PocketGamer.biz Podcast

Great games start with a great understanding of gaps in the industry and the factors that play a pivotal role in predicting profitability. This week, we welcome a guest with a keen eye for both and a sixth sense for high-potential startups. Akin Babayigit, Co-Founder and President of Tripledot Studios joins our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. The business side of games is baked into Akin's DNA—a talent that helped him build Tripledot from the ground up and go on to effectively scout out and scale lucrative studios like Dream Games and Luna Labs Limited. In this episode, he shares pages from his playbook on recognizing the signs of commercial success in a specific title and tells Peggy and Brian the specific data points that are most crucial to the decision-making process at Tripledot. Tune into the show for his insights into the unique opportunities for app marketers in Turkey and advice to embrace the new science of performance marketing. **Chapters** 00:00 - Intro  01:55 - Akin's background 07:52 - How Tripledot stands out 14:39 - Signs that a game will be a success 28:01 - Market conditions in Turkey 35:18 - Embrace the new science of performance marketing 42:15 - Favourite games Q&A

MENA is a fast-growing gaming territory with high-paying and highly engaged players, but what will it take for the region to gain recognition on the global stage? Our host, Peggy Anne Salz, sits down with a Saudi studio for an insider look into the local opportunities and challenges. Miikka Lindgren, VP of Publishing at Sandsoft—a studio making waves in MENA and displaying impressive growth in a growing industry—shines a light on Sandsoft’s strategic focus on global publishing and its innovative approach to data-driven decision-making that underscores their commitment to sustainable growth. He emphasizes the importance of product as marketing, balancing short-term metrics with long-term growth targets, and staying focused amidst numerous ideas and opportunities in the industry. Plus, he gives us a sneak peek into Sandsoft’s arcade simulation game, Business Dudes.  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:14 - Opportunities in MENA 08:23 - Sandsoft grows despite downturns 11:13 - Balancing short-term metrics with long-term growth 13:17 - Don't be afraid to dream big 15:31 - What to learn from Chinese studios 21:44 - Alternative distribution platforms 23:21 - What's next in MENA and for Sandsoft? 30:39 - 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

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

Acquiring valuable users is only half the battle. To truly power profitable growth, studios must focus on the smart strategies that retain their users for years rather than days. Faith Price, pioneers this approach in gaming as the Director of Growth Marketing at DoubleDown Interactive, a leading social casino and mobile games studio. She joins host Peggy Anne Salz in this episode to share how she uses lifecycle marketing to extend the lifespan of DoubleDown’s 13-year-old app—and the tips you can implement to do the same for your game. She opens up about her testing tactics and routine and reveals the three steps anyone can take to reinvent themselves during this industry downturn.  CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - Determining the features that acquire vs retain 05:36 - Timing and testing communications and community 11:26 - What does the testing routine look like? 12:31- How to reinvent yourself in 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

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

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

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  👉🏻 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

In Guy Gadney’s eyes, implementing AI into your game development is like “cooking with eggs.” You can use it as an ancillary tool to optimise your current creative endeavours, or you can “make an omelette”, baking AI into your game from the beginning and establishing it as a fundamental component of character or world creation. The application options are endless—if guided by the right questions. Peggy Anne Salz welcomes Guy Gadney, Co-Founder and CEO of Charisma—a plug-and-play platform creating interactive stories with virtual characters—onto the show again to reveal what to ask to effectively apply AI to your creative process, revolutionise your entertainment experience, and “fundamentally change the art of storytelling.” After their dynamic discussion, Peggy chats with another AI expert and entrepreneur, Harry Holmwood. Harry describes how Magicave, a game company designing digital hobbies similar to Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer, uses AI to transform data into real-time world-building with digital dice, characters, and tiles. Listen, learn, and love this episode as we talk about co-creating engaging experiences with players, implementing AI ethically, and how to navigate the machine learning minefield in 2024.  CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro  00:51 - AI is like cooking with eggs 07:29 - Navigating compliance 10:19 -  AI will fundamentally change storytelling 13:10 - Using AI to create new worlds every day 17:41 - Copyright and fair IP 22:28 - Monetising and the Pay To Learn model 24:00 - Magicave's vision * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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

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

While some studios are cashing in their chips on hypercasual and casual games, a few future-focused brands are doubling down and winning big by placing their bets on rewarded play. Indeed, though once a taboo UA tactic, rewarded play now opens doors for lasting loyalty and long-term engagement. That’s why Mistplay, a leading loyalty platform for mobile apps, provides rewards that fit the bill for every player. Gabriel Lewis, Senior Director and Global Head of Accounts at Mistplay, joins Peggy Anne Salz in this episode of the PG.biz Podcast, where he explains how Mistplay goes beyond cashback offerings to deliver a variety of perks custom-matched to player interests. He says rewards are more than just bonuses but catalysts for continued gameplay. Tune into this show for insider tips on leveraging these turbo boosts—plus loyalty and LTV—in your game design and a look into the secret strategy that Mistplay mobilises to keep gamers glued to their screens. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - First impressions and exciting trends 02:30 - Mistplay and rewarded ads 08:34 - Designing for rewards types 12:37 - Rewarded ads in the years to come 15:29 - What's next for Gabe? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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 industry where data-driven decision-making pays dividends and a deep content pool is the difference between customer churn and a long-term connection, game studios need a tool capable of gathering granular user data and satiating consumers' content cravings. NAK3D—a startup recently awarded for its innovation by the World Economic Forum—delivers on both ends. Kelly Vero, CEO and CTO of NAK3D joins Peggy Anne Salz for an on-the-ground interview into how the interoperable fashion marketplace leverages AI-developed data to provide developers a constant stream of new in-game content while empowering fashion and retail brands to establish a digital presence. She says the future of game commerce (or g-commerce as she calls it) lies in digital assets and putting the power back into the hands of the player. Few people are as daring, future-focused, and driven as Kelly, which is why major designer brands like Alexander McQueen and Lulu Guinness trust NAK3D to bridge the gap between digital and physical retail and deliver actionable insights into Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. Don’t miss out on this mega-meta episode—the first in a series of special live podcasts connecting you with the sharpest minds and savviest innovators in gaming. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:54 - Davos, the metaverse, and trends in Asia 07:06 - The evolution of Nak3d 12:29 - The future of Gcommerce and information sourcing 19:30 - Digital death and the metaverse 26:28 - Look outside the games industry 29:03 - What is Kelly looking forward to most? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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

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

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

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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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 path to profitable growth is fraught with tough choices. Studios can net new audiences by pumping out new titles and features at the pace of change, or they can push the envelope (and extend the lifecycle of their legacy title) with content, Live Ops and real-life events. Or, in the case of Zynga, they can do all of the above. Yaron Leyvand, Executive VP at Mobile Studios at Zynga, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow to share pages from the playbook that keeps the games giant growing amidst industry downturns and transformations. Yaron recalls the milestones in the journey that brought Zynga from a small gaming company with a start on Facebook to a leader in casual gaming with over 4 billion downloads and 200+ million monthly players worldwide. He also delves into Zynga’s unique approach to M&A—one that bolsters smaller studios and trusts in local talent. Don’t miss this info-packed episode as Yaron describes how Zynga and Take-Two are shaking up the industry with their landmark collaboration, and Peggy and Brian announce the biggest celebration in PG.biz history — the 10-year anniversary of PocketGamer Connects hosted at PGC London in January. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The must-attend event of the year 03:09 - Introducing Yaron 03:48 - Zynga's 2024 mentality 07:09 - Most innovative shift in puzzle games 11:43 - The secret to Zynga's success 14:46 - Zynga's acquisition approach 20:02 - The power of combining forces 25:37 - To license IP or not to license IP 27:56 - How to make a "forever franchise" 33:04 - Favourite games Q&A with Yaron * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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

Success starts with a great game, but profitable growth is fueled by ongoing engagement that treats players as individuals. And, although it’s not rocket science, the SuperScale report, Good Games Don’t Die, reveals this is where most studios miss the mark. Nearly 40% fail to deliver relevant and engaging content to their users. It’s also one reason 83% of games fail within three years of launch. How can gaming companies step up engagement to ensure their game (and audience) is thriving years down the road? Jim Laurain, Head of Growth at Aampe, a company that leverages AI to level up your communication stack, shares some smart approaches in this week’s show with our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow. Jim reveals how 75% of top gaming apps fail to welcome new players and outlines how these same companies can significantly increase engagement in just one step. He also zeroes in on the stages where top games are getting their messaging and segmentation wrong. He wraps up with an experiment every game dev can run to gain a deeper understanding of their players and “massively increase their retention and activity” in the process. And this is one experiment you can do at home! CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 04:51 - 75% of apps miss this crucial step 10:11 - How are 25% of apps getting messaging wrong? 14:01 - Popular trends in messaging flow 22:28 - Tailor messaging based on player motivation 24:58 - An experiment to reveal player types and relevant messaging 33:05 - Using CRM data to shape UA 37:42 - How does Aampe help devs with messaging? 40:46 - Favourite games Q&A with Jim * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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

During the hypercasual reign, short-term metrics, like the seven-day LTV curve, were the golden standard for an app’s scalable potential. Now, looking further down the road and building an environment that encourages players to set down roots for 30, 60, or even 365+ days is how studios can come out on top and predict profitability. So, how can studios get to the bottom of what causes churn and retain players for years instead of days? John Wright, Vice President of Mobile Publishing at Kwalee — the UK publisher with 70+ published games and 1 billion+ mobile game downloads — has the answers in this week's episode. Alongside our hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, John dives deep into prioritising player loyalty, creating memorable (and profitable) user experiences, and the strategy that increased Kwalee games’ LTV by 40x. “It’s a mindset shift from ‘How do we get users as cheaply as possible to how do we maximise our users moving forward.’”And we end on a high note, talking about Kwalee’s first-ever virtual event and how you can participate.  Gamemasters Summit, powered by Kwalee - register here Understanding Player Loyalty Is A Game-Changer For Mobile Publishers (Forbes)  - read here CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 04:00 - Upcoming PG.biz and Kwalee events 06:43 - Why hybrid casual? 11:02 - Is hypercasual dead? 12:14 - Is the worst of privacy changes behind us? 14:10 - A loyalty driven approach to growth 18:08 - How to get someone more invested in your game 20:54 - Becoming a multi-app experience 24:59 - Should your metrics change? 28:36 - Where does John see growth?  33:13 - Favourite games Q&A with John * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  ** 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