Brutally Honest #63 by Matej Lancaric

Hey, FAM!

?? Drink talk

One more week in Santa Barbara and then leaving back home. Time flies!

??Tip of the week

Why choosing the US for a soft launch is a bad idea?

Why would you ever want to expose your unfinished game to your core audience? I know you believe your game is ready after a long time in development, but no. It's not.

You should always open up tier 2 or other tier 1 geos when you have?all your retention features (and some early monetization)?in the game and moving to monetization.

But Tier 2 retention sucks. Maybe, so what? The retention curve?should be very similar?in all Geos. Yes, e.g. Poland will have different retention metrics/kpis than the Netherlands, but the shape of the curve will look the same.?And the CPIs are going to be lower in PL too.

But Supercell goes to the US right away! Yeah, so what? Are you Supercell? They soft launched their games previously on iOS too, which was a?terrible idea,?a different approach than 99% of mobile companies. Now they do?closed betas?like Blizzard with Diablo IV. Should everybody do this??Hell no.

Why no?

1. You don’t have the context of why other companies do things they do (if you don’t have context, you will fail miserably)
2. You are not a big, well-known company that can do weird shit and get away with it (think about your cash flow and how many shots on the goal you have left)
3. get inspired, but don’t copy - find your own way that works for?you!

First, UA campaigns always have the best KPIs since they attract the initial batch of high-quality users, which you will not be able to tap into again after the global launch.

?? Dr. Doom is not amused

One of my industry friends amused me with his direct and honest TL;DRs, so we agreed to share it here too! My friend remains anonymous as Dr.Doom!

"What will happen if you make fun of corporate greed in an online game owned by a greedy corporate? Exactly, what you think it will, it will get you fired. This unfortunate fate happened to one quest team designer on World of Warcraft team after someone found themselves in some of the voice lines of the goblin loot specialists of the Venture Co. With evergreen lines such as "Looks like another yacht for me!" or "Time to go back to the office!" it seems he has hit more than a nail on it's head. So as the classic would say: "Yes, milord, off I go, then!" - Sincerely, Doom (https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-dev-claims-he-was-fired-for-writing-loot-goblin-that-made-fun-of-corporate-greed/)

?? “Ha-ha” moment

Because life is too short to be serious.

?? two & a half gamers #67

Unlocking UA Success Secrets with Mistplay! Join Tiffanie, Gregory, Felix & me on an insightful journey as we dive deep into the world of User Acquisition, Creatives, and ROI measurement.

From unraveling the magic behind Mistplay's success to exploring the differences between Mistplay and other rewarded apps.?Our live podcast will leave you inspired and craving more knowledge.

Learn how cross-department cooperation can revolutionize your approach to UA and how to test and add new UA channels to your mix.

What is the ideal number of creatives to test with a multi-million monthly UA budget?

Well, tune in for all the insights.

?? Listen on?Spotify

?? Watch on?Youtube

?? Mistplay is the #1 loyalty app for mobile gamers

A new era of UA has arrived! Unleash the power of loyalty with Mistplay, the #1 loyalty app for mobile gamers: acquire high-value users, achieve ROI targets, and unlock growth.?Learn more!

?? Diary of a Dancing Unicorn

Today was a good day.

Hey! I would like to get on your podcast some time. I believe I have some interesting things to share with your audience.

Oh, great to hear that. But we only invite people we know personally, met face to face in the past or at least worked together in some capacity.

Hmm, but I have some valuable things to share.

Sure, but until we meet this is not possible. You can have a sponsored session if you want.

Ehm, no I am not interested in sponsoring your show.

okay, no problem. Cheers!

…

…

hey again, would you have me on the pod now?

Yo! We still haven’t met so this is still no.

…

…fast forward 6 months …

a different person approached: Have you seen this new podcast? “informal friday-dinner” atmosphere - hmm, where did I see that. Ah yeah, your podcast - 4am discussion vibe.

Jesus christ, they even copied this:

Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share this episode with your friends, colleagues, friends, and?pets. Especially pets!

This is from our 2.5gamers episode description:

Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs &?cats. Especially cats!?They love it!

hahah, this is so funny..

Today was a good day.

?? Quote of the week

“Man, they really hit rock bottom lately. I used to read that shit blog daily,”?Jakub, 2.5gamers chat

Live MAU 2023 about UA, creatives, CTV &?more!

?? Level up yourself

I launched?a YouTube Channel. I'm putting a ton of energy into creating valuable content I think you'll like. Check out the?latest stuff, and give me a?like and subscribe.

?? Nostalgia games

Do you remember this game? What did you play when you were young?

Pokemon Red!

Such a great game from my childhood!

?? ?Before you go

First look at Supercell’s new game in the soft-launch: Squad Busters -?read more here!

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter!

Please do me a favor and share this with someone in your network who you think would benefit from the insights and brutal honesty. It would mean a lot to me!

Take care, everyone! See you next Thursday!

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