PocketGamer.biz Podcast (PGbiz Podcast)

Level up your next family game night! Peggy Anne Salz chats with Adam Cain, company owner, at PGC London about Pixel Playground, a brand offering immersive VR experiences for the whole family in Southport, UK. They dive into emerging technologies in the VR space, merging with mobile, and how to leverage cross-channel gameplay to get everyone in the family playing. Listen and learn!

Pixel Playground VR - https://pixelplaygroundvr.co.uk/Adam Cain - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/cainadam

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Let's Connect **👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover Supercell's big Squad Busters launch, compare Steam's user-first approach to discoverability that's at odds with Apple and Google's strategies, and discuss whether YouTube Playables will ever work.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

An evolving market calls for an evolved approach to user acquisition—one that treats players as individuals and weighs each user’s needs against all available acquisition tactics. When preparing to adopt this approach, though, game studios must consider one key question: Should they stick with the mainstream channels (META, Google, Apple, etc.) that provide reliability but unpredictable ROAS or focus their attention on alternative channels that bypass saturation and offer users that are 50% more likely to make in-app purchases? Studios face some tough choices in 2024, and this week’s guest encourages marketers to embrace the shift from “growth at all costs” to more targeted acquisition strategies yielding high-value users. We ring in the new year—and PG.biz podcast’s first anniversary with hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brain Baglow— with digital marketing veteran and Fluent Cofounder and Chief Customer Officer Matt Conlin. In this insights-filled episode, Matt reveals where some studios are missing the mark and evaluates how game-changing UA trends (including rewarded discovery and influencer marketing) light the path to sustainable growth. He also shares his exclusive SWOT analyses of UA channels (both new and old), what games studios can learn from retail, and, most importantly, which tactics will power profitability in 2024 and which are better left in 2023. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Happy 1 year to the podcast

02:20 - Trends to watch in 2024 

08:00 - The incentivised player

12:18 - The value of rewarded discovery

15:28 - SWOT analysis on rewarded platforms

19:37 - SWOT analysis on influencer marketing

23:10 - The new mobile landscape

26:24 - What's on the radar for 2024?

29:40 - How Fluent navigates rapid change

31:10 - Favourite games Q&A with Matt

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into how Lilith Games builds billion-dollar mobile games, discuss the Humble Games layoffs and the confusing messaging about its restructure/closure, and Craig gets angry about the definition of downloads.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 Inside mobile hitmaker Lilith Games - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/inside-mobile-hitmaker-lilith-games/

Blockchain gaming: a flash in the frying pan or an auspicious opportunity for the gaming industry? Gaming expert Martine Spaans leans toward the latter. In this episode, our cohosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, sit down with Martine to discuss this controversial corner of the gaming world. As General Manager of the Dutch Games Association and Founder of Tamalaki Games, Martine sees blockchain gaming as a new chance for many developers — new technology, new audiences, and new rewards. Throughout the episode, the trio discusses the blockchain economy's unique benefits and how Web3 offers a special space for community-building and interoperability. The group also ask existential questions like "What is a game?" and "How do games affect life outside of entertainment?" "I think it's important to move with the market and not stay too stationary for too long," says Martine. "Because in a fast-evolving industry like ours, it's a way of survival."

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introductions

03:03 - What is it like to work in games in the Netherlands?

06:35 - The Dutch gaming divide and challenges

09:19 - Martine's rise through the gaming world's ranks

15:32 - The benefits of being your own blockchain game publisher

20:53 - Understanding the difference between gamers and blockchain gamers

23:23 - The critical question: What is a game?

28:56 - Favourite games Q&A with Martine

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Greetings and salutations, people. Welcome to episode three of the PocketGamer.biz podcast, the premier audio periodical for the global mobile games market.

In this episode, the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the winners of the recent Mobile Games Awards, the news that two major ‘media’ companies are moving into games, and the troubling news that one of the world’s largest games publishers still can’t treat all of its staff equally, fairly or respectfully.

(02:50)

Our guest in this episode of the podcast is Mark Ettle, the founder and managing director of Cobra, a game development studio based in Dundee, Scotland. Mark is a pioneer of mobile gaming and a veteran of the games sector, starting his career with the legendary DMA Design, the studio behind Lemmings, Hired Guns, Body Harvest and that car theft game everyone seems to like.

Mark discusses the studio’s pioneering work in the App Store, it’s approach to development and why Cobra has gone from a mobile only, to a mobile first studio.

We round up with all of the forthcoming events, from the Steel Media network, including LaunchPad, the Big Indie Pitch, and the first sighting of the ever epic Pocket Gamer Connects Digital (#8 fact fans).

(33:00)

Show Notes

• Mobile Games Awards
• Netflix and Zoom move into games
• Activision Blizzard faces lawsuit and strike action as over 3,000 staff complain about discrimination and harrassment.
• Special guest: interview with Cobra Mobile’s Mark Ettle
• Pocket Gamer Launchpad (12-13/08/2021)
• The Big Indie Pitch (26/08/2021)
• Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #8 (27/09 - 01/10/2021)

Sit back, relax, prepare to be fascinated.

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts and ideas. Email us: podcast@pocketgamer.biz or get in touch via our @PGBiz handle on Twitter. 

If you’re enjoying the podcast, do please leave us a review or rating. We’d appreciate it.

Until next time - Listen, love, learn.

The PG.biz team

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Supercell is launching Squad Busters globally on May 29th, Embracer Group's break-up into three new public companies, the TikTok ban, and why Apple's Vision Pro isn't selling any headsets.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

How can publishers boost retention and user acquisition efforts and bring stability to their game all in one step? Teis Anker Mikkelsen says you can have it all by joining Multiscription and offering Unleashd, a cross-publisher subscription service for free-to-play games, to your players. In this on-location chat with our co-host Peggy Anne Salz, Teis explains how his company leverages the “strength in numbers” approach. The Multiscription co-founder and CEO works with publishers across genres, bundling their games into one package under one fee. In addition, Teis says that unifying under one service allows players to explore games they typically wouldn’t download and quickly revisit ones they’ve left, amplifying UA and simplifying retargeting campaigns. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Why use a subscription service for mobile gaming?

02:27 - Easy revenue and easier retargeting with Multiscription

04:27 - How to hook a subscriber and benefits to publishers

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook, Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discusses Playtika's $1.95bn acquisition of SuperPlay, dive into WeChat Minigames - the multi-billion dollar games platform you know nothing about, and analyse why games companies are moving away from gaming.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Playtika to acquire Dice Dreams developer SuperPlay for up to $1.95 billion - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/playtika-to-acquire-dice-dreams-developer-superplay-for-up-to-195-billion/ 👉🏻 Behind the scenes of WeChat Minigames and how it has generated $2.3 billion in the first half of 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/behind-the-scenes-of-wechat-minigames-and-how-it-has-generated-23-billion-in-the-first-half-of-2024/ 👉🏻 Are publishers leaving games behind? - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/are-publishers-leaving-games-behind/

Diving into different game genres is no simple feat, especially as innovations in games call for new approaches to net valuable players from the get-go. The trick to coming out on top? Diversify your UA efforts as you diversify your portfolio, says this week’s guest. Ryan Davies, Head of Digital Marketing at Kwalee and recent 30 Under 30 performance marketer, joins us on this episode’s podcast. An expert in creating campaigns that crush it on all platforms, he chats with our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow about pathways to profitable growth in hypercasual, hybrid, and casual games. He also discusses genre commonalities that transcend platforms and shares life lessons to help you lead teams, rely on your intuition and embrace risk.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:15 - Key skills to be a great UA manager

06:50 - Maintaining growth across different genres

08:45 - Is this the end of hypercasual games?

10:42 - Marketing tactics to match the metamorphosis of hypercasual games

13:43 - Navigating UA challenges on console and browser

19:20 - Ryan’s biggest lesson from six years in UA

22:45 - Balancing the qualitative and the quantitative and embracing risk

27:13 - Incentivising AI ideas

28:20 - Q&A with Ryan

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

SKIDOS, referred to by its CEO as “the Netflix of learning apps,”  sits at the intersection of gaming, learning, and kid-friendly technology by converting popular casual mobile app games into learning apps for children aged two to seven. With over two million kids playing SKIDOS games, plus a Family Choice Award and Best of Mobile Apps Silver Award under its belt, it’s clear that SKIDOS is an expert in UA and UX. We welcome the company’s Founder and CEO, Aditya (Adi) Prakash, onto the podcast this week. Throughout the episode, Adi explains to the PG.Biz podcast audience how SKIDOS maintains its growth momentum with its unique spin on the subscription service model and emphasis on child-safe tech. What’s more, Adi reveals how SKIDOS achieved a 95% organic growth rate without investing in any paid UA.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Welcome Adi to the show

03:15 - Building the Nextflix of learning apps

07:05 - Adi's inspiration to start SKIDOS

08:58 - How SKIDOS works in-app

10:42 - Selling to two different demographic groups at once

13:45 - What's in it for the developers?

15:52 - How SKIDOS succeeds with only organic growth

20:39 - What brands would pair well with SKIDOS?

23:38 - Generative AI: to use or not to use?

27:01 - Q&A with Adi

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and deputy editor Paige Cook discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode we discuss Facebook Instant Games finally enabling in-app purchases on iOS, the legal view of Nintendo's Palworld case, and provide key takeaways from Games First Helsinki 2024.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/

👉🏻 4 takeaways from Supercell’s Games First Helsinki 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/4-takeaways-from-supercells-games-first-helsinki-2024/

👉🏻 Remember Facebook Instant Games? It’s back - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/remember-facebook-instant-games-its-back/

👉🏻 Nintendo and The Pokémon Company vs. Pocket Pair: Understanding the details - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/nintendo-and-the-pokemon-company-vs-pocket-pair-understanding-the-details/

Great gaming investors bring more than just cash to the table—they offer strategy, trust, and a shared vision for success. Jetapult hits the mark on all three and, like its name, gives studios the fuel they need to rocket toward sustainable growth, focusing on empowerment rather than just rapid expansion. Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow sit down with Jetapult Co-Founder and CEO Sharan Tulsiani to explore how Jetapult’s partnership-driven approach sets it apart from traditional VCs. Drawing from his experience as the former Head of Google Play Games in India, Australia, and New Zealand—and as the creator of Google’s Indie Games Accelerator—Sharan shares how Jetapult helps studios leverage data, cultural insights, and operational expertise to scale smarter. He also offers rare insights into what investors really want to hear from studios during pitches and how by prioritizing long-term stability and creative freedom, Jetapult ensures developers remain firmly in the driver’s seat. Sharan also dives into specific examples, like helping one studio cut production time by 70% with AI-driven tools and achieving #1 on app store charts by focusing on culturally resonant gameplay.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:28 - Jetapult's unique approach

08:51 - Rejecting the Founder "hero story"

11:10 - Is your studio a fit for Jetapult?

18:28 - Why Jetapult invests more than cash

26:54 - How much growth does Jetapult deliver?

33:33 - Peggy and Brian on AI

38:22 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discusses the launch of Unity 6, executive departures at Stillfront and Supercell, and the news that Destiny: Rising is heading to mobile.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/

👉🏻 NetEase partners with Bungie for Destiny: Rising mobile game - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/netease-partners-with-bungie-for-destiny-rising-mobile-game/

👉🏻 Unity 6 goes live: Under the hood of the game engine's latest AI, web and mobile tools - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/unity-6-goes-live-under-the-hood-of-the-game-engines-latest-ai-web-and-mobile-tools/

Mobile remains the primary growth driver for digital games consumption despite a “softening in direct consumer gaming consumer spend.” But diversification rules as the strategy that will allow devs to generate revenues by ensuring their games are on all platforms and their monetization uses all formats and approaches -- especially rewarded video. This advice, and the stats to back it up, comes through loud and clear in the latest Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 from data.ai. In this special 2-part series, our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, dive deep into the key findings with Lexi Sydow, Director of Corporate Marketing & Insights at data.ai. They discuss how shifting player tastes pave the way for emerging genres and why contextual market data is a must to overcome ad fatigue in an oversaturated market. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 02:56 An adjective to describe the current mobile market and latest report 05:29 The Gaming Spotlight report 09:37 Publishers, watch out for these subgenres 14:09 What does the data say about cross-platform gaming? 17:39 Are in-game ads coming to an end? 22:07 Contextual data to get your ad seen 26:09 Vote for PocketGamer in the British Podcast Awards Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 - https://www.data.ai/en/go/gaming-report-idc-2023/
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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discuss the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 list and what it tells us about industry trends, takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki and Finnish Games Week, Epic's new fees for Unreal Engine and the Epic Games Store, and more!

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/

👉🏻 4 takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki and Finnish Games Week 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/4-takeaways-from-pocket-gamer-connects-helsinki-and-finnish-games-week-2024/

👉🏻What the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 tells us about industry trends - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-2024-tells-us-about-industry-trends/

With probabilistic matching coming to a close soon, marketers must start testing ad campaigns focusing on contextual signals and first-party data. Our co-host, Peggy Anne Salz, reunites with Philip Gontier, Chief Revenue Officer at Smadex and the “Godfather” of mobile advertising, in this episode to learn how the DSP is leading the charge in privacy-centric advertising and landing 500 million daily impressions for their clients. Peggy and Philip also discuss the metric benefits of CTV and how Smadex is already planning optimization campaigns for SKAdNetwork 4.0. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Smadex testing in SKAN 4.0

03:38 - Looking outside the DSP box with CTV

05:54 - What game publishers are missing

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We provide a breakdown of the key stories and trends from Devcom and Gamescom 2024. Meanwhile, we discuss Apple's latest changes following regulatory pressure, peek into the data that shows Squad Busters is on the up, and cover the big reveal of Monument Valley 3, coming exclusively to Netflix.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/5-things-we-learned-from-devcom-and-gamescom-2024-1812461/ 👉🏻 Monopoly GO! A game that was(n’t) created for ads - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/monopoly-go-a-game-that-wasnt-created-for-ads/ 👉🏻 Game analysis: Squad Busters update makes radical changes on a quest for lasting success - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/game-analysis-squad-busters-update-makes-radical-changes-on-a-quest-for-lasting-success/

2023 is the year to perfect your live ops, and Leanplum is here to help. This mobile marketing platform simplifies multichannel campaigns to increase customer engagement and surpass revenue goals. Peggy Anne Salz linked up with Yeshas Nakshathri, Head of Partnerships at Leanplum, to discover how the platform helps renowned companies like Big Fish Games and MobilityWare exceed their expected revenue by 300% for a single live op event. Yeshas also shares how to integrate hyper-personalization and data feedback to reduce churn and bring back past users.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00- Leanplum reinventing live-ops

02:59 - Hyperpersonalization the right way

05:35 - What can the data tell you?

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** Let's Connect **

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Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event 

Players who relate to your game are easier to retain. But how do you pinpoint the story that enhances your game’s USP, resonates with your player base and sparks the desire to stay in the game? Deniz Kekeç, Performance Marketing Manager for casual simulation game Sunrise Village at Innogames, has cracked the code with a pioneering approach to UA that she calls “narrative marketing.” It’s a content-driven approach that involves writing a game’s story or enhancing an existing one “in a way that the user can bond with the product themselves.” And it works because the engaging narrative appeals to players’ emotions and builds their preferences into gameplay from the start. In this insightful episode with hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Deniz delves into the formula for success and how studios can determine, test and adapt the right narrative for their game. She should know—she tested several, including love stories, mystery yarns and a strange relative with secrets. Curious about the concept that excited players and transformed Sunrise Village’s reach and retention? Well, you’ll have to listen until the end for that. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:53 - What is narrative marketing?

06:59 - Determining the right narrative

11:33 - Testing the narratives

17:50 - Adapting the narrative to different UA channels

20:53 - Advice for getting started

26:12 - Yoga lessons in marketing

28:55 - What story won? 

30:22 - Favourite games Q&A 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

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Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and news editor Aaron Astle discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past few weeks as the Week in Mobile Games kicks off again in 2025!

In this episode, we delve into our big interview with Scopely co-CEOs Walter Driver and Javier Ferreira on how they built a $10bn gaming empire. We also take a look at the big games industry stories to keep an eye on in 2025.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Awards 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pocket-gamer-awards-2024-winners-revealed/ 👉🏻 The big games industry trends and stories to watch in 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-big-games-industry-trends-and-stories-to-watch-in-2025/ 👉🏻Games industry predictions for 2025: Generative AI, games as ecosystems, and thrive in '25 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/games-industry-predictions-for-2025/

👉🏻 How Scopely's cultural tenent of 'iterate to greatness' led to $10bn in revenue - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/how-scopelys-cultural-tenent-of-iterate-to-greatness-led-to-10bn-in-revenue/

👉🏻 Scopely's secret sauce - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/scopelys-secret-sauce/

According to Ray Gregory (Founder/CEO) and Noah Rosenfield (CMO) of One Ton, the more solutions in a game, the better. Peggy Anne Salz journeyed to the cowboy-hat-clad pair at PGC London 2023 to learn how they are lassoing in a new era of puzzle games. In One Ton's beta game, Addagrams, players are encouraged to make different anagrams than their fellow users—a 180 from traditional word puzzles with only one solution. Ray explains, "[You can play] different words yet [have] the same score. So it's all what you see and how that reflects on your personality." There is no wrong answer at One Ton Games when you build community and personality directly into a game.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - The "One-Ton Man" and personalized Addagrams

02:29 - Entertaining without being competitive

03:40 - Beta testing around the world

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** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

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👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

It’s already known that games can positively impact mental health, but did you know they can positively impact the planet, too? Lisa Pak, Sustainability Consultant and Project Manager at Playing for the Planet, joins host Peggy Anne Salz to describe how, with its superpower reach, the games industry can wield the power of play in the fight against the climate crisis. Lisa brings her passion for sustainability to Playing For The Planet, a global alliance supported by the United Nations Environment Programme that unites and supports game studios and trade bodies in reducing carbon emissions and implementing green activations in games. Through planet-powering programs, campaigns, and the annual Green Game Jam, Playing for the Planet members bring a new meaning to gaming for good — and so can you!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:44 - What is Playing for the Planet?

05:38 - Lisa's journey to Playing for the Planet

08:45- Green Game Jam

11:45 - Saving the Harlequin toads with games

14:27 - How to get involved in the Green Game Jam

17:31 - Integrating sustainability into game ads

20:27 - How to start being green at your game company

25:02 - Farming with friends

28:45 - Favourite games Q&A with Lisa

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Data is the lifeblood of any business, but marketers build companies to last when they go beyond the numbers to pinpoint the underlying factors contributing to revenue changes and transaction values. Safia Dawood, Senior Data Scientist at Moloco, joins our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to show how marketers can leverage a data-driven approach to build businesses that last in today’s competitive environment. Drawing from two years of robust Moloco internal data, Safia showcases how the landscape has shifted from growth to stabilisation—and now to a slowdown—and reveals how top-performing games defy the general downtrend by maintaining high levels of player retention and repeat purchases.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:25 - Data doesn't always tell the truth

05:04 - Market trends 2022-2024

07:13 - Adjusting for a slowdown

10:07 - How marketers should be leveraging data 

12:56 - What top-performing games are doing differently   

18:10 - How to turn poor engagement around

21:00 - 22% higher transaction value

23:00 - Driving repeat purchases

25:35 - Why is remarketing a critical part of growth

27:22 - Engage to retain

33:30 - How top games invest differently 

35:15 - Emerging trends and opportunities gaming companies should be paying attention to

36:42 - What's next for Safia

39:19 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Deceptive and disturbing ads are gutting your game. Recent reports found that nearly 60% of mobile gamers have encountered creatives that blatantly misrepresent gameplay and more than half of all games are uninstalled within 30 days. Simply put, bad ads are bad for business. Alex Yerukhimovich, Head of AppHarbr, likens locating and blocking these creatives as a game of whac-a-mole—exhausting, time-consuming, and ultimately something you can’t win on your own. To get you out of this spiral and back into the driver’s seat, AppHarbr manages and eliminates these ads for you before they hit the screen. Alex takes the mic this week to tell Peggy and Brian how AppHarbr's SDK and ad management platform, powered by GeoEdge, gives power back to the publishers, allowing them to control which ads appear alongside their games. He's joined by Vincent Février, CMO at TapNation. Together, the two break down the types of bad ads, how they affect game performance, and how AppHarbr helps publishers to police and put a stop to poor-quality ads before a user sees them.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro 

03:20 - Types of bad ads

07:32 - Most harmful ads for publishers

12:12 - Side effects of bad ads 

20:25 - How AppHarbr helps publishers to police 

26:40 - Putting your foot down

30:05 -  AppHarbr's services to fight bad ads

32:47 - How to create ads policy and audit

35:55 - Games studios should make games

37:56 - Vincent's advice to publishers

40:10 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

There's a hidden universe inside every narrative game just waiting to be discovered. The technology at Charisma has the power to unlock it. Charisma, a plug-ʼnʼ-play platform for creating interactive stories with believable virtual characters, redefines how we play games. In this episode, our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, talk with Charisma Co-founder and CEO Guy Gadney about how Charisma harnesses the power of AI to increase game complexity and allow players to interact with every character. Characters enhanced by Charisma aren't limited to a prewritten dialogue. They can remember your name and your answers to questions and quote you later in gameplay. NPCs come to life in a way that Guy says would be impossible to write without AI technology. You might need a bag of peas for your head after this episode as Peggy, Brian, and Guy get philosophical and ask the world: what role should AI play in games, and what does good AI x human collaboration look like?

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Hello to Guy Gadney

02:02 - The lampposts at SXSW

05:13 - Using AI to create limitless narrative options

07:27 - Creating an immersive theater in a game

10:05 - Predicting the future of game characters

14:12 - "AI is not gonna take your job, but the people who know how to use AI will"

17:49 - Let's start vertical binging

20:13 - What does good collaboration with AI look like?

26:02 - Bringing your dreams to life...literally

30:57 - Where could AI have been used to improve a narrative game? 

33:24 - Where will Charisma be in a year from now?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Last week, we discussed the post-privacy world with a data carnivore. This week, we met with an ASO maestro. Claudia Trujillo, ASO expert at Gameloft, sits down with Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to bust myths and explain how she blends art and science to create a symphony of successful paid campaigns. From ASO's effect on UA visibility and performance to its AB test's impact on UA ads, Claudia dispels common misconceptions about the relationship between these acquisition aids.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Marketers: It's time to play!

02:20 - Busting ASO myths

09:38 - Surprise! ASO categories can impact UA visibility

13:10 - How to balance UA costs and ASO conversion rates

18:42 - No more brainstorming meetings. Put the data in a dashboard

20:01 - You guessed it, ASO average rating affects UA too

21:38 - Sometimes mistakes are a blessing

24:59 - How Claudia is utilizing AI 

27:58 - Where is Claudia headed next?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

There’s no shortage of benefits that games bring to players, from increased creativity to developing interpersonal skills to greater self-confidence. Yet, gaming popularity grows, so do the silent risks posed to children online. Fortunately, there is an organisation leading the fight against child abuse and developing safe game design guidelines. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is the UK’s leading children’s charity, protecting and advocating for youth in the UK and Channel Islands for 139 years. Joining host Peggy Anne Salz on the show this week is NSPCC’s Head of New Product Development and Innovation, Andy Sallnow, and Gaming and Digital Disruption Consult, Kevin Antao. Andy and Kevin discuss how children experience games differently, channels that pose the greatest threat to young users, and the Safe Games Festival. From February 5-11, 2024, at a state-of-the-art eSports venue and featuring live streaming, safeguarding workshops, and a fierce eSports competition, this festival joins parents, youth professionals, young gamers, and industry leaders to celebrate games and “promote safer gaming through design, production, and education.”

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:25 - How has social gaming impacted children?

08:03 - Safe game design

14:06 - Research into harm in the metaverse

17:35 - Is privacy-first harmful for children?

20:26 - Game Safe Festival

24:08 - The Games Bundle

26:05 - How to get involved in preventing child abuse

29:10 - Impactful NSPCC partnerships and resources

34:26 - Favourite games Q&A with Andy and Kevin

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

A seasoned games professional with over 15 years of experience at top-grossing studios, including Rovio, Voodoo, and PlayStation, Sophie Vo knows the drill and how to drive success. But she also learned first-hand that companies can only go from good to great when they have exceptional and empathetic people at the helm. That's why she founded Rise and Play, a company helping studio leadership up their game. Offering services from high-performance team and 1-1 coaching to streamlined hiring, training, and onboarding processes, Rise and Play equips games professionals with the resources and network they need to level up and create lasting change within their company. Sophie joins our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow this week to discuss common leadership challenges, why she "sees suffering in most leaders," and lift the lid on the 3 questions you can ask yourself to elevate your emotional management skills.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:44 - Sophie's journey

04:55 - Why pivot now?

08:35 - Common leadership challenges

11:37 - Managers vs leaders

14:40 - What good leaders look like

17:22 - Training leaders

25:28 - Creating the right system

28:50 - How to reinvent yourself

32:46 - Expanding outside the game market 

36:05 - Three questions to ask ourselves 

38:28 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

"If you don't do D2C, you're leaving money on the table." David Stelzer, President of Xsolla, is blunt and bullish about direct-to-consumer strategy in his interview with Peggy Anne Salz at Pocketgamer Connects London. He shares his impressions of the gaming industry, insights from Xsolla's latest State of Play report, and why implementing a D2C in your monetisation mix is an absolute must in 2025.David Stelzer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstelzer/Xsolla - https://xsolla.com/State of Play 2025 - https://xsolla.com/the-xsolla-report

Whether it’s webshops, alternative app stores or multiplatform, the race to find more ways to get your game in front of more users is real—and so is the competitive edge you achieve if the channels you choose put the player experience first. In this episode, we zoom in on InMobi Group’s Nostra, a platform revolutionising game publishing and development in Southeast Asia and India by creating snackable, instant gaming experiences—all on your phone’s lock screen. It’s a unique offering and a crowd-pleaser, according to the numbers. Nostra, powered by the Glance, dominates the region, boasting a roster of 500+ games and 100M+ monthly active users. Deepak Venkatramani, Vice President of Business & Operations at Glance, steps onto the show this week to tell Peggy and Brian how Nostra offers any game access to players anywhere in the world, allowing them to scale fast and win big. Felicity, a studio that gained 1M+ MAUs with a three-person team, shares its success story with Nostra. Felicity Founder and CEO Anurag Choudhary joins the episode to share how Nostra’s rapid feedback features and fee-free access to players across the globe literally change the game for his studio and hundreds more across the globe. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:55 - What is Nostra?

08:00 - How lock screen gaming increases engagement

10:00 - Nostra scaling games

14:15 - Rapid feedback affecting process

18:00 - Impact on developer ecosystem

22:20 - What makes Nostra different?

25:24 - Going global  

28:50 - Expanding the pie

33:24 - Advice for smaller studios

35:00 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Want to improve your user experience, develop relationships with major brands, and significantly increase your ARPDAU? Odeeo has got you covered. Peggy Anne Salz chatted with Odeeo Co-Founder and CEO Amit Monheit at PGC London 2023 about how the company's audio ads delivered 5-15% incremental ARPDAU uplifts to studios Superfine (previously Gamejam Co) and TapNation. Amit says in-game audio advertising is ideal for mobile gaming, allowing players more control over their ad experience while increasing brand awareness. He thinks this ad category will be "huge within the next three or four years," so get on board now!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Jingles for games?

03:52 - Increased ARPAU and brands' dedication to games

06:32 - Working with B2C and D2C brands in mobile games

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Extending a game’s lifespan is every studio’s grand objective, but the path to effective execution is packed with difficult decisions. Studios can lean into Live-Ops to keep content fresh and cultivate profitable partnerships to enhance their marketing mix, or they can centre community management and leverage audience listening. Or, like Innogames, they can do all of the above. Our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow welcome three guests from Innogames for insider insights into how the studio successfully lengthens the lifespan of their legendary games, Tribal Wars and Forge of Empires, which just reached 20 years of play and hit the one billion lifetime value milestone, respectively, and continuously nets new audiences for both. Matthew Milligan (Product Head), Stefan Flinterhoff (Head of Game UA), and Thorsten Schankin (Senior Product Manager) dive into Innogames' unique approach to UA and company culture—one that puts games first and centres teams around titles instead of channels. They also chat about community engagement and sourcing inspiration from Forge of Empires’ million daily active users. From forecasting tools and Live-Ops to embracing power creep and integrating cross-platform before it was cool, this episode is loaded with useful information for indies and triple-As alike.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:19 - Product and marketing come together

07:19 - Leaning on your community

11:13 - Cross-platform before it was cool

17:52 - In the case of power creep

19:50 - Forecasting tools

25:08 - Community starts internally

28:05 - Constantly testing new partners

30:37 - Staying novel

34:16 - A little more about Matt, Thorsten, and Stefan

38:15 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Global game developer Outfit7 is reaching new audiences and taking control of its data with its unique approach to A/B testing. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz meets with Nina Oblak, Outfit7 ASO Team Lead, to discuss how the company uses split testing beyond creatives and content to inform choices at every stage of the game cycle. Owning its data is a big part of Outfit7’s success. With the help of Kayzen, the world’s first mobile in-house bidder™, Outfit7 has total control of its programmatic campaigns. Ryan Goeden, Business Development Lead at Kayzen, joins Peggy and Nina and reveals how Outfit7 and Kayzen partner to reach new users in different genres and the hidden data signals marketers can use to improve their campaigns.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Hello to Nina and Ryan

02:58 - Testing a fake app store for AB Testing

07:41 - The skill gap that is separating advertisers

10:21 - Outfit7's split testing routine and how to test on a budget

15:20 - Testing new genres without fully taking the plunge

21:30 - Tricks to getting the most out of your AB testing

25:50 - Using testing for more than just distribution 

28:40 - Q&A for Nina and Ryan

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Making business decisions blindly will bankrupt you and your game. But with the right data, you’re never in the dark. This week, we hand the flashlight to CEE Mobile Gaming and Apps Lead at Google, Mariusz Gąsiewski. Nicknamed “The Insights Guy,” he turns numbers into narratives that guide game devs through the emerging trends they can’t afford to ignore. In this episode, he shines a light on the latest shifts in geos, genres, and growth opportunities to give Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow a clear path to the gaming industry’s next big opportunities and advice on boosting user retention and cutting marketing costs.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:18 - Get used to never having enough time

03:13 - Trends in the best-performing genres

08:58 - It's never one-size-fits-all

11:57 - Geos with the most growth

13:57 - Opening up to new audiences

18:57 - Affordable and profitable geos

24:59 - Double-digit revenue decline

28:43 - Growth: PC/Console vs. Mobile

37:46 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Profitable UA is about connecting with the right players at the right time in the right context. Using traditional targeting tools, UA managers can manually parse through data to predict who is the best fit. But ultimately, this approach eats up marketers' time—and ad spend. Gamelight’s AI-powered algorithm cuts out the guesswork, locating only the players sure to produce high LTV and delivering 4x ARPU uplift in just a few days. Günay Aliyeva, Co-founder of Gamelight, a company that removes the heavy lifting from UA, joins host Peggy Anne Salz on the show this week. She says it's time to toss the timeworn targeting tools and embrace automation to revolutionise UA. She talks about trusting AI to optimise monetisation and how Gamelight’s self-learning algorithm builds upon itself to extract the most value from new and existing players. Finally, she shares how to level up your game and what it takes to establish a successful startup. She would know—she’s built three!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:23 - AI optimising in-app purchases

06:48 - Perfecting player targeting and UA optimisation

14:05 - Learning to trust the algorithm

17:10 - What it takes to build a successful startup

21:46 - Build your app during launch, not before

24:34 - Favourite games Q&A with Gunay

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Arr matey! Andrew Mattingley, Founder/Director of indie studio NineZyme OÜ, sank his anchor at PGC London last week to learn more about UA and promote his studio's newest title: Tiles Tales: Pirates. In this interview, he chats with Peggy Anne Salz about embracing nostalgia to bring new energy and new users to indie games. Tune in to collect your treasure!Andrew Mattingley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-ninezyme/?originalSubdomain=ieNineZyme OÜ - http://ninezyme.com/* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Let's Connect **👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

When MobilityWare reorganized its teams and reimagined its creative strategy, the result wasn’t just a fresh perspective—it delivered a 21% boost in CTR, powered by the tools and insights of key partners InMobi and AppsFlyer. That transformation didn’t happen in isolation; it was the product of smart collaboration, bold experimentation, and a laser focus on performance. 

We turned this episode of the PocketGamer Podcast into a masterclass in all three. Joining our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, are Chris Kim, the UA mastermind behind MobilityWare's transformation, Adam Smart, AppsFlyer's Global Director of Product - Gaming and master of measurement, and Dharak Desai, the VP of Performance for North America & EMEA at InMobi Advertising, where he's written the playbook on a privacy-first growth strategy. Listen and learn from this group of unmatched UA experts as they dive into MobilityWare's success story, noting the tactics and tools that revealed a 13.5% drop in eCPI and a 38% increase in US-based iOS user growth for the studio—while offering smaller studios advice on standing out and mastering discoverability on a shoestring budget.

Chris Kim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjkim213/

MobilityWare - https://www.mobilityware.com/

Adam Smart - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-smart/

AppsFlyer - https://www.appsflyer.com/

Dharak Desai - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharak-desai-a3034231/

InMobi Advertising - https://advertising.inmobi.com/

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:53 - MobilityWare challenges post-ATT

06:06 - A dramatic restructuring

08:00 - InMobi & AppsFlyer partnerships

10:00 - Balancing UA and retention

11:47 - InMobi's role

18:26 - AppsFlyer's SSOT

24:45 - Lessons in getting back on track

27:20 - MobilityWare's three incrementality tests

30:56 - Standing out on a shoestring budget

34:43 - Rapid fire cheatsheet

38:32 - Favourite games Q&A

In a fast-paced and wide-ranging discussion, co-hosts Brian Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz speak to the companies which are helping developers offer a flawless user experience from start to finish, with a focus on keeping players happy (and playing the game).

Brian is joined by Eric Vermillion, the CEO of Helpshift, Peter Gerson, a Senior Manager with Keyword Studios, KatanaAI’s Technology and Sales Director Dominick Kelly and Oz Syed, a Game Development Evangelist from Backtrace.

This crack team explores how to do more with less, exploring the ways in which technology and automation can bring speed and efficiency to areas such as player support, localisation, quality assurance (QA) and more.

As the role of artificial intelligence in game development and publishing becomes an ever more contentious topic, we dive into the reality of AI and machine learning in the player journey, looking for examples, case studies and best practice to help every studio without breaking the bank.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Welcome back, podcast pals. Our deep dive into development continues in this episode as we talk to the entirely excellent Riley Andersen, the CEO of Umami Games.

Umami is an indie development studio in Copenhagen in Denmark, which has established an enviable reputation in the hypercasual market. The creator of hits such as ABC Runner, Umami describes itself as a ‘metrics-driven’ studio which values innovation and fun. Find out more at its LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

Our host Brian (managing editor of PocketGamer.biz) speaks to Riley about the studio’s formation and the challenges of working in such a challenging environment as hypercasual. The interview takes in Riley’s passion for games, the studio’s ambition in other genres and the realities of a studio operating at the cutting edge of mobile games.

Riley has spoken several times at our Pocket Gamer Connects conferences too. If you’ve been lucky enough to hear her, you’ll know she encapsulates a genuine love for making games, with deep insight into the market. 

In 2022, in hypercasual, is it enough to "make what you love" and hope for the best?

Listen, learn, love!

Umami Games - Online / LinkedIn / Twitter

What makes everlasting hypercasual experiences - PG.biz

The common missteps of an indie hypercasual studio - PG.biz

Accurate segmentation makes the difference between a good game and a great one, but with the declining availability of third-party data, developers face mounting challenges in finding strategies that drive installs and reduce churn. The opportunity? Psychological segmentation, which taps into player motivations and traits rather than relying on surface-level demographics or behaviors.

This week, Joe Schaeppi, CEO and Co-Founder of Solsten, joins our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to reveal how this approach gives developers a winning edge. From understanding the "why" behind player behavior to uncovering untapped personas and creating experiences that truly resonate, Joe breaks down how psychology-driven segmentation empowers developers to connect with players on a deeper level.

The result? Games that are not only sticky but also lovable and loyalty-worthy. Tune in to learn about the science of resonance, why it beats relevance, and how to design games that foster enduring player relationships and scalable success.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:45 - Risk & fun

04:30 - What kind of player are you?

07:39 - Resonance vs relevance 

11:46 - How to use resonance to stand out

19:24 - Solsten is an insurance policy

25:34 - How does Solsten work?

32:37 - It starts during development

36:30 - Values show up during play

40:01 - Integrating brands

46:33 - If 50% of VCs like your idea

50:16 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the Xbox mobile games store and whether it's doomed to fail, the AppLovin and Unity financials nearly two years after the acquisition drama, and analyse a survey that claims Gen Z love bitcoin.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

Peggy Anne Salz pulls Dean Day, CEO of Black Smoke Studios, aside at PGC London to learn from his playbook on extending the lifecycle of games and enhancing cross-channel play. They delve into their experiences with Stumble Guys, the strategic shift to direct-to-consumer models, and the games approaching light monetization in free-to-play games the right way.

Dean Day - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanday/Black Smoke Studios - https://www.bsstudios.co/* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Let's Connect **👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and Fundamentally Games CEO Oscar Clark discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode we discuss the closure of Netflix's triple-A studio Team Blue, new developer Antihero's comments that Apple's IDFA changes were good for the industry, and the rise of India's mobile games market.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/

👉🏻 Netflix closes 'triple-A' studio Team Blue and cuts ties with senior hires - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/netflix-closes-triple-a-studio-team-blue-and-cuts-ties-with-senior-hires/

👉🏻 Why the ex-Supercell and King devs at Antihero think IDFA changes are a positive turn for the mobile games industry - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/why-the-ex-supercell-and-king-devs-at-antihero-think-idfa-is-a-positive-turn-for-the-mobile-games-industry/

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook, Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We're also joined by special guest, Fundamentally Games CEO Oscar Clark!

We delve into the big breaking news of the week - Unity's decision to cancel the Runtime Fee, one year after it was first announced. Our hot takes were delivered just as the news broke mid-podcast!

Elsewhere we discuss the Microsoft's deep Xbox cuts following its big Activision Blizzard acquisition, Apple's iPhone 16 announcement, the closure of Dutch Games Garden, and more.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Unity charts a new path forward without the "catastrophic" Runtime Fee - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/unity-charts-a-new-path-forward-without-the-catastrophic-runtime-fee/ 👉🏻 How Monster Hunter Now claimed $225m in its first year through innovation, inclusion and evolving monetisation 👉🏻 Dutch Game Garden is closing after 17 years - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/dutch-game-garden-is-closing-after-17-years/

Brian Baglow, Paige Cook, Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover a new report that delves into the UK games industry's skills crisis, the Fallout TV show's success, App Store emulators, and Epic's endless court battles with Apple and Google. Craig and Brian also have a moan about Rebel Moon.

Extra links:

RaptorVerse Presents... The DMA Breakdown Webinar: https://news.raptorpr.com/raptorverse-presentsthe-dma-breakdown

The top mobile games in soft launch right now: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/feature/60621/the-latest-and-most-interesting-mobile-games-in-soft-launch-update/

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

A longtime board game lover and superstar marketing strategist, Faith Price understands what drives user retention and how to coordinate a killer soft launch. She shares her launch expertise with the PG.Biz audience this week. In this episode, Faith, Director of Growth Marketing at DoubleDown Interactive, and our cohost, Peggy Anne Salz, discuss what shifts in soft launch strategy tell us about what lies ahead for the gaming industry. Faith also divulges the DoubleDown team's big change to their soft launch process that paid off down the development road.

In even bigger news, we’re up for the Best In British Podcast Awards! Vote for the PocketGamer.biz Podcast here before voting closes.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Cast your vote for the Pg.Biz podcast

00:46 - Welcome, Faith, to the podcast

02:49 - What do soft launches tell us about gaming? 

06:17 - Are soft launches what they used to be?

09:01 - The timeline for an effective soft launch

13:34 - Reading data differently

18:00 - Teamwork makes the dream work

21:32 - A change to Double Down's soft launches that paid off

23:58 - Is AI part of co-creation?

25:32 - How Faith's personal life motivates her professional

28:50 - Faith as a superhero character

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

MENA is a region ripe with opportunities for game industry professionals. Our host, Peggy Anne Salz, sits down with an expert on the area and headline speaker at the GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects, Kadri Harma. Co-Founder of the investment fund and mentoring program, GameFounders, and Venture Partner at Sisu Game Ventures, Kadri brings her on-the-ground expertise to the show this week, lifting the lid on unlocking the MENA market. She shares the investment opportunities and player behaviour that make the region stand out, the government initiatives that empower the local industry, and the actions indie studios can take to attract the attention of the investor community. Listen in and register now for the GameExpo Summit on May 1-2. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:57 - Understanding the MENA market

07:57 - MENA's appeal

12:48 - Opportunities for investment

20:36 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Gamers, developers, and gaming experts alike united at PG Connects Seattle last month. We’re here with Dave Bradley, COO of Steel Media Ltd., to recap the exciting event. Dave tells our hosts, Brain Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz, that AI, indies, and blockchain games were on everyone's minds at this PGC gathering. Attendees were also lucky to experience the first-ever PG Connects recruitment affair. This episode isn’t one to miss, with some shocking facts about iOS app releases, a taboo topic that sparked intense conversation, and a free app idea for anyone brave enough to build it. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introductions & a shocking fact about iOS app releases

03:50 - Why Seattle?

06:09 - Hot topics and new additions at PG Connects Seattle

10:06 - Tailoring events to specific regions

15:38 - What unpopular topic turned out popular at PGC Seattle?

21:19 - A new PGC addition for free-flowing conversation

23:21 - Scottish games events

25:29 - Tinder for games?

27:47 - Updates on the next PGC events

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

2024 is turning out to be the year of alternatives. We have the rise of alternative app stores, alternative ads, and a sharp focus on alternative monetization models to maximise revenue potential for gaming studios. Some are mashing up advertising and in-app purchases, while others are tapping strong IP to monetise players' eyeballs. This week, we’re talking about an alternative model that raises the bar for some studios and arguments amongst others—subscription. Teis Anker Mikkelsen, CEO and Co-Founder of Multisctiption—a company offering a cross-publisher subscription service for F2P games—joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow again in this episode for a sweeping discussion of subscriptions and how the model inherently increases retention, player re-entry, and in-app spend. He shares tips for creating a friction-free payment experience, addressing subscription fatigue, scaling, and a checklist to determine if a subscription model is the right fit for your game. 

00:00 - Intro

03:11 - Understanding subscriptions in apps

10:42 - Subscription increases retention

13:09 - Creating a friction-free payment experience

15:56 - Addressing subscription fatigue

19:56 - How to smooth the transition to subscription

23:36 - Who is a subscription model best for?

36:07 - How big can you scale subscriptions?

41:34 - How to adapt the model to different players

43:27 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

In an era where discovery is harder than ever, community isn’t just important—it’s the deciding factor of your game's success. The usual approach? Build the game first, then work to attract the right audience. But Fateless Games followed a different path. They started as HH Gaming—a gaming content creation and community focused on mobile hero collector RPGs, particularly Raid: Shadow Legends—Simon Lockerby, which grew to 11M+ page views and 400K+ members before deciding to create their own game, Godforge.Raising $6M in just 10 weeks, the team partnered with ex-Riot, Microsoft, and EA talent to bring their vision to life—and the beta waitlist is already open.In this episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Peggy Anne Salz sits down with Co-Founder Simon Lockerby, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Dan Francis, and Co-Founder & Game Director Hisham Saleh to discuss how they leveraged their community, turned engagement into momentum, and built a studio where players are part of the journey from day one.Simon Lockerby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lockerby/Dan Francis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-francis/Hisham Saleh - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hishamsaleh/Fateless Games - https://www.fateless.gg/HH Gaming - https://hellhades.com/CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro 00:40 - How Fateless started10:41 - The year of the true fan15:00 - Gearing up for the launch 17:37 - Supporting content creators22:42 - Cashing in on the k factor26:45 - Cultivating culture and talent33:55 - Creating the next HH Gaming group

What if you could predict what players need, personalize pricing and generate more revenue in the process? This is the sweet spot where Assetario is staking its turf, and enabling publishers to predict LTV with high certainty. Peggy Anne Salz meets with Assetario’s CEO, Matej Novak, to learn more about the B2B machine learning engineer that partners with gaming leaders like Century Games to raise their LTV by 30%. Matej reveals how Assetario utilizes first-party, cost, and anonymized metadata to deliver never-seen-before, customizable campaign and revenue predictions.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Assetario: the B2B ChatGPT 

02:15 - Machine learning for live ops, global spending, and UA

05:26 - Personalized pricing

07:07- Combining data in ways human marketers struggle to

10:50 - A customizable AI service

13:28 - Branching into subscription apps

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

If your ASO strategy isn’t motivated by real-time data insights that dive deeper than traditional tools to provide hourly insights into hot keywords and trends, you’re missing a massive opportunity. This is top-of-the-list advice from Mike Rhodes, CEO and Founder of ConsultMyApp, an app marketing agency with awards from Top CRM Consulting Company UK to Most Effective Use of Data 2022. ConsultMyApp believes in democratising ASO knowledge and that quality data “shouldn’t only be available to people [able] to spend thousands of dollars a year.” That’s one of the reasons Mike developed tools like APPlyzer that studios of all sizes can use to up their game and even have some fun exploring new keyword universes. Mike takes centre stage on this week’s show to share how studios can combine acquisition and engagement to increase monthly organic install volumes 10-15x and reveals the four things studios need to start doing now to end Q4 with a bang. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:36 - Mike's journey

05:15 - How apps across verticals can all benefit from data

08:59 - What's the next big change in games?

11:07 - A tool to democratise data

14:46 - What APPlyzer tells you that other tools can't

20:32 - Uplift expectations for devs

21:29 - How to end Q4 with a bang

35:18 - Keeping high energy and staying on top

37:39 - Favourite games Q&A with Mike

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Mike Levine, founder and CEO of Mystic Moose, an indie game studio and publisher, joins us on the PG.biz Podcast to discuss Mystic Moose’s newest game, Mojo Melee — a cross-platform, multiplayer PVP auto chess game — that weaves together a strong narrative and player choice. In the episode, Mike describes how Mystic Moose paves the way for players to personalize and own digital collectibles -- on their terms. This smart approach bypasses the Web 3 backlash and, more importantly, employs a “choose your own adventure” approach to user education. “We believe in the power of Web3 to empower players,” says Mike. “But it’s [just] a feature for those who wanna take advantage of it in our game.”

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Peggy and Brian: Back in the studio!

02:00 - What makes Mojo Melee magic? 

06:40 - Plant-based creatures, clans, and scouts

08:59 - Finding your niche in Web3

12:59 - Designing digital collectibles differently 

15:12 - Cross-platform creativity

21:27 - Advice for indie startups

23:14 - Is it time for AR in gaming? 

25:42 - Choose your own adventure user education 

29:33 - Q&A with Mike

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Construct 3 is revolutionizing games creation and helping grow a new generation of content creators. Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, talk about the 2-D, block-based game engine with Construct co-founders Ashley and Tom Gullen. With Construct 3, anyone can build a game. The beginner-friendly design showcases game-making as an art form and an educational tool. The tool has an impressive roster of customers and fans. NASA and Microsoft use it for prototyping, universities to teach programming, and even the Royal Navy relies on it to simulate submarine driving. Ashley and Tom explain the benefits of using a fully web-based engine and how Construct 3 helps indie developers ramp up their publishing revenue.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Hugo Obi, Founder of the Lagos-based Pan-African studio Maliyo Games, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow on this episode of the Pocketgamer.biz Podcast to share how he is driving the growth of Africa’s indie game development sector. While much of the region’s gaming revenue still comes from Western-made titles, Hugo is actively changing that by building a thriving ecosystem of African studios creating games rooted in local culture and folklore. He dives into Maliyo’s major initiatives, including insights from the 2025 Africa Games Industry Report, the GameUp Africa talent accelerator in partnership with Google, and Maliyo’s recent collaboration with Disney on Iwájú: Rising Chef.

Hugo Obi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoobi/?originalSubdomain=ng

Maliyo Games - https://www.maliyo.com/

GameUp Africa - https://gameupafrica.com/

2025 Africa Games Industry - https://africagamesreport.com/

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:20 - An abnormal start 

04:48 - Telling African stories

10:11 - Popular games in Africa

11:20 - 2025 Africa Games Industry Report

19:22 - Building an industry ecosystem

22:18 - Making Disney Iwaju: Rising Chef

27:08 - Safari City

31:56 - A popular game is a global game

35:10 - Comparing studios to car manufacturers 

37:04 - GameUp Africa

42:24 - Favourite games Q&A

Mobile gamers are drowning in choices, but they’ll still spend—if your ad monetization strategy speaks to their player type and why they downloaded your game in the first place. But it’s not enough to satisfy players; studios ring in the revenues when they combine services and a sense of urgency. 

This is where Mistplay’s latest Mobile Gaming Growth Report equips game devs and ad mon teams with a roadmap to profitable growth in 2025. Kyle West, Sr. Director of Marketing at Mistplay, joins hosts Brian Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz to unpack findings and show how developers can sharpen their marketing, maximise monetisation, and level up loyalty programs by crafting experiences according to player personas and gameplay preferences. 

He’s joined by Oxana Fomina, well-known ad mon authority and Founder of Gradient Universe, a game analytics consulting firm. She delves into her latest client successes to reveal standout strategies studios of any size can use to turn players into payers.

Listen in to Part 1 of a special two-part series where we dig into how studios can sync UA with LiveOps for better results, take small but effective steps to scale web shops, and use FOMO as motivation while still adding value to limited-time events.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:24 - The Mistplay Mobile Gaming Growth Report

07:23 - Brand as a part of UA

10:17 - Utilizing first-party data effectively

12:05 - Aligning UA and LiveOps

15:00 - Actions for small studios

17:50 - Effective monetisation strategies

21:37 - Why web shops?

24:34 - Balance urgency with value

26:53 - Quantity vs Quality

28:57 - Advice for starting studios

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

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Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Yes on episode four of the world’s favourite PocketGamer.biz podcast - and that’s official - we’re looking at the future of mobile games.

In this show we’re talking about the current key trends in the games market. More mergers, more acquisitions, more money. New studios and new games hitting that incredible billion mark. Whether it’s in dollars, or downloads, that’s a LOT of games.
(02m:00s)

We cover the growing number of members in the Billions club. Whether it’s downloads or dollars, more and more companies across the mobile games market are pulling in some seriously big numbers.
(07m:25s)

We also mention music in the metaverse. With news of new tours, greater gigs and online album launches, are Fortnite and Roblox now the best place to catch the biggest acts and the new hot up-and-coming artists?
(10m:00s)

Our special guest in episode four is the astonishing, epic and riveting - in every sense of the word - Kelly Vero. Games industry veteran, media expert, futuregazer and self confessed creative badass, Kelly explores the past, present and future of the games industry.

We discuss the changing role of developers, the opportunities and challenges facing game creators. Streaming games, the metaverse and much, much more.
(13m:30s)

Whatever your role in games. Whether you’re a creator, a publisher, a producer or a player, you’re not going to want to miss this one.

We also run down the biggest events heading your way from Steel Media, from our Big Indie Pitch, to our next round table, exploring how to create the next big hypercasual hit.

Once again, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. All the topics, all the talks, all the top tips and talent you could possibly need, piped directly into your ears for your comfort and convenience.

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast. If you are, please let us know. You can drop us an email directly to: podcast@pocketgamer.biz or leave a comment on Twitter where you can reach us @PGBiz.

And we always appreciate your reviews, ratings, likes, loves, shares, tweets and general enthusiasm for what we’re doing here.

Until next time - lots of love

The PG.biz team

To build a great gaming ecosystem, “Think global, act local,” says Anton Gorodetsky. Anton is the Head of Industry Relations at the leading European publisher and developer, MY.GAMES. He joins the podcast this week to explain how to build a comprehensive ecosystem dedicated to loyalty, branding, and retaining players that generates revenue years into a game’s lifecycle. He brings us behind the scenes of cultivating relationships that matter and one influencer partnership that raked in a 20% DAU increase and 6 million MAUs.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro & MY.GAMES’ expansion

05:17 - Communication is key 

09:27 - A collaboration that paid dividends

13:01 - Building a cohesive ecosystem

21:16 - New audiences, not new games

25:23 - InvestGame--your guide to gaming deals

27:46 - Q&A with Anton

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Discover how Aghanim enables mobile game publishers to boost net revenue by up to 200% through secure & compliant web-based monetization strategies. By integrating Aghanim's suite of tools—covering game-content, liveops automation, community engagement, and payments—publishers can streamline operations and optimize their low-performing web shop approach.

Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, spoke to Conor McLaughlin, VP of Revenue & Partnerships at Aghanim, about how their unique, comprehensive platform is revolutionizing the space and maximizing profits for mobile publishers.

This episode is sponsored by Aghanim.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:40 - Pineapple on pizza

03:51 - What is Aghanim? 

07:19 - The four friction points

14:28 - Giving publishers power again

17:35 - Connecting with the brand outside the game

20:05 - One-size-fits-all

21:53 - Customized by player

26:56 - Autopopulated content

27:58 - UA or ad mon?

29:29 - Aghanim beyond games

32:51 - Be agile

34:15 - Favourite games Q&A 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

In a time when investors are calling for prudence and playing it safe, one company has managed to not only persevere but prevail. Elena Grigorian, CEO of MY.GAMES, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to explain the key strategies and developments that delivered a 14-fold increase in MY.GAMES’ effective marketing investments, a 4-fold increase in the company’s business, and an opportunity to crack the Chinese market. What’s more, Elena discusses her journey and challenges to becoming one of the few female CEOs in gaming and MY.GAMES’ impressive efforts to empower women and embrace multiculturalism in gaming. From diversification to centralisation to how to ride the game industry's highs and lows, this episode has it all. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:55 - MY.GAMES centralisation of marketing

07:42 - Should studios convert to 100% remote?

09:20 - How MY.GAMES leverages diversification 

14:07 - Empowering women and cultivating diversity in games

18:48 - How to ride the games industry highs and lows

20:44 - The development is Elena most excited about

26:51 - Favourite games Q&A with Elena

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Kooapps is no stranger to building big brands and successful games. Its portfolio, which includes Snake.io, Piano Tiles, Pictoword and Stacky Bird, has garnered more than 450 million downloads to date. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Kooapps CEO CK Wang joins host Peggy Anne Salz to discuss his journey from Microsoft to co-founding his own company, evolving out of the hypercasual space and building strong brands. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:43 - Microsoft Research lessons 05:38 - Snake.io anniversary 07:34 - Hypercasual to unified casual 14:05 - Snake.io monetisation strategies 17:49 - Rewarded video ads 19:49 - Building a brand 25:40 - Listening to players 28:29 - Tools for the job 32:11 - Survival tactics 36:51 - ROAS modeling 39:24 - Kooapps’ future 43:25 - Favourite games Q&A * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

The global games market is becoming ever more competitive, with increasing numbers of developers, publishers, and games all vying for attention.

In such challenging market conditions, how can game creators make sure that their hard work and creativity is supported by a robust launch strategy? To answer this question and more, the PocketGamer.biz team spoke with Jen Lui, Senior Product Manager at Google, who leads Google’s advertising solutions for games.

“What’s the saying - you only get one chance to make a first impression?” Lui said. “The same can be said for mobile game launches, particularly today. With mobile phones, everyone’s a gamer, pretty much anyone can play any game anywhere, and switching costs are pretty low - if you don’t like one game, you can move onto the next one just like that.

“Because you only get that one chance, it’s critical to have a strong launch strategy to set up your game for success and get a headstart towards driving installs and revenue within the first week or month after game launch.”

Google is on the case, with a whole range of solutions for studios - at every stage of development, to maximise the return on their investment and ensure their game has the best chance to make that vital first impression.

Tune in now to learn how your next game could benefit.

Though there’s no algebraic algorithm that churns out games with guaranteed success, there are consistencies between top-ranking mobile games. The Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 from data.ai spotlights these similarities and delves into the data behind the success stories. Lexi Sydow, Director of Corporate Marketing & Insights at data.ai, joins our hosts again this week to highlight the heavy hitters in mobile gaming and simplify the strategies that shot them to the top. Alongside Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, she breaks down data.ai’s composite metric, the mobile performance score (MPS), and describes the “new gamer” that defies demographic stereotypes and will redefine the mobile industry.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Peggy's garden intro

01:24 - Four components of the mobile performance score

05:38 - Making waves with Monopoly GO

09:37 - FIFA Soccer fights its way to the top

13:12 - Royal Match ranks highly 

16:16 - What do successful games have in common?

20:38 - Who is the "new gamer" to watch out for?

25:36 - Q&A with Lexi

Gaming Spotlight Review 2023 - https://www.data.ai/en/go/gaming-report-idc-2023/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

In today's app market, success is no accident—it's a strategy. Whether your app becomes a unicorn (a rare, standout success), a camel (steady and sustainable), or a hog (a resource-draining misstep) depends on the decisions you make now. In this episode, Patrick McSteen, App & Game Monetisation Expert with Logan Square Consulting, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to explain how a great ad monetisation strategy can transform the ad experience from a necessary nuisance to an aspect of the game that excites, engages, and entices users to spend. Patrick takes the mic to share the strategies that he’s employed to help more than 50 games and 30 apps reach their full potential and how to rocket ad revenue without cannibalising your IAP. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:10 - Why Logan Square Consulting?

02:18 - Rapid learning is everything 

04:01 - Is ad mon the ugly ducking?

08:45 - Unicorns, camels, and hogs

13:04 - Where does ad mon come in?

15:10 - How to get hesitant studios and apps on board

19:50 - Is rewarded the right path?

24:26 - Where do apps make the most mistakes?

28:35 - Who's job is this?

31:20 -  Optimising the spinner wheel

37:22 - Darwin will sort you out

41:50 - A game that does it right

44:06 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

A leaner team paves the way for a smarter UA strategy—a must-have for studios with a broad portfolio like Gazeus Games. Estela Dos Santos Rocha, Marketing Coordinator at Gazeus, tips her hand to share the savvier steps any marketer can take to make the most out of their tight-knit team, from attracting the awareness of attention whales to playing to the preferences of old and new users alike. After that, our host, Peggy Anne Salz, dives deep into growing and re-engaging mobile app consumers with Aman Sareen, CEO of Aarki. Aman breaks down the Aarki rebrand, reveals the metrics that really matter, and surprises us with his take on how many partners marketers should work with to move the needle on campaigns—and remain sane.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Estela Intro

01:58 - Managing UA across a broad portfolio

05:30 - Attention whales

08:15 - What entices players?

09:18 - Estela in her own ads

10:30 - Making the most of a small team

12:48 - Appeasing new and old players

14:33 - What to pay attention to in A/B tests

16:55 - Small step, big career impact

19:25 - Maintaining motivation

21:10 - Aman Intro

22:20 - 3 pillars of the new Aarki

24:00 - More or less partners?

25:35 - What metrics matter?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Brian Baglow, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover ByteDance's latest plans for its $4 billion acquisition of Mobile Legends developer Moonton, remote work and leadership skills challenges, UGC investment opportunities, and ask if Unity developers really are over the runtime fee.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

Brian Baglow, Daniel Griffiths, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Supercell's Brawl Stars has already smashes its 2023 revenue total so far this year, Square Enix's warning to investors of "extraordinary losses", and Erling Haaland's introduction as a character in Clash of Clans.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

The games industry faced a brutal year in 2023, with unofficial layoff estimates reaching an alarming 10,000. The stakes remain high in 2024, and job seekers need to double down to secure a position amidst reduced hiring and increased competition. We learn how to “pimp our LinkedIn” and get the most out of networking opportunities in this episode with Oleg Paliy, CEO of Games Factory Talents, a recruiting agency that connects global talent with leading Finnish games studios. Joining our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Oleg gives PG.biz Podcast listeners some tough love and expert advice on nailing your dream job in 2024. If you like what you hear in this show, don't miss out on your chance to connect with him in real life at PGC London, where Games Factory Talents will be hosting the career zone and giving attendees advice on their LinkedIn, resume and next career move.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:38 - The layoff landscape for 2024

04:20 - How to "pimp" your LinkedIn

07:13 - How to capture a recruiter's eye

10:28 - The most in-demand positions of 2024 

14:51 - Hiring for soft skills 

20:39 - Are you a diver or a surfer?

24:05 - Connect with Games Talent Factory

28:33 - Favourite games Q&A with Oleg

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

How did Yahtzee break revenue records? What’s up with webshops, and are subscription models shaping up to match past hype? We answer all these questions and more in this episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast live from the floor of PGC London. Host Peggy Anne Salz leads a captivating conversation with Steel Media Ltd. executives Chris James (CEO), Craig Chapple (Head of B2B Content), and Aaron Astle (News Editor). The group gets into the weeds about redefining customer relationships, advancing IP through AI, and how studios are saying sayonara to Apple’s near 30% commission fees. Tune in for our team’s hot takes and exclusive insights on gaming in 2024, and register today for PGC San Francisco!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:08 - Show highlights

05:47 - Small changes make a big difference

08:23 - Advancing IP through AI

14:34 - Webshops and Apple's 27% commision

21:00 - Subscription models

23:02 - Favourite talks and tracks

29:02 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Nailing mobile ad strategy isn’t just about making eye-catching creatives—it’s about understanding what works, iterating quickly, and scaling effectively, even on a tight budget. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow sit down with Z, Founder and CEO of BLKBOX.ai, to discuss how AI-driven creative optimization is transforming the way gaming studios approach ads. By following BLKBOX’s Five Pillars of Creative Success, teams can break free from the copycat cycle, create unique ad variations, and boost performance without overloading their art teams. Z also explains how the latest AI tools can streamline go-to-market timelines, ensure brand-compliant creatives, and help studios make smarter scaling decisions.Z - https://www.linkedin.com/in/athar-zia-97555462/BLKBOX. - https://blkbox.ai/CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:58 - 1500% return05:26 - Demystifying the blackbox08:44 - The Five Pillars of Great Creatives10:55 - Pillar One: Analyse13:00 - Unlocking surprising insights16:03 - Pillar Two: Ideate19:55 - Pillar Three: Create22:30 - Pillar Three: Test26:46 - Pillar Three: Scale30:26 - "Don't go live yet."35:54 - Demo of Blkbox's dashboard44:30 - Treat art as science46:05 - Favourite games Q&A

Monster IP may require a monster budget, but smaller studios can still tap into cultural trends to perform well in the app stores—provided they know the right questions to ask and licensors to pitch. Enric Pedró, SVP of Marketing at Tilting Point, gives us all the answers about IP ahead of his studio's upcoming release, Godzilla vs. Kong: Titan Chasers. From overlooked sources of IP to the tools you need to start integrating product placement in your games, Enric reveals everything studios need to consider when launching a game with intellectual property. Whether you’re an indie developer looking to make a splash or a seasoned pro looking for fresh strategies, this episode is packed with actionable insights to level up your studio and leverage IP in your mobile games.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:28 - How Enric got into games

03:49 - Working with monster IP

05 - Smaller studios can leverage IP

10:31 - Value of IP

16:02 - Overlooked sources of IP 

22:18 - What do you need to start?

28:55 - How to talk to licensors

33:26 - Product placement

36:09 - Keeping your team on track

45:30 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

In 2024, our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow interviewed 45 experts across the gaming industry, from straightforward studio heads and energised executives to data-driven developers and monetisation mavens. In this special edition episode, Peggy and Brian look back on the Top 7 shows of this year, recapping the pure-gold lessons and learnings from the marketers you enjoyed hearing from the most in 2024. 

As this is the year’s final show, all of us at Steel Media and the Pocketgamer.biz Podcast want to wish you a happy holiday season and a joyful new year. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you in January for the first episode of 2025!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro 

04:35 - #7 The Innogames team

07:46 - #6 Akin Babaygit, Tripledot Studios

10:46 - #5 Patrick McSteen, Logan Square Consulting

15:02 - #4 Ryan Filsinger, Iron Fox Games

18:43 - #3 Maria Sayans, ustwo games

22:00 - #2 Teis Anker Mikkelsen, Multiscription

26:02 - #1 Daniel Tchernahovsky, AppLovin

30:41 - Year #2 of the Pocketgamer.biz Podcast

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

In 2025, gaming is no longer just about creating great games—it’s about creating thriving ecosystems. The rise of live-service models and player-driven economies means that success hinges on more than just initial downloads or launch-day hype. Studios now face a critical question: how do you keep players playing? Justin Sacks, CEO and Co-Founder of Nexus, offers a compelling answer: creator programs. These initiatives empower content creators to transform games into dynamic communities, driving retention, reactivation, and long-term growth in an industry where player loyalty is priority #1. Justin joins Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow in this episode for a candid conversation on what it takes to build and maintain a world-class creator program. The group discusses why working with content creators proves to be a fantastic tool for sustainable growth, the mistakes and challenges studios face when getting started, why traditional influencer marketing falls short and how a revenue-sharing model sets both creators and studios up for success. Listen and learn!

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:54 - Lessons from competitive gaming

03:05 - Why creator programs matter

09:10 - Managing creator programs

13:25 - What Nexus does

14:46 - Influencer marketing vs a creator program

19:35 - Streamer to studio designer pipeline

22:08 - Steps to setting up

28:35 - Small creators still perform

31:58 - Common challenges and mistakes

38:16 - Upcoming trends

39:25 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Nicknamed by our cohost Peggy Anne Salz as the Medici Man for his numerous talents and cross-industry experience, our guest this week has worked on both the publishing and the development sides of gaming. He predicted that social connectivity and games would go hand in hand and anticipated the pay-off. He also helped create early prototypes for mobile gaming. Little wonder that Robert Burnett, COO of Hashbang Games, knows what's next in the game industry and strongly advises devs to take a cross-platform approach. Hashbang specialises in backend development and integration, helping indie teams optimise their growth by providing and implementing cross-platform solutions that allow them to compete with the manpower of AAA studios. Alongside our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Robert draws from his  30+ years of experience in game development to offer indie studios advice on everything from the right tools for user analytics to how they tap their secret advantage to successfully swim alongside the industry big whales. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Meeting Brian and his journey into the games industry

05:37 - Predicting game connectivity and games as a service

10:48 - Advice for indie developers and tools to utilise

16:00 - Robert puts his money where his mouth is with Hashbang's game Light Violence

21:58 - Should indies be both developer and publisher?

24:00 - What level of niche is too niche?

26:02 - Apple's AR: A hit or a miss?

28:47 - Find the right market for your product

31:04 - Robert's brutal advice for the PG.biz audience

33:30 - Q&A with Robert

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in the first episode of our new ‘Week in Views’ series. We cover layoffs, Apple Arcade, Unity’s troubles, why the head of the European Games Developer Federation is unhappy, and much more!

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/

For smaller studios, building long-term relationships with ad networks is crucial. This means asking the right questions, leveraging the right data, and utilising all available resources effectively. Sergey Sukhov, Chief Business Development Officer at AdQuantum—a performance marketing agency that offers unique support to smaller game studios on top of traditional UA services—offers his advice for nailing all three in this episode. Alongside our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, Sergey shares exactly what studios should bring to the negotiating table and how to obtain the right data from ad partners to know for certain whether to keep or kill your game. What's more, he breaks down Ad Quantum's bespoke solutions tailored to studios of all sizes and the creative format that outperforms all others.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:17 - What does AdQuantum do?

04:35 - Tactics and questions for smaller studios

10:20 - Studios biggest challenges

12:15 - Navigating negotiations

15:20 - Building relationships with ad networks

20:35 - Get creative about creatives

24:15 - Formats that perform well

26:08 - AI for measurement

28:28 - Metrics that matter

30:00 - Emerging trends

32:20 - Favourite games Q&A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Our guest rockets results and achieves sustainable success thanks to what co-host Brian Baglow calls the 4Ps: people, platform, partnerships, and personalisation. Tobias Edl, Director of Marketing & New Business at WHOW Games GmbH, joins Brian and Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to explain how WHOW's immersive tactics and attractive dual monetisation method create a loyal player base and have led to millions of game downloads across app stores. Tobias expands on the effect of real-time gameplay on player interest and reveals an aspect of successful strategy that he thinks marketers are missing.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - The face you need to know

03:02 - Walking through Vegas on your phone

07:11 - Keeping player interest high with real-time gameplay

09:11 - Tobias' personal connection to his games

11:55 - Monetising with IP

13:40 - What sets Whow Games apart?

15:37 - Choosing a winning creative

18:09 - The importance of localisation

19:33 - Third-party app stores...are they worth it?

22:16 - What are marketers missing

24:10 - Games Q&A with Tobias 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Removing friction, taking control of user data, and enhancing customer engagement throughout the funnel are necessary steps to increase game margins and retain valuable players. However, the app store duopoly can put a block in the road, restricting access to players in growing markets, charging high transaction fees, and limiting commerce capabilities. This week’s guest, Xsolla, clears those obstacles. Xsolla is a game commerce platform that helps devs distribute their games directly to players, bypassing the oversaturated app stores and putting the power back in the hands of creators. Chris Hewish, President and Interim CEO of Xsolla, takes centre stage in this episode to tell devs about the company’s innovative solutions that maximise player LTV, give companies increased control of their data, and provide fully customisable, alternative monetisation tools that don’t interrupt gameplay and can increase revenue per paying user by 8X. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

0:10 - Intro

02:45 - What does Xsolla do?

05:39 - A new era of game distribution

09:06 - Is it more cost-effective to ditch the app stores? 

14:40 - The Digital Markets Act

16:46 - Giving developers more control over what they create

21:23 - How does a web shop increase your revenue?

26:15 - A headless checkout

28:20 - Accelerate XR and Xsolla Mall

33:34 - Favourite games Q&A with Chris

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week. We cover the big Star Wars: Hunters launch from Zynga and provide some of the inside scoop on its development, why mobile MOBAs fail in the West, and discuss those Xbox handheld rumours.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

Want a winning formula to pick your winning ad creative and streamline your A/B testing? In this episode of the PocketGamer Podcast, our hosts Brian Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz chat with Trailmix’s Senior UA Manager Philippa Layburn on how she is changing the ads playbook with constant creatives analysis. Part of her secret: think outside the box and measure success using a metric blend that makes sense for their game. This episode isn’t one you want to miss as Philippa details hook rates (her new metric, by the way) and how she hacked Google Ads using UGC.

00:00 - The PGB Podcast Mini Class

03:51 - Introducing Phillipa

06:11 - Your narrative should go beyond written words

07:29 - Influencing ad spends with good creative

11:36 - Hook rate: the key to understanding why your ad works

16:20 - Phillipa “called out” her gameplayers…and it worked

18:11 - Cultivate a team mindset of iterating to reduce CPI

23:55 - Your ads need to include real gameplay

25:14 - Don’t be afraid to break the playbook

28:23 - Peggy and Brian’s wrap-up

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event 

Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover Sensor Tower's acquisition of data.ai and our interview with COO Tom Cui, we discuss 10 years of Monument Valley, and PocketGamer.biz's upcoming MENA Month!

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by Pocket Gamer Connects takes place on May 1st and 2nd. Details here - https://www.pgconnects.com/DubaiGameExpoSummit/

Creative is king, and Luis Leon is here to tell you how to deliver killer content on a budget. Peggy Anne Salz is on the ground in this episode with Luis, Head of Creative Business Development at Creadits, a production platform for performance marketers. Luis says Creadits is a "creative partner, not a creative agency." The company strategizes with studios, advising them on what is working now in gaming ads. Luis also shares a hack on how to do more with less while A/B testing.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - A creative partner, not a creative agency

01:08 - Doing more with less

02:55 - Creadit's best creative and the company's future with UGC

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple and Daniel Griffiths from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in our new 'Week in Views' series. We cover Apple's battle with Epic and the European Union's Digital Markets Act, Deconstructor of Fun's games industry predictions for 2024, and InnoGames' disclosure of staff salaries.

Brian Baglow, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in our new 'Week in Views' series.

We cover Sensor Tower's acquisition of rival mobile market intelligence firm data.ai, the reveal of the Epic Games Store coming to mobile by the end of 2024, and discuss Apple's latest antitrust woes - this time with the US Department of Justice.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/

Welcome to episode five of the PocketGamer.biz podcast. This is our regular roundup of the global mobile games market, and deep dive into the issues that matter to you, whatever your role and wherever you are.

In this episode we’re talking about the current key trends in the games market. Apple, Epic, China. Lawsuits, launches and limitations. Is the app store opening up? Are restrictions on gaming in China going to profoundly impact the country’s developers and publishers. And what about esports? The PocketGamer team ponders. We also welcome a new sister site to the PG.biz family, with the launch of Beyond Games. What does the future hold? You can find out here.

(02m:30s)

Our special guest interview for this episode is the amazing Imran Khan, the sales lead for Facebook Audience Network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We’re talking about monetisation. Where it is, where we’re going and how game developers and publishers are going to be able to take advantage of the change and evolution occurring across the industry. Whether you’re an independent developer, a growing studio, or an experienced publisher, trust us, you are not going to want to hear more about the changes and trends that are changing the way your games make money.

From waterfall bidding to cloud gaming, hybrid monetisation and more, we dive into Facebook Audience Network’s new Future of Monetisation Report: http://fb.me/AMIO

(13m:30s)

We also run down the biggest events heading your way from Steel Media, from our flagship PocketGamer Connects Digital #8 (September 27th - October 1st) and our next Big Indie Pitch for PC & console developers (September 28th), we have brought together the brightest, best and most brilliant speakers, panellists from around the world. We combine that with all of the opportunities to meet, network and do business with the people important to you and your company.

Show Notes

• Apple, Epic Lawsuit judgement - the saga continues
• China imposes new restrictions Chinese youth respond
• Mobile Mavens Respond
• BeyondGames.biz launches
• Facebook Audience Network AMIO Report
• PocketGamer Connects Digital #8
• The Big Indie Pitch (PC & Console Edition)

We love recording the podcast and we hope you’re enjoying it too. If you are, please let us know. You can drop us an email directly to: podcast@pocketgamer.biz or leave a comment on Twitter where we are @PGBiz.

If you can leave a comment and a review for the podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to, we would truly appreciate it. It’s a fast, simple way to help us get the word out to a wider audience and ensure we’re bringing you the very best the global mobile market has to offer.

Thanks again for listening.

In today's noisy, data-constrained market, studios can't afford to splash the cash on multiple soft launches. Instead, they must identify innovative ways to test and validate concepts while keeping their costs low. It's a path stacked with strategic decisions that can seem daunting for smaller studios or leaner teams. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz links up again with Piyush Mishra, Director of Growth at Product Madness, to learn about his playbook for producing stellar games on a shoestring budget, from concept testing to global launch. He reveals the metrics that matter most when evaluating creative and the questions to ask to effectively greenlight games across genres.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:22 - The creative metrics that matter

08:12 - Using UA to test and validate concepts

11:38 - Keeping costs down during testing

15:36 - Using UA to test gameplay creative

17:29 - Benchmarks for greenlighting a game 

23:15 - Marketing must be there from the start

27:28 - What genres does this work for?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

To acquire valuable players and boost rank in the app stores, studios have to shift focus and budget to offer each user a customised experience that aligns with their unique player motivations. But the path to pinpointing player intent isn’t straightforward--especially in a privacy-first landscape that makes prediction more challenging than ever. It’s a perfect storm of conditions for revisiting and rethinking approaches that reward players for staying in the game.  Adam Jaffe, Founder and CEO of Mega Studio—an end-to-end gaming agency offering services in everything from product creation to marketing to monetisation—joins hosts Peggy Anne Samz and Brian Baglow to discuss how incentivised is powering UA and much more. Adam observes that rewarded approaches pay dividends, producing retention rates that are “40% higher” than those of non-incentivised users. This is because rewarded gives marketers bonus insights into player behavior. As Adam puts it, marketers know “exactly why” a user downloaded, allowing them to create a “railed environment” or direct path that users are nearly guaranteed to follow. He shares smart strategies to optimise this approach, from how to finetune features to create long-term users to where to place ads to maximise monetisation. Lastly, he offers advice on marrying product and marketing and explains why incentivised traffic can potentially become a critical data signal studios can harness to optimize everything. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:15 - Why gamification? 

05:44 - Biggest misconception about rewarded traffic

09:30 - The nuts and bolts of incentivised traffic

13:05 - Maximising monetisation

18:16 - Finding the incentivised sweet spot

24:18 - Optimising for player motivation

27:08 - The future of incentivised traffic

32:45 - Favourite games Q&A with Adam

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Alternative distribution channels and app stores are exploding onto the scene and are positioned to be the key growth drivers for mobile gaming in 2025. They offer new revenue streams—and they reshape how developers engage their audiences, optimize their growth strategies, and build trust in a more open ecosystem. Significantly, players also have a huge appetite for alternatives, especially if they offer more choice and less friction. Digital Turbine research reports that nearly 70% of users would use new discoverability features—if they were available—to find and download cool new games. This week, savvy studio leaders and growth gurus at Gamesforum Hamburg weigh in on things alternative, from app stores and alternative monetisation methods to the channels that are “gathering storm” and set to redefine mobile gaming in 2025.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro 02:58 - Tobias Edl | WHoW games 11:02 - Ryan Davies| Kwalee 14:23 - Anastasia Zaiceva | ZiMAD 15:35 - Oguz Ayar | Voodoo 16:37 - Matej Lancaric | Lancaric.me

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Automated forecasting isn’t just about saving time and money. It’s about finding a gap in the market and going after it. With all the facts on the table, teams can decide early whether to keep, kill, or crank up the effort on a game. Ramp’s automated forecasting tool provided SpaceApe Games with the data to do just that. Angus Lovitt, Ramp CEO and Hong Nguyen, SpaceApe Games CFO, are back for part two of our series on the value-adds of Ramp’s revamped forecasting. This week, the two tell host Peggy Anne Salz how Ramp’s approach helped SpaceApe make the data-driven decision to increase their investments into Chrome Valley Customs and crack the top ten in puzzle games on the App Store. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - How an automated forecasting tool can empower team members

05:28 - Real-time forecasting changes the game

08:04 - True data-driven decision making

10:56- Good forecasting is more than just data

13:23 - The future of forecasting

17:02 - Q&A with Hong and Angus

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

On this week's episode the team discusses Ubisoft's big Assassin's Creed Shadows delay, strike action and other problems. We also analyse the enormous success of Genshin Impact, which has hit $6.3 billion in four years.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

Despite a market valuation of nearly two billion dollars worldwide, many people still view gaming as a pastime with little social or cultural value. Tiltify is here to change that belief. In this episode, we meet Tom Downie, UK Charity Manager of Tiltify, a livestream and digital fundraising platform, who says the games industry is actually a community-centric space bursting with people who do good. Tom explains that studios who have fundraised in the past are discouraged from hosting events often because of obstacles like navigating taxation and physically delivering the money to charities. With Tiltify, fundraising becomes a part of gameplay and sends cash to verified organizations in real-time. For example, developers can offer exclusive DLC whose profits go immediately to the charity of choice, giving them a chance to connect with their community and the greater corporate responsibility. With Tiltify, Tom says, “Suddenly, they’re not “gamers” or people addicted to their screens any more. They’re philanthropists, and they’re amazingly generous people in our community who get together to support something that we all care about.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths, and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into Savvy Games Group's big MENA investments and partnerships, the closure of Finnish developer Lightneer, and how Pokémon Masters EX has quietly generated $335m+ in gross revenue. Craig also talks about the Godzilla movies a little bit too much.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/savvy-games-group-strikes-key-deals-to-power-mena-industry-growth/ 👉🏻 It's lights out at Lightneer as the studio officially announces closure - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/its-lights-out-at-lightneer-as-the-studio-officially-announces-closure/ 👉🏻 Pokémon Masters EX turns five: Lessons from an IP and monetisation masterpiece - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pokmon-masters-ex-turns-five-lessons-from-an-ip-and-monetisation-masterpiece/

Past predictions into mobile gaming foresaw an industry slowdown in 2024, but recent data reveals a different reality. Peggy Anne Salz welcomes two mobile mavens onto the show this week to lift the lid on the actual state of the market, and the trends studios should pay the closest attention to in the coming year. First, Karl Knights, Global VP of Customer Success at mobile data and analytics platform data.ai, digs into the latest data in the State of Mobile 2024 report. He shares surprising findings, reveals the monetisation methods dominating the app stores and walks us through the models that can predict future app performance. Then, Lirui Ding, Senior Associate at Transcend Fund—an audience-first gaming venture firm—dives deep into the rapidly evolving world of Esports. He details how game studios can use Esports to elevate engagement and community building and new ways VR is poised to revolutionise mobile gaming. 

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:50 - The truth about mobile growth and ad spend

05:49 - Breaking down successful games and subgenres 

12:09 - data.ai's MPS

14:05- The state of esports in 2024

19:40 - Effective community building

21:20 -  VR eSports

30:17 - Lirui’s hopes for 2024

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/144491/ 

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 

Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Pixel United, known for its portfolio of popular F2P titles and millions of active players, has nailed the art of squeezing revenue from ads without squeezing the fun out of a game. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Kelly Kang, Senior Director of Ad Monetisation & Partnerships at Pixel United, joins host Peggy Anne Salz to share pages from her playbook and to shed light on what the role of an ad monetisation manager means in today’s games market. Kelly delves into her unexpected experiences in the role, the importance of collaborating with game developers, and which ad formats truly deliver value. She also explores why brands are slow to embrace in-game ads, the effectiveness of in-app header bidding, and what it takes to build a top-tier ad monetisation team.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - The unexpected part of the job

07:12 - Convincing the game devs

10:45 - Which ad formats are worth the hype

13:43 - What's different about the offer wall? 

15:56 - Why are brands lagging behind?

18:52 - How to get in front of brands

23:20 - What the agencies want

27:06 - Experiences with CMPs

30:28 -What does ad-mon really do? 

34:50 - Is in-app bidding really better?

37:41 - What does it take to build a good ad-mon team?

41:10 - Favourite games Q&A 

43:00 - The mark ad-mon can leave on a studio

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the news that Monopoly GO! is now its own board game... plus discuss the future of B2B games media and the closure of Axis Studios - the team behind that famous Dead Island trailer.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

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👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 Story Mode Podcast - Tips on how to use game PR to drive success from Craig Chapple from PocketGamer.biz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMhCLqXMzbk

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Paige Cook from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We cover the big takeaways from the Develop: Brighton conference with advice on how studios can survive to 2025, and ask whether web3 gaming is still all talk.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We offer tips on surviving Gamescom, discuss a drive for games industry sustainability efforts, delve into why Xsolla is sponsoring English League One football team Stevenage FC, and Apple aficionado Daniel gives the iPhone giant a ticking off.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

Matthew Zoern, Head of Studio at Solid Bash, outlines what developers can gain from identifying "the fun factor" — the core component of Solid Bash's "features-based iterative process."  Matthew reveals how his team meld aspects of old-school game development with new transformative techniques to ensure games are entertaining for the long term. Alongside our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, he dives into his background with virtual collectibles to divulge how this approach helps his team craftily combine the digital and physical. Tune into this episode as our trio talk shop about implementing analytics innovatively and discuss what developers should know about profitable brand partnerships.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Mathew's interesting journey into the world of gaming

06:21 - Solid Bash's latest and greatest

07:45 - The benefits of a feature-first approach

13:26 - Embrace the fun factor

16:56 - Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen

20:30 - The shift to full-cycle development

24:55 - Something for Matthew to brag about

28:44 - Are brands getting gamification wrong?

35:18 - Advice for developers looking to work with brands

38:15 - Q&A with Matthew

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

** Let's Connect **

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Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

For smaller studios on shoestring budgets, diving deep into data can feel daunting. But having a leaner team doesn’t equate to less impressive results—if you have the right tools at your fingertips. When tasked with managing her studio’s UA and monetisation, Clary Xiaodan Zhang, Head of UAM at Elia Games, created a fully customisable, no-code automation system that transforms marketers’ time management and democratises data using two readily available, low-cost tools—Google Sheets and Notion. Clary joins us on this week's show alongside hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. She explains how her system delivers on three fronts: It serves as a data analytics platform, matches specific actions with campaign performance, and sends smart alerts that tell marketers in minutes the campaigns that need their attention most. Clary reveals how she saves 50 hours/week integrating this automation and shares the blueprint that studios of all sizes can follow to build their own system in-house.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

04:28 - Balancing UA and monetisation at the same time

05:58 - Clary's no-code solution

08:48 - How Clary's solution helps studios of all sizes

11:10 - AI strengths and weaknesses in UA & monetisation

16:01 - How AI is changing job descriptions

20:52 - Saving 50 hours/week with a no-code solution

24:12 - Disrupting the non-gaming industry

26:47 - Cultivating creativity with Clary's no-code AI

29:40 - How to build a system like Clary

34:48 - Favourite games Q&A