PocketGamer.biz Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Traditionally, studios faced a tough choice: either crank out hypercasual games at speed or concentrate on crafting deeper player engagement with fewer releases. TapNation breaks this mould—and brilliantly—mastering both approaches to top 1 billion downloads just four years after its founding. On this week’s episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Vincent Février, Chief Marketing Officer at TapNation, returns to share the winning strategies behind the company’s rapid rise and recent acquisition of UA Hero. Vincent unveils how TapNation’s company culture fosters creativity and bold moves, driving the daring shifts in its marketing strategy that spurred a near 10% LTV uplift. He explores how their focus on product-led growth drives long-term engagement, reveals the CMP TapNation chose to power customer-driven privacy policies, and shares the retention and retargeting strategies proven to keep and call back players.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

03:00 - Hiring at TapNation

06:29 - A shift in marketing

11:02 - Product-led growth

13:28 - Where the success comes from

17:24 - Why the next billion downloads will be harder to get

19:22 - Real-growth retention strategies

22:29 - A win-back reward

27:03 - How TapNation hacks hybrid ad mon

33:25 - CMPs affecting revenue

36:39 - TapNation's main goal in the next 12 months

42:44 - Wrapping up

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** 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, Daniel Griffiths, and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into Savvy Games Group's big MENA investments and partnerships, the closure of Finnish developer Lightneer, and how Pokémon Masters EX has quietly generated $335m+ in gross revenue. Craig also talks about the Godzilla movies a little bit too much.

** 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

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/what-are-the-hottest-mobile-gaming-trends-right-now-let-us-know-in-our-2024-mobile-games-industry-survey/

**Articles**

👉🏻 Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/savvy-games-group-strikes-key-deals-to-power-mena-industry-growth/ 👉🏻 It's lights out at Lightneer as the studio officially announces closure - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/its-lights-out-at-lightneer-as-the-studio-officially-announces-closure/ 👉🏻 Pokémon Masters EX turns five: Lessons from an IP and monetisation masterpiece - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pokmon-masters-ex-turns-five-lessons-from-an-ip-and-monetisation-masterpiece/

Craig Chapple, Paige Cook and Aaron Astle from the PocketGamer.biz team discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.

We delve into how Lilith Games builds billion-dollar mobile games, discuss the Humble Games layoffs and the confusing messaging about its restructure/closure, and Craig gets angry about the definition of downloads.

** 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

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform

👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards - https://www.mobilegamesawards.com

👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pocket-gamer-party-cologne-2024-tickets-927776854547

👉🏻 PocketGamer.biz MasterClass - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/announcing-the-pocketgamerbiz-masterclasses-summer-2024-programme/ 👉🏻 Inside mobile hitmaker Lilith Games - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/inside-mobile-hitmaker-lilith-games/

Creative is king, and Luis Leon is here to tell you how to deliver killer content on a budget. Peggy Anne Salz is on the ground in this episode with Luis, Head of Creative Business Development at Creadits, a production platform for performance marketers. Luis says Creadits is a "creative partner, not a creative agency." The company strategizes with studios, advising them on what is working now in gaming ads. Luis also shares a hack on how to do more with less while A/B testing.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - A creative partner, not a creative agency

01:08 - Doing more with less

02:55 - Creadit's best creative and the company's future with UGC

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** 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

2023 is the year to perfect your live ops, and Leanplum is here to help. This mobile marketing platform simplifies multichannel campaigns to increase customer engagement and surpass revenue goals. Peggy Anne Salz linked up with Yeshas Nakshathri, Head of Partnerships at Leanplum, to discover how the platform helps renowned companies like Big Fish Games and MobilityWare exceed their expected revenue by 300% for a single live op event. Yeshas also shares how to integrate hyper-personalization and data feedback to reduce churn and bring back past users.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00- Leanplum reinventing live-ops

02:59 - Hyperpersonalization the right way

05:35 - What can the data tell you?

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** 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 

We're going back to basics in this episode. This week we chatted with Thomas Jonasson, Head of Publishing at Gold Town Games, about how his small Sweedish studio perfects quality game design and development. Throughout the episode, Jonasson shares a psychology trick that helped boost the company’s live ops, resulting in a 20-70% game revenue lift; what developers can learn from e-commerce; and how to look deeper into trends to truly understand your customers' desires and what your studio can add to the conversation.

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** 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

Despite a market valuation of nearly two billion dollars worldwide, many people still view gaming as a pastime with little social or cultural value. Tiltify is here to change that belief. In this episode, we meet Tom Downie, UK Charity Manager of Tiltify, a livestream and digital fundraising platform, who says the games industry is actually a community-centric space bursting with people who do good. Tom explains that studios who have fundraised in the past are discouraged from hosting events often because of obstacles like navigating taxation and physically delivering the money to charities. With Tiltify, fundraising becomes a part of gameplay and sends cash to verified organizations in real-time. For example, developers can offer exclusive DLC whose profits go immediately to the charity of choice, giving them a chance to connect with their community and the greater corporate responsibility. With Tiltify, Tom says, “Suddenly, they’re not “gamers” or people addicted to their screens any more. They’re philanthropists, and they’re amazingly generous people in our community who get together to support something that we all care about.”

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** 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

Our host Peggy Anne Salz is on the ground at PGC London 2023 again this episode, where she chats with two experts in live ops and trend analysis. First, we meet Alex Haley, Principal Games Operations Manager at Product Madness, one of the largest mobile game studios in the world. Alex shares a live ops crash course and the strategy that helped Product Madness host over 600 in-app events last year. Afterward, we ask Patty Toledo, the genius behind every Pocket Gamer event, for her advice on how to get in touch with trends and curate epic events. According to Patty, you have to go where the players are, and the most important people to talk to might not be the CEOs and VPs. Tune in to this episode to hear it all and peek into Peggy's dungeon.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00- Entering Peggy's dungeon...duh duh duh

01:42 - The foundations of a killer live op event

04:51 - Don't worry about creating a perfect campaign; just start one!

07:05 - You might not need that Christmas campaign

09:21 - Optimize your onboarding strategy

13:09 - The tools and structure to create a successful live ops team

17:23 -Pocket Gamer's rennaissance woman, Patty Toledo

20:16 - How Patty tracks and predicts trends

26:09 - Balance international trends and local interests

30:10 - Get in touch with the Pocket Gamer Podcast

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** 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

Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023 was Steel Media’s biggest event yet, with over 2600 attendees and 1200 companies attending the leading mobile gaming industry conference. Our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, recap “wow” moments from the show with the “PG Tribe” of Chris James (Steel Media CEO), Dave Bradley (COO), and Daniel Griffiths (PG.Biz Editor). This game-loving group also weighs in on hot topics and how AI can help indies take on major studios and win.

Peggy also welcomes a surprise (and furry) co-host and chats with Daniel Helmhold, VP of Marketing and Head of Growth at Big Fish Games, an industry leader in casual mobile gaming. Daniel is a big believer that branding starts on Day One and shares what you can do now to avoid expensive changes later. He also reveals the equation you can use to measure brand value and impact on LTV.

In a fast-paced and wide-ranging discussion, co-hosts Brian Baglow and Peggy Anne Salz speak to the companies which are helping developers offer a flawless user experience from start to finish, with a focus on keeping players happy (and playing the game).

Brian is joined by Eric Vermillion, the CEO of Helpshift, Peter Gerson, a Senior Manager with Keyword Studios, KatanaAI’s Technology and Sales Director Dominick Kelly and Oz Syed, a Game Development Evangelist from Backtrace.

This crack team explores how to do more with less, exploring the ways in which technology and automation can bring speed and efficiency to areas such as player support, localisation, quality assurance (QA) and more.

As the role of artificial intelligence in game development and publishing becomes an ever more contentious topic, we dive into the reality of AI and machine learning in the player journey, looking for examples, case studies and best practice to help every studio without breaking the bank.

** 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