Disciplines
Insights From Multiple Disciplines
3 AI Tools That Explode Ad Creation
Creatify, Pippit, and Symphony have the most utility out of the nine AI ad generators we tested. We tested generators by creating mock ads for two apps with distinct visual styles, gameplay, and markets: Gardenscapes and Call of Duty: Mobile. We...
The Most Successful Celebrity Ad Campaign in Mobile Gaming
Between April and August 2025, Royal Kingdom launched 20 ads featuring 14 different celebrities. The campaign draws from some of the most recognizable names in television, comedy, music, and sports from the late ’90s and early 2000s, tapping into...
How Bingo Voyage’s Economy Drives Players To Bet More
Bingo Voyage’s rounds have a -4.7% ROI and encourage players to spend faster by offering more types of rewards for higher bets. Rounds can always award tickets, chests, and coins (premium currency), but players must bet multiples to earn event...
How To Cash in on Social Casino With Sweepstakes Promotion Apps (While Navigating Legal Challenges)
By classifying themselves as “sweepstakes,” social casino sweepstakes apps can incorporate extensive real-world reward systems. The core gameplay of social casino sweepstakes apps is nearly identical to that of traditional social casino apps:...
Brawl Stars Unveils a Brand-New Type of Battle Pass
Brawl Stars' Pro Pass is the first battle pass we’ve seen that focuses on ranked PvP. The four-month $24.99 battle pass is specifically for ranked PvP competition. Because Brawl Stars has relatively high engagement requirements for ranked PvP,...
Affiliate Programs Multiply Marketing Teams
Affiliate marketing offers an attractive ROI by targeting niche audiences and using performance-based payouts. We investigated seven affiliate programs from leading apps and developers: Playtika, Supercell, Wargaming, Roblox, Hearthstone,...
Don’t Fall for Apple’s EU Fees
Under Apple’s new EU business terms, apps can promote and link directly to external payments—but only if they give up IAPs and pay Apple an 18%–20% commission. When factoring in an additional 3%–5% in web store and payment processing fees, apps...
Challenges Are Fitness Apps’ Best-Kept Secret
Apps like Strava and Peloton use weekly and monthly challenges to reinforce core workout mechanics while motivating continued participation. Performance-based challenges tend to resonate with highly motivated users, whereas completion-based...
How To Increase Prices Without Angering Players (Too Much)
When implementing price increases, developers should release content updates to create the impression of a content-driven event rather than a straight price increase. Price increases are less likely to anger players when presented in the context of...
The Economics of Last War: Survival’s Transition From Casual to Core
Last War: Survival’s early game economy has four interconnected components: runner battles, world map activities, building, and heroes. Players complete runner battles and world map activities to earn hero XP and resources. Hero XP is used to...
Designing Streamlined FTUEs To Maximize Early Retention
An effective FTUE hooks players fast, teaches through play, and blends early retention with monetization to maximize long-term engagement A successful first-time user experience (FTUE) gets players engaged within their first minute, balances...
How Reddit Grew DAU by 39% and ARPU by 23% YoY
Since Q1 2024, Reddit has leaned into gamification—adding streaks, achievements, leaderboards, and collectible IAP-driven systems—which has significantly boosted engagement (DAU up 39%) and monetization (ARPU up 23% YoY) by reinforcing its core...
How To Build Strong Communities In- and Off-App
Thriving, well-managed communities fuel player retention, acquisition, and spend. Player communities are a powerful growth lever, with performance varying by platform and content type; successful developers tailor community strategy by genre,...
6 Best Practices for Successful Soft Launches
Effective soft launches begin 4–6 weeks before full release with a complete core loop and nearly finished features, focus on adjacent T1 markets for accurate performance data, avoid early event distractions, and use localized marketing that scales...
Duolingo’s Retention Is the Secret to Its Explosive Growth
Duolingo’s explosive user growth over the past six years stems from a strategy built around retention rather than user acquisition. Its simple but powerful daily streak feature serves as the backbone of engagement, while supporting mechanics like...
How Apps Can Benefit From Web Stores
Web stores give developers a way to bypass Apple and Google’s 30% IAP commission, and while direct links from apps are restricted, many use creative workarounds to guide players off-platform. To offset the extra friction, developers often rely on...
Economy Secrets of Gaming’s Biggest Success Story
Monopoly GO! has emerged as the most successful mobile game of the past two years, fueled by mechanics that blend risk, reward, and social interaction. The option to bet more rolls per turn incentivizes higher in-app purchases, while social...