Two & a Half Gamers
Two & a Half Gamers is a YouTube channel covering the mobile games business. It publishes videos on ad monetization, user acquisition, game launches, studio strategies and industry news.
Documents
MAU live 2023 - Growths Gems, Creative testing processes, UA for apps vs games!
The digital landscape for user acquisition and monetization is defined by a convergence of strategies between gaming and subscription-based applications.
- Creative strategy is the primary driver of sustainable user acquisition, with visual elements consistently outperforming text-based copy in engagement.
- Subscription-based apps should integrate ad revenue only after reaching a daily active user base of 30,000 to 50,000 and ensuring core subscription funnels are fully optimized.
- To mitigate creative fatigue, teams should monitor performance over 14-day cycles and introduce new assets once a frequency threshold of five is reached.
Ad monetisation gossip corner, Unity expensive bug, APS, Google 3 waterfall placements (#52)
The mobile advertising landscape is currently defined by a shift toward more granular control over mediation stacks and the mitigation of technical volatility.
- Google has removed the three-placement limit for third-party mediation, allowing publishers to expose more inventory to AdMob demand and potentially reducing the necessity of Google Ad Manager resellers.
- A March 13th bug in Unity’s reporting infrastructure inflated revenue data by over tenfold, forcing publishers to disable placements to prevent UA optimization errors and revenue leakage.
- Amazon Publisher Services (APS) is a high-potential demand source for titles with high-purchasing-power audiences, particularly when publishers secure direct Transparent Ad Marketplace (TAM) deals with partners like Xandr, InMobi, and PubMatic.
two & a half gamers session #26 - Unpacking Google ads "disaster", ASA Today's new ad, Google & MAX
Google’s recent implementation of stricter guidelines regarding full-screen interstitial ads marks a pivotal shift for the mobile gaming industry, particularly within the hyper-casual sector.
- The integration of Google AdMob bidding with AppLovin MAX removes the previous three-ad-placement limit, which is expected to increase fill rates and overall ad revenue for publishers.
- Google’s new, stricter guidelines on full-screen interstitial ads are forcing a shift in the hyper-casual sector toward rewarded ad formats to maintain monetization viability.
- Apple’s expansion of advertising into the App Store’s 'Today' tab is viewed with skepticism, as historical data indicates search-based placements often fail to scale complex gaming titles effectively.
two & a half gamers session #14 - How to read Ad mon data for beginners? ATT & player segmentation
The mobile gaming industry is currently navigating a period of significant structural shifts, characterized by aggressive consolidation, shifting investment priorities, and the maturation of post-privacy monetization strategies.
- Post-privacy revenue success is increasingly driven by internal player segmentation and in-game progression depth rather than reliance on external tracking data.
- Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rates have stabilized at approximately 40–42% in key Western markets, indicating a predictable environment for post-privacy monetization.
- To maintain bidding efficiency and prevent latency, developers should limit ad placements to fewer than 43 per geography.
two & a half gamers session #12 - Metacore 65M loss, Niantic 1 hit wonder, Industry conference guide
The gaming industry currently faces significant challenges regarding marketing efficiency, platform monetization, and the long-term viability of major titles.
- High-budget TV advertising is not a guaranteed path to profitability, as evidenced by Metacore incurring a $65 million loss despite significant revenue growth.
- CD Projekt Red experienced a 63% year-over-year revenue decline, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining long-term financial momentum following a troubled product launch.
- Security vulnerabilities remain a critical industry risk, exemplified by the $600 million Axie Infinity crypto heist attributed to state-sponsored actors.
two & a half gamers honest interviews #1 - Joakim Achren
The modern gaming industry requires a shift in focus from mere creative output to rigorous operational discipline and strategic business management.
- Founders must prioritize operational discipline, team composition, and business education over premature prototyping to ensure long-term studio sustainability.
- Investors now prioritize founders who demonstrate humility, realistic business assessments, and clear capital allocation strategies while avoiding those with poor time management or conflicting ventures.
- New studios should internalize user acquisition teams early to master the technical nuances of A/B testing and creative optimization.
two & a half gamers session #10 - How to save $ with marketability test? Fake Ads going nowhere rant
The mobile gaming industry currently faces a critical tension between creative integrity and the harsh economic realities of user acquisition.
- Marketability testing should be used to validate concepts before full-scale production to prevent feature creep and ensure alignment with consumer demand.
- Developers must treat marketability test results as directional indicators rather than guarantees, as real-world acquisition costs often exceed initial test data by two to three times.
- Misleading advertising remains prevalent because it is a highly effective, algorithm-favored mechanism for lowering cost-per-install and driving conversion.
two & a half gamers session #2 - UA & Creative trends 2022, Microsoft + ATVI, TOP10 gaming M&A
The gaming industry is currently undergoing a structural transformation defined by aggressive consolidation and a fundamental shift in user acquisition strategies.
- Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard marks a structural industry shift toward metaverse infrastructure and the consolidation of high-value intellectual property.
- Post-IDFA user acquisition strategies are shifting away from Facebook toward a diversified portfolio including TikTok, Google, and Unity to mitigate rising costs and declining performance.
- Developers are increasingly porting mobile titles to PC to reduce friction, expand revenue streams, and ensure sustainable growth beyond mobile-only ecosystems.
two & a half gamers session #3 - Is Roblox evil mega corp or money making machine?
Roblox functions as a highly profitable, closed-loop economic ecosystem that effectively leverages its $38 billion valuation to maintain dominance in the gaming sector.
- Roblox maintains a dominant 75.5% revenue share by classifying its content as 'experiences' to bypass traditional store-within-a-store restrictions.
- The Roblox internal economy uses Robux to create developer friction, requiring paid subscriptions for withdrawals and incentivizing reinvestment over cash-out.
- Rewarded interstitial ads are currently underperforming, with market data indicating poor competitive bidding and declining eCPMs for developers.
two & a half gamers session #4 - How to soft launch a mobile game Ad monetisation Perspective
The mobile gaming industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with ad spend projected to reach $130 billion by 2025.
- Mobile ad spend is projected to reach $130 billion by 2025, forcing developers to shift budgets from traditional platforms like Facebook toward emerging channels like TikTok.
- Developers should target at least five rewarded video ad impressions per daily active user during the soft launch phase to meaningfully increase lifetime value.
- Hybrid monetization models are essential for resilience, with a balanced 50/50 split between in-app purchases and ad revenue providing the flexibility needed for value-based user acquisition.