We break down The Tower - an idle-defense hybrid that turned a solo dev into a millionaire.
We spoke directly with Anthony (Tech Tree Games) about design, monetization, and UA strategy.
🔥 Topics covered:
4-person team, 25 contractors
$80K/day revenue, 10% ads, FastSpring web store
Best-performing creative = the dev himself
How “The Perfect Tower” inspired this hit
💬 Quote:
“The Tower proves you don’t need art to make art.” - Matej Lančarič
“The Tower” by Tech Tree Games is the ultimate underdog success story:
a solo dev project turned $50M+ global hit built by four full-time employees and 25 contractors.
The game proves that mechanical depth, community obsession, and smart UA execution can outperform big studios — even with zero art and an Excel-like UI.
Three years after launch, The Tower still breaks records, generating up to $80K/day, driven by organic community power and a dedicated creator-led UA ecosystem.
“This is the Stardew Valley of mobile free-to-play.” - Jakub Remiar
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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric
Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Game Overview
02:14 Game Design Insights and Unique Features
06:22 Gameplay Mechanics and Strategies
14:31 In-Depth Game Analysis and Features
18:01 Game Mechanics and Optimization Strategies
22:50 Ad Revenue and Monetization Strategies
27:59 Game Design Inspirations and Core Mechanics
34:05 Community Engagement and Game Evolution
39:07 Game Design Excellence and Community Engagement
42:18 Creative Strategies in Game Marketing
45:42 The Cinderella Story of Game Development
49:33 Building a Strong Community and User Acquisition
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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
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Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
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