two & a half gamers session #112 – How to grow IAP revenue by 375%? SayGames Special with Anton Volnykh
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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session #112 – How to grow IAP revenue by 375%? SayGames Special with Anton Volnykh. 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 am conference discussion vibe, so let’s not take it too seriously.
The Team:
Jakub Remiar- Game design consultant
Felix Braberg – Ad monetization consultant
Matej Lančarič – User Acquisition & Creatives consultant
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Summary
Say Games is a small team of 170 people that focuses on automating their processes and using internal tools to operate their games. They have a hybrid casual approach and work closely with their teams to help them transition from hypercasual to hybrid casual games. They have a continuous process of iterating and improving their games, adding new challenges, levels, and content. They have a large UA organization and use internal tools for UA automation. They have built their own analytics system and SDK, which took many years to develop. They have seen a shift from primarily ad revenue to a significant amount of IAP revenue. In this conversation, Matej Lancaric discusses the monetization strategies and challenges in the hybrid casual gaming industry. He emphasizes the importance of testing and data-driven decision-making in game development and monetization. Lancaric also shares insights on the use of different currencies, the role of interstitial ads, and the segmentation of users’ ad experiences. He highlights the need for continuous learning and adaptation in the ever-evolving gaming industry.
Takeaways
Say Games focuses on automating processes and using internal tools to operate their games.
They work closely with their teams to help them transition from hypercasual to hybrid casual games.
They have a continuous process of iterating and improving their games.
They have a large UA organization and use internal tools for UA automation.
They have built their own analytics system and SDK.
They have seen a shift from primarily ad revenue to a significant amount of IAP revenue. Testing is crucial in game development and monetization, and data-driven decision-making is essential for success.
Different currencies, such as hard currency and soft currency, are often used in hybrid casual games to scale the game economy.
The use of interstitial ads in games should be carefully balanced to avoid negatively impacting user retention.
Segmenting users’ ad experiences based on factors like platform and user behavior can optimize monetization.
Continuous learning and adaptation are necessary in the gaming industry to stay competitive and achieve success.
Keywords
Say Games, team, automation, internal tools, hybrid casual, hypercasual, transition, UA, analytics, SDK, ad revenue, IAP revenue, monetization, hybrid casual gaming, testing, data-driven, currencies, interstitial ads, ad segmentation, continuous learning
Agenda:
00:00 Epic intro
03:36 Admiring Say Games’ Work
09:19 Transitioning to Hybrid Casual Games
14:08 Consequences of Different Approaches
27:45 UA Automation and Internal Tools
29:40 Building Analytics System and SDK
31:32 Shift from Ad Revenue to IAP Revenue
32:28 Testing and Data-Driven Decision-Making
33:27 Scaling the Game Economy with Currencies
36:21 Balancing Interstitial Ads and User Retention
42:20 Optimizing Monetization through Ad Segmentation
57:48 Building Games at the Right Pace
01:01:36 Working Towards Bigger Games and More Revenue
01:03:32 Learning from Teams with App Monetization Experience
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Helping you stay 2.5 steps ahead of the games industry. Don't be too serious, except about UA.
Subscribe to my Brutally Honest newsletter!
