PocketGamer.biz Podcast

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/

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

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/

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

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 Squad Busters heading into soft launch, the state of the Finnish games industry, and retro game emulators on the App Store ** 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/

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

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/

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

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the in our new 'Week in Views' series. We cover the European Commission's investigations into Apple and Google over possible DMA violations, offer takeaways from a big week at GDC, and delve into the big news coming out of the MENA 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 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/

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/

Brian Baglow, Craig Chapple, Daniel Griffiths and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest news from the mobile games industry in our new 'Week in Views' series. We cover Supercell's new development structure for new games and live ops, as well as dive into TikTok's potential ban in the US and what it means for games.

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

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.

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

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/

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