Brutally Honest #159: UA in the Post IDFA World

User acquisition in the mobile gaming industry has entered a period of necessary innovation driven by high costs and the post-IDFA privacy landscape. The primary thesis suggests that success now requires a fusion of creative trends and UA-led game design, particularly in high-competition genres like 4X and Match-3. In these "red ocean" segments, developers are increasingly integrating mini-games and hybrid mechanics to lower customer acquisition costs, a strategy that can take years to refine but often leads to significant revenue growth.

A primary case study involves the title Matching Story, which utilized a "launch and learn" approach. Soft-launched in 2021 with minimal marketing, the game underwent years of iterative testing before a global rollout in late 2023. By combining match-3 gameplay with merge-based monetization, the title reached the top-200 grossing charts in the United States and achieved stable revenues of approximately $250,000 per day in 2024. This success highlights the effectiveness of using targeted social media creatives to validate key performance indicators before scaling.

The current market environment is characterized by aggressive "trend-jacking," where developers rapidly iterate on successful creative concepts from competitors. This practice raises critical questions regarding the line between inspiration and imitation, as seen in nearly identical "Save Me" ad executions from major studios. Furthermore, the industry is shifting away from the traditional model of immediate project cancellation toward a more patient "launch and learn" era. To remain competitive, UA professionals are encouraged to look beyond their specific niches for inspiration and embrace AI-driven creative optimization and SDK-based ad networks. The scope of these insights covers global mobile marketing trends through early 2025, with a particular focus on the strategic maneuvers of major publishers in the puzzle and strategy segments.