2048

Conference Call Q1 2025

Modern Times Group (MTG) reported strong first-quarter 2025 results, driven by the acquisition of Plarium, which was consolidated from 1 February.

• MTG reported Q1 2025 net sales of SEK 2,557 million, a 79% year-over-year increase driven primarily by the acquisition of Plarium and 6% organic growth.
• The integration of Plarium shifted the revenue mix, with Strategy and Simulation now the largest segment at SEK 1,066 million and IAP revenue rising to 76% of the total.
• Adjusted EBITDA reached SEK 616 million with a 24% margin, supported by a free cash flow of SEK 143 million despite increased marketing spend for new titles.

Using Games to Simulate Medication Adherence and Nonadherence: Laboratory Experiment in Gamified Behavioral Simulation

Gamified behavioral simulation serves as a robust, low-cost methodology for modeling patient medication adherence and evaluating the efficacy of behavioral interventions prior to large-scale clinical trials.

How To Make A 3D Game In 5 Minutes (Unity Tutorial)

Efficient 3D game development relies on establishing a standardized sense of scale early in the production process to prevent technical debt and burnout.

• Establish a standardized scale early by setting character controllers to a fixed height, such as twice the size of a standard Unity cube, to prevent technical debt and disorganized workflows.
• Use uniform texture resolutions, specifically 2048 by 2048 pixels, to ensure consistent asset reuse and simplify engine optimization.
• Streamline the development pipeline by importing source files like PSDs directly into the Unity project folder to leverage automatic engine conversion.

Why Merge Could Be the New Match-3

Merge games are positioned as a strong candidate to become the next major mobile puzzle genre, following the path of Match3.

• The Merge genre is emerging as a significant competitor to Match3, driven by similar player motivations such as milestone completion, collection, and customization.
• Merge games are highly accessible, with 70% of players for the hit title Merge Dragons! being female and 31% of the player base aged over 45.
• Monetization in Merge games relies heavily on bypassing wait times for item generation and purchasing rare items to complete merge chains, similar to revenue models in Match3 games.

How EverMerge Made $50M in Just 7 Months

EverMerge, launched by Big Fish and Neskin Games, is presented as a case study in how a well-executed entry can rise quickly in the mobile merge sub-genre, reaching roughly $50M in seven months.

• EverMerge generated $50 million in revenue within its first 7 months by applying the 'Proven-Better-New' framework to the merge-puzzle sub-genre.
• The game improved upon core mechanics by implementing a sophisticated energy system that forces players to balance energy, build timers, and limited board space.
• A key 'mastery' mechanic rewards players with a 20% progress bonus for performing 5-way merges instead of the standard 3-way, creating strategic depth and inventory management challenges.

iOS Gaming Leaders: February 2016

Sensor Tower's February 2016 review of the iOS games market finds that global App Store game downloads fell 7.5 percent month over month, from 688 million in January to 636 million in February, continuing a seasonal pattern.

• Global iOS game downloads declined 7.5% in February 2016, falling from 688 million in January to 636 million.
• U.S. iOS game downloads dropped 15% month-over-month to 158 million, though this figure represented a 9.7% increase year-over-year.
• The indie title 'Color Switch' maintained the No. 1 spot for U.S. downloads and reached the top of the worldwide download charts, following a 23-day streak as the top iPhone app in the U.S.

Ketchapp: A Case Study in Mobile Portfolio Management

Ketchapp, a small Paris-based publisher, offers a case study in portfolio-driven mobile publishing built on volume, calculated virality, and cross promotion.

• Ketchapp maintains a high-velocity publishing model, releasing simple, single-mechanic games at a rapid pace to capitalize on viral trends and maximize portfolio-wide cross-promotion.
• The company utilizes an aggressive cross-promotion strategy, using intrusive pop-up interstitials and native in-game integrations to propel new titles into the Top 10 downloaded positions on iOS.
• Ketchapp’s portfolio performance is highly calculated; of 16 releases in early 2015, only 5 reached the Top 10, suggesting the company throttles cross-promotion based on a game's immediate viral performance or click-through rates.