen or eighteen. First rewarded ad comes with an upsell to “remove ads” IAP. No banners.
Creative Strategy
Blueprint for Hits: Rollic’s process is all about finding a sticky core, tuning every curve, scaling hard, and only adding events or meta once retention and monetization benchmarks are proven. Hundreds of prototypes feed the pipeline, but only a handful get to scale.
Key Takeaway:
KnitOut looks simple, but it is a masterclass in “build core first, polish to perfection, then scale with data.” The Turkish blueprint continues to win, even as clones flood the market.
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/o22Ky7sGWqs
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
04:27 Gameplay Mechanics and Strategy
07:25 Game Difficulty and Progression
10:27 Monetization Strategies and User Engagement
13:23 Comparative Analysis with Other Games
16:33 Development Insights and Future Prospects
21:45 Understanding Game Monetization Strategies
25:30 Analyzing Game Performance Metrics
29:25 The Shift in Ad Revenue Dynamics
33:46 Creative Strategies in Game Marketing
38:06 The Importance of Creative Length in Ads
---------------------------------------
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 - matej@lancaric.me
In this solo episode, Felix Braberg walks through the six most effective ad placements he’s tested and rolled out across top ad-monetized mobile games and client portfolios in 2024 and 2025.
Drawing from live examples in games like Woodoku, Happy Color, Screwmaster 3D, Subway Surfers, and more, Felix details exactly how to engineer ad placements that boost ARPDAU, drive first purchases, and turn non-payers into rewarded ad whales.
What’s inside:
Step Offer Chains: Build offers as a chain of steps—first offering free items, then a rewarded ad, then paid, and finally more free, creating a mental ladder that nudges first-time purchases and ad engagement. Use notification buttons to highlight available rewarded ads.
Recency Effect Monetization: Use mediation hacks to always serve the highest eCPM ad unit. Supersonic’s tactic: on app open, cache both rewarded and interstitial ads, then dynamically check which one pays more at every impression. Serve interstitials in rewarded slots if they outpay, but never the reverse.
Convert-or-Die Placements: At every natural gameplay break, offer a rewarded ad first—if skipped, immediately serve an interstitial. Users quickly learn there is always an ad coming and will shift to rewarded for better value.
Store Exit Rewarded Ads: Instead of putting rewarded ads inside the store, show them as a standalone pop-up only if a user leaves the store without buying. This boosts conversion among non-payers and is now rolling out across portfolios at scale.
Unlockable Skins and Paint Jobs: Rewarded ads are used to unlock new skins, paint jobs, or game modes—sometimes requiring up to five ads for a single unlock. Use first cached ad eCPM to decide if a rewarded placement should show, especially for likely non-payers.
Meta Rewards for Ad Whales: Give users bonus rewards for hitting high ad-watch thresholds (ten ads a day unlocks a speed buff, for example). This turns high-volume ad viewers into meta progression junkies, boosting both ad ARPDAU and retention.
Key Takeaway:
Test these placements, track them against the best ad-monetized games in the market, and always iterate. Small changes in placement, sequence, and creative lead to big jumps in revenue—especially for non-payers and ad whales.
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: Felix Braberg
Youtube: https://youtu.be/blw0JNMcfh8
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 Placements
04:09 Exploring Effective Ad Strategies
10:20 Innovative Ad Placement Techniques
15:06 Meta Rewards and Long-Term Engagement
Felix Braberg
Ad monetization consultant
https://www.felixbraberg.com
---------------------------------------
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 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
We go deep on Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Japan’s gacha horse girl sensation, and a masterclass in roguelite meta complexity. With real horse DNA, multi-layered training runs, six gacha layers, and a live ops cadence that powers up to 72 million dollars per launch month, Uma Musume is a unicorn in the global market—an RPG sim that’s too Japanese for most of the West, but a billion-dollar franchise at home.
What’s inside:
Japan-First, World-Second: Ninety-five percent of all revenue still comes from Japan.
Insane Revenue Per Download
True Roguelite Progression: Training runs carry over legacy stats, traits, and inspiration from previous “parents.” Every decision in a run matters. Social features like friend-run inheritance and deep support card gacha fuel endless replay.
Authentic Horse Girl DNA
Too Complex for the West: The English launch saw a brief spike (three hundred thousand dollars in a day) but quickly dropped. Complexity, visual style, and waifu focus make it a core product for otaku and hardcore sim fans.
Key Takeaway:
Uma Musume Pretty Derby is proof that deep, highly local games with real social and meta layers can still print billions, if you own your niche and deliver unmatched complexity.
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, Matej Lancaric
Youtube: https://youtu.be/HmKZaCWlDBI
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 Uma Musume Pretty Derby
06:02 Understanding the Game's Popularity and Mechanics
09:11 The Unique Design and Gameplay of Uma Musume
12:02 The Evolution of Horse Racing Games
15:10 Rogue-lite Mechanics in Uma Musume
17:58 Character Selection and Training Strategies
21:06 The Role of Support Cards and Skills
27:03 Final Thoughts on Gameplay and Complexity
37:19 Racing Mechanics and Strategies
42:13 Game Progression and Challenges
55:22 Monetization and Gacha Mechanics
01:01:24 Marketing Strategies and Community Engagement
Matej Lancaric
User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant
https://lancaric.me
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 - matej@lancaric.me
We dissect the phenomenon of FPS Strike, a low-poly, Counter-Strike-inspired mobile shooter racking up more than 4 million DAU, mostly across India, Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt, and Southeast Asia. Despite its massive scale, nearly everything about the game is stuck in the “admon nightmare” zone—zero iOS presence, almost no user acquisition, unoptimized ad stack, endless rewarded ads, and zero LiveOps. Yet, even with all those gaps, it is still a money-printing machine, generating $30,000 to $50,000 a day, primarily from video ads and interstitials.
What’s inside:
Ad Stack Trainwreck
Ads Everywhere, Little Monetization
Creative and UA Fail
Fake Counter-Strike, Real Results: The “nostalgia” is more about experiencing a shooter for the first time on mobile, not actual Counter-Strike memories. Simple graphics, bots for everyone, and a skin shop that barely matters.
Key Takeaway:
You do not need next-gen graphics or live PVP to win in Tier 3. But if you do not optimize your ad stack, creatives, and UA, you are burning money every day. FPS Strike is a case study in “good enough” that could be so much more.
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
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 to the Game Landscape
04:42 Analyzing Game Metrics and User Engagement
07:38 Gameplay Mechanics and User Experience
10:38 Monetization Strategies and Ad Integration
13:36 Game Features and User Retention Strategies
18:27 The Importance of Monetization Strategies
21:08 Ad Revenue Insights and Optimization
24:51 Maximizing Ad Stack Efficiency
27:37 User Engagement and Retention Strategies
31:38 Influencer Marketing and Organic Growth
35:34 Game Mechanics and Player Experience
38:42 Future of FPS Games and Industry Trends
---------------------------------------
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 - matej@lancaric.me
