In this special Two and a Half Gamers episode, Matej and Felix sit down with Zino Rost van Tonningen (TyrAds) to deep dive into the history, present, and future of rewarded monetization & offerwalls.

Key insights:

History of rewarded ads:

Early “incent installs” → rank-boosting campaigns (TapJoy, FreeMyApps).

Multi-reward systems (TapJoy, IronSource, Fyber).

Misplay breakthrough: timer-based playtime rewards + personalization.

AdJoe & others scaled Misplay’s model into SDK solutions.

The shift to personalization:

Old offerwalls = one-size-fits-all.

New generation = hyper-personalized rewards per user.

Use of media source data (Google, Unity, AppLovin, etc.) to adapt rewards based on traffic quality.

Publisher perspective:

Offerwalls can contribute 5–30% of game revenue depending on genre.

Biggest impact: retaining non-payers & dolphins by giving them an alternative to IAP.

Integration fights today echo old mediation wars (bonuses, rev guarantees, exclusivity deals).

Best practices for choosing an offerwall partner:

LiveOps environment — events, hot deals, timed offers.

Transparency — explain revenue spikes/drops & media source impact.

Personalization — reward scaling, segmentation by user type & UA source.

UI/UX — aesthetics matter; no more “Windows 95” offerwalls.

Zino’s TyrAds SDK v3.0:

One-time integration, no updates needed.

Customizable design to match game branding.

Hyper-personalized rewards, dynamic leveling systems.

LiveOps events triggered per user (push, in-app messages).

Takeaway: Rewarded monetization has entered its 4th generation: hyper-personalized, data-driven, and LiveOps-powered.

https://tyrads.com/

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Special guest: Zino Rost van Tonningen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rovato/

zino@tyrads.com

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Rewarded User Acquisition

04:30 The Evolution of Rewarded Monetization

07:10 The Shift from Incentivized Installs to Quality KPIs

09:51 Innovations in Rewarded Advertising: Multi-Reward and Playtime Solutions

12:33 The Role of Personalization in Rewarded Monetization

14:56 Challenges in Current Rewarded Solutions

17:48 Evaluating Monetization Solutions: Key Considerations

20:15 The Importance of LiveOps in Engagement

23:06 Transparency and Optimization in Offer Walls

28:34 Differentiating Offer Walls for Monetization

30:44 The Importance of Data in Monetization Solutions

31:28 Personalization and User Engagement in Offer Walls

33:18 SDK Evolution: From Version 1 to Hyper-Personalization

36:14 Leveraging Machine Learning for Offer Wall Optimization

40:14 Engaging Users with LiveOps and Hot Deals

44:01 Dynamic Leveling Systems for Enhanced User Experience

46:58 Criteria for Effective Offer Wall Implementation

48:47 Revenue Impact and Client Engagement

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Zino Rost van Tonningen

CEO of TyrAds

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rovato/

zino@tyrads.com

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Today, we break down Galaxy Defense, a sci-fi-themed tower defense/survival clone that’s generating $100K/day in IAP with only around 135K DAU.

🎯 Topics covered:

Gameplay breakdown: lasers, turrets, force fields & randomizer

Monetization: IAP heavy, ~12% ads, “Remove Ads” pack as a top purchase

Why CPIs are likely $50–100+ in Tier 1 markets

Revenue: ~$220K/day combined, with Android more than iOS

UA creatives: TikTok memes, fake interviews, AI actors — mostly 3.5/10 execution

Why this isn’t yet the “Western prophecy hit” for tower defense

👉 Subscribe for brutally honest deep dives into UA, monetization & game design.

👉 Comment: is Galaxy Defense the next Rush Royale, or just another clone?

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Podcast:

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Galaxy Defense

04:02 Gameplay Mechanics and Strategies

07:12 Ad Experience and Monetization

10:09 Comparative Analysis with Other Games

20:55 Energy Systems and Progression

23:50 Customization and Gear Enhancement

34:03 Chinese Market Dynamics and UA Strategies

37:06 The Stability of Waifu Games

38:07 Emerging Trends in Tower Defense Games

41:48 Creative Strategies in Game Marketing

44:02 The Role of AI in Game Advertising

47:57 Cultural Influences on Game Development

49:35 Final Thoughts on Game Trends and Predictions

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

---------------------------------------

If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

We dive into AceCraft, Moonton’s new Tom & Jerry–themed midcore gacha shooter that mixes Cuphead-style 1930s cartoon art with Habi-inspired systems and miHoYo-style monetization depth.

Key insights:

Gameplay & Core Loop:

Systems & Meta

Dual banners (Tom & Jerry separately) with pity timers, skewed rates, and duplicate scaling.

Each major character has a signature weapon requiring rolls.

Collectible album (Royal Match / Monopoly Go style) with trade functionality, now ported into midcore — a first.

Co-op synchronous mode

Three-layer skill trees, elemental affinities, wingman companions.

Monetization:

~$330K/day IAP revenue post-launch (peaking with Tom/Jerry banner).

Battle Pass upsell trick:

Downloads ~300K/day at launch, half from China.

Scaling across 17+ networks: TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Unity, AppLovin, IronSource, Mintegral, etc.

UA creatives lean on retro cartoon surrealism, dancing ads, Tom & Jerry music, plus street interview trend (borrowed from Raid Rush).

Prediction:

Likely to fade in Western markets (art style too niche, monetization too punishing).

Moonton may line up other WB/Looney Tunes IPs (Sylvester, Tweety, Popeye, Roadrunner) for similar launches.

Takeaway: AceCraft is one of the deepest midcore gacha launches in 2025 — but built for Asia, not the West.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:46 Discussion on Ace Craft and Impressions

09:22 Core Gameplay Mechanics and Innovations

12:14 Character Development and Gacha Elements

15:04 Battle Pass and Game Structure

21:05 Exploring Game Modes and Social Features

23:05 The Collectible Album Revolution

25:23 Gacha Mechanics: A Deep Dive

31:48 Event-Driven Engagement Strategies

41:03 Nostalgia in Gaming: The Influence of Classic Titles

47:09 The Role of IP in Game Development

50:32 Cultural Differences in Game Reception

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this special Two and a Half Gamers duet episode, Matej and Felix walk through how to set up Ad Monetization (AdMon) from scratch using Matej’s own test app as a live case study. This episode is part tutorial, part comedy of errors, and part step-by-step guide for anyone new to AdMon.

Key insights:

App-ads.txt basics:

Required by IAB for fraud prevention.

Must be hosted on the developer’s listed website (App Store/Google Play).

Each network (Google, AppLovin, IronSource, Unity, Meta, Mintegral, etc.) requires unique entries.

Some networks (like IronSource) force you to request Publisher ID via support, making setup painful.

Mediation setup (MAX):

One network is never enough — competition = higher eCPM.

Best practice: integrate multiple (Google AdMob, AppLovin, IronSource, Unity Ads, Meta Audience Network).

Connect networks directly in MAX for payout reconciliation & fraud safety.

Network quirks:

Google AdMob: straightforward, rewarded bidding setup.

AppLovin: entries visible in account dashboard.

IronSource: must email for Publisher ID.

Unity & Mintegral: dashboard accessible.

Meta/Facebook: painful; rewarded ads disabled for non-games, only interstitial/rewarded interstitial available.

Best practices shared by Felix:

Always keep app-ads.txt updated with every network.

Cross-check revenue between MAX vs. direct networks.

Expect a lot of clicking, logins, and waiting, but setup today saves revenue disputes later.

Live Learnings:

Matej’s developer website missing → crawlers failed.

Felix guided step-by-step through creating ad units, adding IDs, and verifying setups.

By the end, Matej had MAX + multiple networks integrated, app-ads.txt updated, and was ready to monetize his app.

Takeaway: AdMon setup is annoying, but essential. Do it properly once, and it will pay you back forever.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Podcast:

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to App Development and Advertising

03:51 Understanding AdMob and App Ads TXT

06:22 Navigating Ad Networks and Their Requirements

08:52 Setting Up Ad Units and Bidding Strategies

11:36 Integrating Multiple Ad Networks

14:25 Finalizing App Setup and Future Steps

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

---------------------------------------

If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

We break down Epic Plane Evolution – Voodoo’s hypercasual throwback hit that’s pulling in ~$150K/day in ad revenue with over 100K daily downloads.

Key insights:

Gameplay: Players start with a broken cardboard plane and unlock wings, tails, and rockets through upgrades. Controls are intentionally clunky — planes crash often, driving engagement and retries.

Monetization: Heavy use of rewarded ads (“convert or die” mechanic) and interstitial spam. iOS users see gems + VIP purchases, while Android has no gems at all, leading to 80–85% of revenue coming from iOS.

Retention: Despite frustration, average playtime is ~13 minutes/day across 3 sessions, powered by the addictive slingshot mechanic.

Revenue Mix: Estimated $150K/day, 80–84% ads, minimal IAP. VIP subscriptions and gem bundles exist only on iOS.

Creative Strategy: Basic hypercasual creatives (gates + plane gameplay). Some gameplay ads actually teach players how to steer — a sign of design flaws.

Market Context: Falls under “Arcade Driving” genre, sitting alongside Hill Climb Racing & Traffic Rider. Current run rate ~$10M annually, but easily cloneable. Vietnam devs likely to copy/expand with IAP depth.

Future Potential: If Voodoo adds events/meta (e.g. Legend of Slime style), this could evolve from hypercasual into hybrid-casual. But for now, it’s a hypercasual money-printing surprise hit.

Takeaway: Epic Plane Evolution proves hypercasual isn’t dead — it just needs the right loop, frustration, and ads.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Podcast:

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Epic Plane Evolution

04:08 Gameplay Mechanics and Challenges

11:39 Monetization Strategies and Ad Revenue

14:10 Unexpected Success and Future Improvements

18:15 The Decline of Banner Ads

21:13 Analyzing Competitor Strategies

24:14 User Acquisition and Monetization Trends

28:24 Creative Strategies in Mobile Gaming

32:16 Future of Mobile Gaming and Audience Engagement

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Our Creative Trends episode dives into the wildest UA creative trends of July 2025. We dissect the latest ad formats, AI breakthroughs, and genre crossovers reshaping mobile game marketing.

Key highlights:

Golden Goblins still dominating: Physics + slicing + gem/gold mechanics continue to scale across genres.

AI everywhere: From fully AI-generated creatives to lip-synced fake influencers and medieval AI drama ads, VEO3 and other tools are powering cheap, fast, and diverse iterations.

Clash Royale’s bizarre UA: Gameplay with random AI gorillas and corpses – questionable hooks, but they still scale.

Celebrity & influencer hooks: Jonas Brothers cameo in Travel Town ads, Kevin Hart still pushing, street interview actors turning into professional creative talent.

Rising stars: Vita Mayong scaling with bizarre money-plinko-style creatives, Carnival Tycoon adopting 4XUA funnels, Dark War Survival flooding with pixel-art AI creatives.

Legal risks ignored: LEGO blocks, Gucci logos, celebrity likenesses - Chinese publishers are pushing boundaries regardless.

Creative of the year contender: AI-powered medieval skits with bad dialogue, compared to Viva La Dirt League, hailed as the funniest + most viral format so far.

Takeaway

2025 creatives = AI hooks + genre mashups + zero morality. The only rule: “Does it scale?”

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

--------------------------------------

PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.

Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

---------------------------------------

For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Creative Trends

03:52 Analyzing Current Creative Trends

17:44 The Ethics of Creative Production in Gaming

26:48 Ad Creatives and Performance Insights

30:48 Game Concepts and Genre Adaptation

31:48 Scaling Strategies in Game Development

32:49 Emerging Game Creatives and Market Competition

33:51 The Impact of AI on Game Creatives

40:48 Trends in Game Design and User Engagement

41:54 The Evolution of Game Creatives

42:49 Legal Challenges in Game Development

47:01 Innovations in Game Marketing Strategies

---------------------------------------

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this solo episode of Two and a Half Gamers, Felix dives into the Sensor Tower data that proves Vietnam is becoming one of the biggest forces in global mobile gaming.

📊 Key highlights:

OneSoft at #3 worldwide with ~89M downloads in 30 days.

iCame skyrocketing from $2.9M → $15M/month in IAP thanks to Screwdom.

72 studios now hitting 1M+ downloads monthly, up from 44 earlier this year.

58 new studios appeared in one month.

Vietnam shifting from ad-monetized hypercasual → IAP-driven growth.

Felix explains why Vietnam is now a must-watch market, what’s fueling this growth, and why he and Jakub are heading to Games Forum Vietnam this November to meet the studios shaping the future.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

---------------------------------------

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Podcast:

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

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Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

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Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

---------------------------------------

If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

In this episode, we suffer (literally) through Wool Craze, a yarn-peeling 3D puzzler that’s taking the charts by storm. The crew dissects why this painful yet brilliant game is generating ~$100-120K daily on a DAU of just ~140K — all while flooding the market with AI-generated creatives.

Key highlights:

Gameplay & Pain: Long, punishing levels (20–30 minutes each), fat-finger frustration, endless rewarded ads. A grind that monetizes sunk-cost fallacy.

Monetization: Aggressive rewarded ads, interstitial spam, “Fail Packs” as top IAP. Smart combo of bundles + F2P pain points.

Scale: ~$60K/day from IAP, $30–40K/day from ads = ~$100K/day total.

Creative Strategy: Wild diversity (20+ different concepts). Heavy use of AI for characters, interviews, and banners. Street interview trend, talking AIs, even knitted dwarfs.

UA Lessons: Chinese devs (HeroLinkage / SparkWish) pushing huge creative volume. AI lowers production cost, drives constant testing.

Prediction: Could follow Screwdom’s trajectory ($400K/day). With retention benchmarks and UA firepower, scaling is inevitable.

Takeaway: Pain + AI + aggressive monetization = money machine.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

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Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/

They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.

- Scale fast

- Keep your shares

- Drawdown only as needed

- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you

+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors

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For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.

Our sponsor FastSpring:

Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years

They power top mobile publishers around the world

Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.

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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Youtube: https://youtu.be/0ONl8Bj4jR4

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Game Overview

02:18 Game Mechanics and Design

05:16 Monetization Strategies

07:28 User Experience and Retention

10:31 AI in Game Development

13:27 Comparative Analysis with Other Games

16:03 Market Performance and Revenue Insights

18:41 Creative Strategies and Advertising

21:23 Conclusion and Future Prospects

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Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

---------------------------------------

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!

Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!

Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

---------------------------------------

If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai