Georg Petschnigg’s Post

Think you've cracked the casual game code? Well, hold the phone. Our brand-new report unlocks the data-driven secrets powering the top mobile games in this new era. Here's a sneak peek: 🤑 Benchmark your UA costs and ROAS like a pro. See what's working by genre, region, and month for casual games 🎮 Find the secrets behind the hottest trends and features shaping hybrid-casual games 📱 Learn how top mobile games are boosting revenue and stickiness with the hottest live event trends 📜 Master the secrets behind successful in-app monetization used by the top casual games Don't settle for ‘good enough’. Get ready to skyrocket player value and ditch the cash burn cycle ➡️ https://bit.ly/4aWrMp0

Crafting a game that shines equally on a PC, console, and mobile always feels like a never ending puzzle In today's digital age, where players seamlessly switch between devices, expecting their favourite game to transition with them, cross-platform development has become more than just a buzzword—it's the new norm. It's not just about scaling graphics or tweaking controls; it's about delivering a consistent, high-quality experience that feels native to every platform. And let's be honest, juggling between UI adjustments, performance optimisation, and ensuring that the gameplay remains fluid can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope. I'm curious — how are you navigating this intricate dance of cross-platform development? What's been your secret sauce to ensure your games truly shine, no matter where they're played? #gamedevelopment #crossplatformgaming #gamingcommunity

🌟 Stat pulse Wednesday ➡️ Q2 2024 global retention of mobile games Today, we looked into global retention of the 25% best performing mobile games across iOS and Android (combined). Compared to data from Q1, the retention across Day 1, Day 7, and Day 28 did not change in a significant range, however we can notice minor deviations: 1️⃣ Casual games display lower D28 retention than in previous quarter. 2️⃣ Contrarily, classic games' retention slowly grows across all days. Particularly casino games seem to be more popular among players. 3️⃣ The biggest drop in Day 1 retention is across mid-core games. Looking for the median, specific region or platform? Find data from over 10,000 games in GameAnalytics benchmarks.

News wasn't quite as manic as yesterday, but it's not exactly been quiet. Today on GamesIndustry.biz... (Thursday, March 7, 2024) 1. The big news is that Apple has blocked Fortnite's return to iOS and Epic's forthcoming app store, calling Epic Games "verifiably untrustworthy." I mean, it *did* violate Apple's developer agreement with the 2020 Fortnite hotfix that began their dispute, but it still seems to be in violation of the Digital Markets Act, which the European Commission has confirmed it is looking into https://lnkd.in/ewA-C8yM 2. When's the best time to remake a video game? According to a new study, it's between 10 and 20 years after the original launch. Meanwhile, remasters (yes, there's a difference) perform best when the game is less than five years old https://lnkd.in/e8DvPC5Q 3. Let's go through your must-reads for the day: First, please take a look at my conversation with Hervé Hoerdt about the upcoming Unknown 9: Awakening and the transmedia universe built around this. I'm a sucker for storytelling, so this one intrigues me - especially as Bandai Namco is planning five Unknown 9 games in ten years, and they sound like they'll be shorter/cheaper than AAA blockbusters https://lnkd.in/e4CN_BNT 3b. Marie Dealessandri continues to bring you some excellent reads in our South Africa Games Week special, including this interview with Limpho Moeti about why collaboration is the key to the future of the games industry in that region https://lnkd.in/eUS5mC2P 3c. And Sea Monster CEO Glenn Gillis spoke to Marie about Games for Change, what South Africa has to offer to the world of games, and how the industry across the continent has matured https://lnkd.in/exQgcxzM 3d. Finally, Sophie McEvoy caught up with former EA devs Tina Merry and Carina Kom to find out more about their new studio, Simply Sweet Games, which aims to "raise the bar" for the mobile industry with "polished, deep and ad-free" games - starting with Criss Cross Castles, a roguelike word puzzle outing (which is a combination of words that very much appeals to me) https://lnkd.in/e-xApnj5 4. And congratulations to all the nominees for this year's BAFTA awards. The number of noms for Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 had two members of my team (who shall remain unnamed) very excited https://lnkd.in/e-KDuXp4 You do know you get all this and more by signing up to the GI newsletter, right? Right?! https://lnkd.in/eAkx_zen

Why Aren't Classic Games Ported to PC? Insights from the Industry Ever wondered why developers and publishers don't port in-demand classic games to PC? Despite the apparent demand, several factors contribute to this decision. 🚨 Licensing and Legal Hurdles: Games often involve complex licensing agreements for technology, music, and intellectual property. Over time, these agreements can expire or become entangled in legal complications, making re-releasing a game legally challenging and costly. 💥 Technical Challenges: Porting older games to modern systems can be technically demanding. Classic games were often built for specific hardware and software environments that no longer exist. Adapting them to modern PCs requires significant development resources to ensure compatibility and performance. 📺 Market Considerations: While there is vocal demand for classic game ports, publishers must weigh this against potential returns. The financial viability of porting a game depends on projected sales, development costs, and market competition. Sometimes, the numbers just don't add up to justify the investment. 🥅 Strategic Priorities: Companies like Rockstar and others prioritize new projects and franchises that promise higher returns and align with their long-term strategy. Allocating resources to develop new titles or expansions often takes precedence over revisiting older games. ❗ Risk of Reception: Not all classic games are guaranteed to succeed in today's market. Gamers' expectations have evolved, and there's a risk that these titles might not perform as well as anticipated, potentially tarnishing the brand's reputation. Take, for instance, Rockstar’s decision not to develop a PC port for Red Dead Redemption or the status of Lionhead's games. These choices reflect a mix of the above factors. The industry is complex, and while it might seem like easy money is being left on the table, the reality is often more intricate. Understanding these reasons can help us appreciate the nuanced decisions developers and publishers must make in a rapidly evolving market. What are your thoughts? Have you experienced similar frustrations with your favorite classic games? Let’s discuss! # DevotedStudios #GameDevelopment #GamingIndustry #ClassicGames #PCGaming #TechChallenges #BusinessStrategy #GamePorting

A lot of theory about the dip in mobile games speculates that it relates to the recession, to IDFA and so on. Maybe not. I wonder whether sameness is playing a part, especially in f2p where design patterns currently feel somewhat repetitive. In a mature market of any kind this can happen, whether it be sports, adventure games, casino stuff, whatever. Sometimes the macro of a whole platform is just a bit off the boil as major providers linearly compete against one another (see: CPIs spiraling). Contrast the performance of mobile and plateauing of console to an upsurge on PC that’s caught many by surprise. But is it all that surprising when we see a definitive uptick in innovation on content, price and the effects of UE5 allowing many smaller studios to deal with higher graphical expectations? All I’m saying is that I think pointing at inflation or the global economy is a pretty blah answer when the problems in our industry are more likely to do with what drums the industry’s been beating for a while.

Gaming Mastery: Crafting the Perfect Hybrid Casual Experience 🕹️ Ever wondered what the winning formula for top-charting hybrid casual games is? It’s a “sticky core gameplay with high retention + hybrid monetisation techniques”. Here’s how you can whip up your own gaming potion: Gameplay 🎮 Look into varied genres and find a core that is magnetically engaging and power it up with liveops. If it’s complex (midcore or puzzle), sprinkle in some hypercasual methods to make it more accessible. If it’s too straightforward (hypercasual core), layer it with more levels and enrich the meta. The goal – to make it as catchy as possible! Monetisaton 💸 For hybrid casual games, the typical monetisation blend is: 1/3 in-game purchases, 1/3 rewarding video ads, and 1/3 interstitial ads. Compare that with Hypercasual, where 75% leans into interstitial ads and 25% on reward-based video ads, as guided by Voodoo's insights. The secret sauce? Blend diverse monetization techniques to ensure players stay enchanted in the long run, steering clear of the peak-and-move strategy seen in Hypercasual realms. Craving a deeper dive? Check out the fresh 'Games and Names' episode for the full enchantment! 😎🔮

Browser games are about 1% of total game revenue sitting just under $2 billion annually. For additional context, PC games are at 21% at $53 billion annually and mobile is close to $90 billion sitting at about 50%. Andrew (dub) Wion, community / partnerships manager at SHRAPNEL said “it’s definitely Web3 games and ecosystems that are redefining the need for browser experiences. It’s really wild because it’s coming from the fact that Apple and Google are taking 30% fees directly in their ecosystems. The actual crypto side of things on every Web3 game that I’ve played on my phone was in a browser experience. Even for us, our marketplace that is about to be peer to peer is all in the browser. So it’s going to be really interesting to see how it’s defined later down the road.” How do you see browser game experiences going forward?

Great checklist for soft launching. These are prompts derived from real world experiences launching mobile hits at Zynga and others. Games/mobile products of all shapes and sizes can benefit from this for GTM.

Ship & Iterate; that’s one of few mantras we actively champion Since launching MrQ.com we’ve wanted to build our own slot games. 3 of them are live. Our latest, Mayan Tower is what we are calling a Quickie - players have more choice on how to play and when to cash out - this game embodies the mantra Ship & Iterate. The next ones don’t look like this, they’re enhanced versions on all fronts, this is our first draft warts and all. You have to live with mistakes, iterate from them The first car barely worked, the first iPhone barely worked, the first anything barely worked, everything starts somewhere, if you never ship it, you’ll never know.