Podcasts about drawdowns

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:  First—The White House alerted Congress on Thursday that the U.S. is now essentially at war with Latin America's drug cartels, issuing a memo that declares cartel members to be enemy combatants subject to the full force of the U.S. military. Later in the show—the U.S. military has begun drawing down its mission in Iraq under an agreement inked with Baghdad last year, signaling the end of America's two-decade-long military presence in the country. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Stash Financial: Don't Let your money sit around. Go to ⁠https://get.stash.com/PDB⁠ to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase. TriTails Premium Beef: Reclaim dinner from the jaws of school-year chaos Visit ⁠https://trybeef.com/PDB⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Share your Field Stories!Welcome back to Environmental Professionals Radio, Connecting the Environmental Professionals Community Through Conversation, with your hosts Laura Thorne and Nic Frederick! On today's episode, we talk with Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown and founding director of Drawdown Stories about Storytelling, Opportunities through Connections, and Everyday Changemakers.   Read his full bio below.Help us continue to create great content! If you'd like to sponsor a future episode hit the support podcast button or visit www.environmentalprofessionalsradio.com/sponsor-form Showtimes: 1:32 - Power of Stories7:56 - Interview with Matt Scott Begins15:08 - What is Project Drawdown24:26 - Bringing everyday people into the convo35:50 - Draw to Reality TVPlease be sure to ✔️subscribe, ⭐rate and ✍review. This podcast is produced by the National Association of Environmental Professions (NAEP). Check out all the NAEP has to offer at NAEP.org.Connect with Matt Scott at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-scott-6ba55a28/Guest  Bio:Matt Scott (He/Him) is the Director of Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown and founding director of Drawdown Stories, where he helps everyday people connect with climate solutions. He hosts Drawdown's Neighborhood, a climate solutions docuseries, highlighting local climate heroes across the U.S. with a focus on passing the mic to voices who often go unheard. Previously, Matt led global community engagement for NASA's Space Apps Challenge, the world's largest problem-solving hackathon, earning two NASA awards and collaborating with organizations including the UN, USAID, Nike, and the Obama White House. He's also the creator of Let's Care and the film 20s & Change: San Francisco, which has been recognized at three film festivals. Matt's work has been featured by The Weather Channel, National Geographic, Grist, PBS, FEMA, NOAA, the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Hollywood Climate Summit, and more. Music CreditsIntro: Givin Me Eyes by Grace MesaOutro: Never Ending Soul Groove by Mattijs MullerSupport the showThanks for listening! A new episode drops every Friday. Like, share, subscribe, and/or sponsor to help support the continuation of the show. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and all your favorite podcast players.

Kristina Hooper, chief market strategist at Man Group, says that investors need to "keep on dancing" while the music is playing, but she says the tunes are about to change or stop, with valuations setting the market up for a decline of up to 20 percent that could might take a while to get here but which could show up this year if the market has a bad reaction to the Federal Reserve cooling on rate cuts. She notes that the rate-cut cycle could cut short the current small-cap rally, contributing to a down or sideways period. Hooper isn't backing away from domestic markets, but says investors should rebalance portfolios and lean into the better valuations available in foreign markets. She's not the only one expecting the market to take a breather or more here, as Mike Passante, director of financial planning at Focused Wealth Management says that technical indicators show that the stock market may be hitting resistance levels now, which could lead to a small pullback as the market resets and refreshes itself. Passante says the market has room to rebound to levels that are slightly higher than today, but he notes any more significant gains this year would require a big increase in investors' animal spirits near year-end. In the Book Interview, Victoria Bateman discusses “Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth, and Power,” and introduces us to some women whose roles helped to make the world rich but whose exploits have mostly been ignored or forgotten by history.

Brad welcomes Aubrey Williams, a financial advisor and member of the ChooseFI community. They discuss innovative strategies for financial independence (FI), focusing on flexible withdrawal rates, dynamic spending adjustments using historical analysis, and how adopting a more adaptable mindset can potentially lead to earlier FI. Timestamps & Discussion Topics: 00:00:00 Intro to Financial Independence Overview of the FI journey and the community's philosophy. 00:03:00 Aubrey's Background Aubrey shares his journey from a corporate career to becoming a financial advisor, emphasizing experiences with the FI community. 00:15:00 Understanding Withdrawal Rates Discussion on the traditional 4% withdrawal rule and its limitations; the importance of knowing what your portfolio should allow you to spend. 00:18:04 The Forces Influencing Spending Recognizing the various external influences that shape financial decisions and how awareness can help mitigate these. 00:29:57 Community Engagement—CampFI and Meetups The value of attending CampFI and other local FI meetups for motivation and networking, enhancing personal journeys toward financial independence. 00:53:00 Risk-Based Guardrails Explained Introducing the concept of risk-based guardrails to adjust spending dynamically based on portfolio performance. Key Quotes: "Adjusting spending when your portfolio hits a certain number is key for financial confidence. Historical analysis provides the guidance you need." - Aubrey (00:20:18) "Stay aware of the powerful forces that influence your financial decisions." - Aubrey (00:18:04) "Reaching FI requires a mindset shift towards thoughtful spending." - Aubrey (00:38:26) Actionable Takeaways: Understand Your Spending: Regularly evaluate your monthly expenses to identify areas to cut back, as small reductions can significantly lower your FI target. Utilize Historical Analysis Tools: Use resources like FIREcalc or Engaging Data to guide your financial decisions and explore various withdrawal strategies. Engage with the Community: Attend local meetups or events like CampFI to build relationships with others on a similar path, gaining insights and encouragement. Related Resources: Open Path Financial - Financial planning services by Aubrey. CampFI - Community events for personal finance enthusiasts. Projection Lab - Financial modeling tools. Discussion Questions: How can adjusting your spending habits affect your journey towards financial independence? What are some effective strategies for managing your withdrawal rate in retirement? How can community gatherings like CampFI enhance your understanding of financial independence? Action Items: Calculate your FI number based on your current expenses and savings rates. Download resources provided at Open Path Financial to better understand risk-based guardrails. Join a local FI meetup to connect with others and share insights about your financial journey. This episode provides insightful perspectives on achieving financial independence through flexible spending and community engagement. Listeners are encouraged to adopt a more dynamic approach to their finances, making use of historical tools and community resources to enhance their journey toward FI.

We scan Steam's latest hits to predict which games could cross over to mobile success.

Join Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench on the BiggerPockets Money Podcast as they welcome retirement tax experts Sean Mullaney, The FI Tax Guy, and Cody Garrett, a certified financial planner, to break down their game-changing retirement drawdown order of operations. This isn't your typical retirement advice - it's a strategic blueprint that could save early retirees and traditional retirees thousands in taxes while ensuring their money lasts a lifetime. Discover the four critical retirement drawdown fundamentals that form the backbone of any successful retirement strategy, plus advanced tactics for optimizing your tax burden, managing healthcare costs, and timing Roth conversions for maximum impact. Sean and Cody don't just explain what to do - they walk through exactly when and why each strategy matters most, covering everything from your retirement date through the challenging widow and widower years. This episode covers: The four fundamental retirement drawdown rules that could save you thousands Why you should spend taxable accounts first and traditional accounts second The strategic case for delaying Social Security until age 70 How to use HSAs and Roth IRAs as powerful tax-free tools The five distinct phases of retirement and what each one means for your strategy Advanced Roth conversion tactics and optimal timing How to keep income low to maximize ACA premium tax credits Managing required minimum distributions and minimizing their impact Healthcare cost planning and insurance strategies for retirees Why working with a qualified tax planner is essential for your unique situation And SO much more! 00:00 Retirement Drawdown Strategies 01:22 Fundamentals of Retirement Drawdown 03:37 Phases of Retirement and Taxable Accounts 07:23 Managing Income and Premium Tax Credits 09:22 Roth Conversions and Standard Deductions 19:52 Hidden Roth IRA and Tax Planning 28:36 Navigating Healthcare Subsidies and Early Retirement 29:26 Balancing Benefits for Early Retirees and Self-Employed 33:34 Strategic Tax Planning for Retirement 35:50 Understanding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) 36:59 Mitigating the Impact of RMDs 40:51 The Widow's Tax Trap and Effective Tax Planning 46:30 Connect with Sean and Cody! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We dive into Coin Sort, a surprising hybrid-casual puzzler that blends merge + sorting mechanics with clever ad monetization.Flow-state puzzler: players merge and sort coins, driving a satisfying loop.Unique twist: players call in new coins themselves, creating agency.Difficulty ramps as more coins = higher-value merges = more chaos.Shallow progression today (daily rewards, calendar, boosters).Likely to expand into menu + cosmetic/meta systems if scale continues.Early launch style: prove core loop, meta comes later.Revenue ~$120K/day; ~65% IAP, ~35% ads.Banner ads: ever-present, likely a decoy to push “Remove Ads” IAP.Interstitials: after level 3, ~9.7 per DAU. Pop-up after 3rd = strong “remove ads” conversion.Rewarded ads: clever mechanic where frozen stacks of coins drop mid-level for 5s → high-pressure CTA. Also includes 2x post-level and daily reward.Explosive scaling since June 2025, 360K DAU → $40K/day ads + $80K/day IAP.Strong Tier 1 focus: US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan.Scaling with playables, though creative variety still thin (3–4 pages).Coin Sort is IAP-heavy (~65% IAP vs HexaSort's 88% ads).Takeaway: Coin Sort proves that hybrid puzzlers don't need to be ad-first — if you build clever ad funnels that push players into IAPs, you can scale fast in Tier 1 markets.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction and Vibe Check03:47 Game Discussion: Coin Sort06:47 Gameplay Mechanics and User Experience09:57 Monetization Strategies and Ad Revenue18:48 Game Launch and Initial Reception21:47 Creative Strategies and User Engagement24:47 Scaling Challenges and Market Dynamics27:55 Comparative Analysis of Game Performance30:47 Future Trends and Market Predictions---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Today, we break down the latest Creative Trends in mobile game advertising, separating physics-based ad monsters from emerging AI hooks.Key insights:Golden Goblins & Physics OverloadStill king: physics balls, crystals, pearls, gems.Production values keep climbing = now full 2-minute mini-films.Core loop: satisfying physics + resource overload + fail states.Iteration chains drive CPI drops but blur originality. “UA in a nutshell: copy, tweak, scale.”Fail States as HooksOverstressed trucks, angry exclamation marks, overload explosions.Players are drawn to chaos + comedy.Township 2012-style creatives resurfacing.Cats, freezing families, classic retargeting.AI real-life actor ads (feet glitches give them away).AI anime narrators + skits.Hijacked accounts accidentally running scammy “AI princess” ads.Still clunky — but iteration speed makes it dangerous.Police Snake & Match Villains leading with funny story ads.Humor = harder to copy, longer shelf life.Output BenchmarksTop games producing 60 playables/month to sustain UA spend.Market WinnersIterative ads + humor + AI spillover fuel growth.Takeaway: Physics ads still rule, AI is creeping in, and humor/story hooks are the next battleground.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Creative Trends03:37 Exploring the Golden Goblins11:13 Creative Dashboard Insights14:14 Innovations in Game Creatives20:12 Analyzing New Game Mechanics23:24 The Rise of Short-Form Content26:13 Exploring AI in Gaming30:19 Idle Lumber and Game Mechanics41:26 The Future of AI in Gaming---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Fareeya Adam – CEO: Structured Products and Annuities, Momentum Wealth SAfm Market Update - Podcasts and live stream

MUSKOKA DRAWDOWN EMILY MERCY SEPTEMBER 27 2025

In this episode, we dive into the realities of dealing with portfolio drawdowns as dividend growth investors. From personal examples to strategies for averaging down, price anchoring, and knowing when to hold or sell, we share how we manage the emotions that come with falling share prices.We also cover the latest news and dividend hikes, including:Novo Nordisk – promising results from its new oral weight-loss drugLondon Stock Exchange Group – stepping into blockchain with MicrosoftIntel & Nvidia – surprising partnerships in the chip industryTexas Instruments, Microsoft, W.P. Carey, and Philip Morris – dividend hike updatesPlus, we review Bradley's dividend portfolio and answer listener questions on hedging against USD, quick dividend stock screeners, reinvestment strategies, tax-efficient accounts, and more.

Today, we fire up the Soft Launch Sonar - scanning the seas of upcoming mobile games to spot which soft launch titles might sink or scale.Key highlights:Monopoly Go & Moon Active's spree – Multiple new soft launches (Monopoly Go, All in Hole, Match Dreams). The hosts argue it's either IP hubris or a UA-driven funnel experiment. “Where's the pig? Where's the bacon?”Rovio + Sega's Sonic Blitz – A Marvel Snap/Hearthstone hybrid with Sonic IP. Hosts skeptical: “Sonic IP is too core to carry this.”Rovio's Angry Birds Rush – A genius comeback: Coin Master meta + slingshot mechanic + Monopoly Go mini-games. Microfun's Icy Hearts – Gossip Harbor clone with icy meta. Hosts roast the reviews but admit: “Nobody cares, it still works.”Playrix surprises – Match Around (merge + match hybrid) and Austin Odyssey (energy adventure + match 3). First real Playrix innovation in years. “Too much innovation, guys. Step by step.”Small Giant's new TD - Tower defense PvE hybrid with heavy meta. “Complexity is not going to help here.”Up for Fun & Vizor persistence – Endless iterations of forex hybrids with sexed-up creatives. Warner Bros' Game of Thrones: Dragonfire – Forex with dragons & real actor rights. Will IP help? Takeaway: Soft launch is alive and messy — clones, hybrids, and bold experiments everywhere. Rovio's Angry Birds Rush and Kitka's Drill game stand out as the most promising.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Soft Launch Sonar02:04 Exploring Recent Game Releases03:55 Analyzing Monopoly Go and Coin Master06:42 Rovio's New Direction with Sega IP10:16 Innovations in Game Mechanics13:45 The Rise of Merge Games16:34 Conclusion and Future Trends17:45 The Evolution of Game Mechanics19:05 Exploring New Game Releases20:44 Innovations in Game Design24:34 The Rise of Tower Defense Games26:20 The Persistence of Game Themes28:47 Ad Creatives and Marketing Strategies29:35 The Forex Game Landscape32:59 Unique Game Concepts and PredictionsMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

“If you're trying to find the very best growth businesses on the planet – a benchmark isn't a sensible place to start.” Baillie Gifford's chief executive Tim Campbell explains the advantages of our style of active investing, the importance of long-termism and how AI fits into our process. Background:In April, Tim Campbell became Baillie Gifford's chief executive and one of its managing partners. Earlier in his career, he was an investment manager before switching to Client Services, where he led our Emerging Markets Clients Team.In this podcast, he explores how our investment teams adopted a conviction-led approach that centres on each company's merits, regardless of its weighting in benchmark stock indices. He describes what we mean by long-termism and the importance of having the right incentives in place. And he explains why being “out of step” with some market trends helps us serve both society and our clients' interests.The second half of the show focuses on changes afoot, ranging from further private company investments – including a recent holding in AI lab Anthropic – to our own adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and an exploration of new ways to access our strategies. Resources:Baillie Gifford: Actual investorsDisruption WeekDrayton and MackenzieOne Useful Thing: Ethan Mollick's blogOur historyPrivate company investmentsShort Briefings on Long Term ThinkingThe Friction Project Companies mentioned include:AnthropicAmazonMercadoLibreNVIDIARunway AITimecodes00:00 Introduction02:10 From music in the Middle East to investing in Edinburgh03:15 Making the move to Client Services05:00 Rewriting the investment playbook06:30 Client hunger for benchmark agnosticism07:40 Active versus passive investing10:20 A mutual understanding with clients11:55 Drawdowns and hold discipline14:30 Defining long-termism17:00 Private company investments19:30 Investing in Anthropic and Runway AI24:55 ‘The mission doesn't change'27:35 Book choice

Today, we revisit 15+ mobile games we've covered in the past to see which ones are growing, peaking, or dying. From Vita Mahjong's $200K/day AdMon empire to Century's King Shot at $3M/day, here's the brutally honest state of mobile gaming right now.Highlights:Vita Mahjong: 7M DAU, $200–300K/dayLove & Deep Space: $7M/day gacha spikesMagic Villains: Backed by $60M raise, scaling fastKing Shot: Our pick for “Game of the Year” (so far)Supercell's Mo.Co flop vs Clash Royale comebackLast Z: $6.6M/day forex monster from VietnamDramaBox/RealShort: Short drama apps making $100M+/monthDisney Solitaire: Movie tie-ins fueling $650K/dayChess.com: 14M DAU, $200K/day from app aloneTakeaway: The curse of the podcast is broken (mostly) — nearly all games are still growing, proving 2025 is the year of scale in AdMon, forex hybrids, and gacha monsters.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

Today, we dissect Little Farm Story Idle Tycoon — SayGames' latest farming-idle hybrid that feels like a mashup of Dreamdale, My Perfect Hotel, and Idle Breaker.Key insights:Gameplay Loop:Clearing grass → unlocking fields → harvesting → selling resources.Heavy reliance on ads for progression (resources, boosts, even eggs).“Annoyance monetization”: progress gates force you to watch ads or buy “No Ads” pack.Monetization:~$67–70K/day in revenue.~53% from ads, ~47% from IAP.Ad breakdown: ~$24K rewarded, ~$10K interstitials, ~$500–700 from banners (“why bother?”).“Remove Ads” pack is likely the top IAP — players pushed into it by frustration.Design Choices:Map expands with resource conversions (tomatoes → ketchup, chickens → eggs, wood → upgrades).Inventory/capacity upgrades disguised as RPG-like gear, but tied to ad rewards.Cosmetic shop + IAP items scattered on map.UA & Creatives:Ads mirror Township / Playrix resource ads and Century Games' UA tricks (suction devices, backpacks).Low-poly art style keeps CPIs down, but LTVs capped.Playables + AI-generated UGC, but “Township-from-Wish” vibe.Heavy interstitial cross-promo inside SayGames portfolio (even multiple in a row).Market & Scaling:Currently SayGames' #1 title by IAP revenue.~$2M monthly run rate, growing but not viral like Dreamdale or My Perfect Hotel.Audience skew: ~63% US revenue, Tier 1 heavy.Takeaway: Little Farm Story is a polished ad-driven idle hybrid, but its top IAP being “Remove Ads” caps its growth potential.PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction and Game Overview03:48 Gameplay Mechanics and Features07:25 Monetization Strategies and Ads12:42 In-App Purchases and User Experience17:17 Revenue Insights and Conclusion18:15 The Decline of Traditional Ads19:23 User Acquisition Strategies in Gaming21:17 Ad Monetization Archetypes23:46 Comparative Analysis of Game Creatives25:57 Performance Metrics and Revenue Insights28:30 The Future of Game Scaling and IAPs---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

ChooseFI unveils a new feature on the website that allows listeners to have their financial independence questions answered by experts. Featuring in-depth discussions with Karsten Jeske (Big Earn) and Fritz Gilbert, the episode explores the ramifications of potentially increasing the safe withdrawal rate and provides critical insights into retirement strategies, including cash flow considerations like Social Security and required minimum distributions (RMDs). Key Topics Discussed: Introduction to New Features (00:00:00) Introduction of a Q&A functionality on the ChooseFI website for community engagement. Listener Questions Segment (00:00:36) Introduction to the expert answers provided by Karsten and Fritz. Discussion on Safe Withdrawal Rates (00:05:26) Explanation of the traditional 4% rule and its significance. Karsten's Perspective on the 5.5% Rate (00:07:45) Critique of Bill Bangan's proposed increase in the safe withdrawal rate and why it may be misleading. Nuances of Early Retirement (00:34:25) Insights on adjusting retirement strategies when planning for longer horizons, emphasizing the time value of money. Fritz on RMDs and Safe Withdrawal Rate (00:36:16) Explanation of how RMDs impact withdrawal strategies, highlighting that RMDs apply only to pre-tax accounts. Actionable Takeaways: Adjust SWR to account for extended Retirement horizons Incorporate potential income sources such as Social Security into your retirement planning. (00:35:01) Carefully consider your asset allocation to manage risks related to early retirement (e.g., sequence of return risk). (00:48:06) Key Quotes: "The proposed 5.5% withdrawal rate is misleading and overly optimistic." (00:09:21) - Karsten Jeske "A safe withdrawal rate must not fall below 3.25% for financial security." (00:35:41) - Karsten Jeske "Plan for additional income sources like Social Security in retirement." (00:35:01) - Karsten Jeske "RMDs do not dictate your total spending in retirement." (00:39:00) - Fritz Gilbert "Behavioral finance warns against the pitfalls of emotional investing." (00:51:16) - Brad Barrett Timestamps: 00:02 - Invitation to submit questions at choosefi.com/feedback. 00:05 - Introduction of Karsten Jeske and Fritz Gilbert. 00:09 - Discussion on the safe withdrawal rate controversy. 00:35 - Required minimum distributions explained. 00:49 - Dynamic withdrawal strategies overview. Discussion Questions: How do you view the proposed increase in safe withdrawal rates? What strategies are you incorporating to prepare for early retirement? In what ways can Social Security impact your withdrawal strategy? How do you reconcile RMDs with your personal withdrawal goals? Related Resources: Early Retirement Now Blog: Insights into safe withdrawal rates. Retirement Manifesto: A guide to successful retirement strategies

Today, we break down Galaxy Defense, a sci-fi-themed tower defense/survival clone that's generating $100K/day in IAP with only around 135K DAU.

MUSKOKA DRAWDOWN OUTDOOR LEARNING AUGUST 30 2025

We dive into AceCraft, Moonton's new Tom & Jerry–themed midcore gacha shooter that mixes Cuphead-style 1930s cartoon art with Habi-inspired systems and miHoYo-style monetization depth.Key insights:Gameplay & Core Loop: Systems & MetaDual banners (Tom & Jerry separately) with pity timers, skewed rates, and duplicate scaling.Each major character has a signature weapon requiring rolls.Collectible album (Royal Match / Monopoly Go style) with trade functionality, now ported into midcore — a first.Co-op synchronous modeThree-layer skill trees, elemental affinities, wingman companions.Monetization:~$330K/day IAP revenue post-launch (peaking with Tom/Jerry banner).Battle Pass upsell trick: Downloads ~300K/day at launch, half from China.Scaling across 17+ networks: TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Unity, AppLovin, IronSource, Mintegral, etc.UA creatives lean on retro cartoon surrealism, dancing ads, Tom & Jerry music, plus street interview trend (borrowed from Raid Rush).Prediction:Likely to fade in Western markets (art style too niche, monetization too punishing).Moonton may line up other WB/Looney Tunes IPs (Sylvester, Tweety, Popeye, Roadrunner) for similar launches.Takeaway: AceCraft is one of the deepest midcore gacha launches in 2025 — but built for Asia, not the West.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Intro03:46 Discussion on Ace Craft and Impressions09:22 Core Gameplay Mechanics and Innovations12:14 Character Development and Gacha Elements15:04 Battle Pass and Game Structure21:05 Exploring Game Modes and Social Features23:05 The Collectible Album Revolution25:23 Gacha Mechanics: A Deep Dive31:48 Event-Driven Engagement Strategies41:03 Nostalgia in Gaming: The Influence of Classic Titles47:09 The Role of IP in Game Development50:32 Cultural Differences in Game Reception---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

What actually happens after drawdown? Something that a lot of people don't really know what to expect from, so we're shining a light on it in this episode.You can also watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/4-5nqSvfhRA▶︎ Website - www.thepropertyfinancecollective.co.uk▶︎ The Host - With a passion for creative finance and the ability to structure deals for Finance, I love helping first time Developers and Investors to get deals packaged for the finance needed to push Property Careers forward, and to date I have raised over £250 million for Developers and InvestorsI first got into property at the age of 18 when I got into Conveyancing straight out of school. I then went into Estate Agency, back into Conveyancing and I then got into brokering at the age of 22. I decided a year and a half later that I wanted to work for myself and try and shake up the market place! At the age of 24 I set up The Property Finance Guy and became the youngest owner of a Commercial Finance Brokerage in the Country, and alongside this I now also have a successful Training Company, educating Investor and Developers on how to raise finance, and a successful Podcast.I am a keen public speaker and have delivered training and speeches to over 1000 investors and developers over the past 2 years.Follow Michael:▶︎ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thepropfinguy/▶︎ Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thepropertyfinanceguy/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠▶︎ LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-primrose-886a365b/?originalSubdomain=uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to the Podcast on:▶︎ Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-property-finance-podcast/id1448207494⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠▶︎ Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/7JiDtm7hc0EfSW9LjCXDaO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠▶︎ YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@thepropertyfinanceguy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠▶︎ Disclaimer - With the market changing so quickly, the content could be out of date at the time of listening.This Content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

We break down Epic Plane Evolution – Voodoo's hypercasual throwback hit that's pulling in ~$150K/day in ad revenue with over 100K daily downloads.Key insights:Gameplay: Players start with a broken cardboard plane and unlock wings, tails, and rockets through upgrades. Controls are intentionally clunky — planes crash often, driving engagement and retries.Monetization: Heavy use of rewarded ads (“convert or die” mechanic) and interstitial spam. iOS users see gems + VIP purchases, while Android has no gems at all, leading to 80–85% of revenue coming from iOS.Retention: Despite frustration, average playtime is ~13 minutes/day across 3 sessions, powered by the addictive slingshot mechanic.Revenue Mix: Estimated $150K/day, 80–84% ads, minimal IAP. VIP subscriptions and gem bundles exist only on iOS.Creative Strategy: Basic hypercasual creatives (gates + plane gameplay). Some gameplay ads actually teach players how to steer — a sign of design flaws.Market Context: Falls under “Arcade Driving” genre, sitting alongside Hill Climb Racing & Traffic Rider. Current run rate ~$10M annually, but easily cloneable. Vietnam devs likely to copy/expand with IAP depth.Future Potential: If Voodoo adds events/meta (e.g. Legend of Slime style), this could evolve from hypercasual into hybrid-casual. But for now, it's a hypercasual money-printing surprise hit.Takeaway: Epic Plane Evolution proves hypercasual isn't dead — it just needs the right loop, frustration, and ads.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Epic Plane Evolution04:08 Gameplay Mechanics and Challenges11:39 Monetization Strategies and Ad Revenue14:10 Unexpected Success and Future Improvements18:15 The Decline of Banner Ads21:13 Analyzing Competitor Strategies24:14 User Acquisition and Monetization Trends28:24 Creative Strategies in Mobile Gaming32:16 Future of Mobile Gaming and Audience Engagement---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Our Creative Trends episode dives into the wildest UA creative trends of July 2025. We dissect the latest ad formats, AI breakthroughs, and genre crossovers reshaping mobile game marketing.Key highlights:Golden Goblins still dominating: Physics + slicing + gem/gold mechanics continue to scale across genres.AI everywhere: From fully AI-generated creatives to lip-synced fake influencers and medieval AI drama ads, VEO3 and other tools are powering cheap, fast, and diverse iterations.Clash Royale's bizarre UA: Gameplay with random AI gorillas and corpses – questionable hooks, but they still scale.Celebrity & influencer hooks: Jonas Brothers cameo in Travel Town ads, Kevin Hart still pushing, street interview actors turning into professional creative talent.Rising stars: Vita Mayong scaling with bizarre money-plinko-style creatives, Carnival Tycoon adopting 4XUA funnels, Dark War Survival flooding with pixel-art AI creatives.Legal risks ignored: LEGO blocks, Gucci logos, celebrity likenesses - Chinese publishers are pushing boundaries regardless.Creative of the year contender: AI-powered medieval skits with bad dialogue, compared to Viva La Dirt League, hailed as the funniest + most viral format so far.Takeaway 2025 creatives = AI hooks + genre mashups + zero morality. The only rule: “Does it scale?”Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej LancaricJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Creative Trends03:52 Analyzing Current Creative Trends17:44 The Ethics of Creative Production in Gaming26:48 Ad Creatives and Performance Insights30:48 Game Concepts and Genre Adaptation31:48 Scaling Strategies in Game Development32:49 Emerging Game Creatives and Market Competition33:51 The Impact of AI on Game Creatives40:48 Trends in Game Design and User Engagement41:54 The Evolution of Game Creatives42:49 Legal Challenges in Game Development47:01 Innovations in Game Marketing Strategies---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this episode, we suffer (literally) through Wool Craze, a yarn-peeling 3D puzzler that's taking the charts by storm. The crew dissects why this painful yet brilliant game is generating ~$100-120K daily on a DAU of just ~140K — all while flooding the market with AI-generated creatives.Key highlights:Gameplay & Pain: Long, punishing levels (20–30 minutes each), fat-finger frustration, endless rewarded ads. A grind that monetizes sunk-cost fallacy.Monetization: Aggressive rewarded ads, interstitial spam, “Fail Packs” as top IAP. Smart combo of bundles + F2P pain points.Scale: ~$60K/day from IAP, $30–40K/day from ads = ~$100K/day total.Creative Strategy: Wild diversity (20+ different concepts). Heavy use of AI for characters, interviews, and banners. Street interview trend, talking AIs, even knitted dwarfs.UA Lessons: Chinese devs (HeroLinkage / SparkWish) pushing huge creative volume. AI lowers production cost, drives constant testing.Prediction: Could follow Screwdom's trajectory ($400K/day). With retention benchmarks and UA firepower, scaling is inevitable.Takeaway: Pain + AI + aggressive monetization = money machine.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Youtube: https://youtu.be/0ONl8Bj4jR4Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction and Game Overview02:18 Game Mechanics and Design05:16 Monetization Strategies07:28 User Experience and Retention10:31 AI in Game Development13:27 Comparative Analysis with Other Games16:03 Market Performance and Revenue Insights18:41 Creative Strategies and Advertising21:23 Conclusion and Future Prospects---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

August 21, 2025 - Chase discusses home sales data and capital flows systems. 

Grand Games is back with another puzzler and it's a monster. Car Match has hit $120K/day, combining bench mechanics, Pixar-style cars, and a polished Royal Match meta. On paper, it's a textbook case of how to scale a puzzle game.Product, amazing. UA? Not so much.Here's why:The product is a 9/10. Meta depth, endless events, and a proven template.Monetization is efficient. ~30% of revenue comes from ads, bundles are cleverly layered in, and interstitials start at different levels for different players.But the UA machine is broken. Grand Games has only 5-7 creatives live. For a game printing $2M in 30 days, that's a scaling disaster waiting to happen.Jakub nailed it: “If they stop producing new creatives, they die immediately.”Felix added: “It's an easy fix — upscale creative production.”But Matej countered: “Not that easy. You need concepts, not spaghetti on the wall.”$5M/month with Magic Sword + Car Match combinedThe takeaway: Car Match proves that you can copy, paste, and polish your way to $120K/day. But without a creative firehose, momentum will stall.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Car Match and Hosts02:16 Overview of Game Mechanics and Comparisons04:12 Gameplay Experience and Difficulty Levels07:11 Meta Mechanics and Game Events10:16 Monetization Strategies and Player Engagement13:25 Discussion on Customization and Player Preferences16:13 Game Performance and Market Insights20:34 The Financial Landscape of Game Development22:08 Understanding User Acquisition Challenges24:59 Creative Strategies for Game Marketing27:13 The Importance of Scaling Creative Production31:19 Analyzing Revenue and User Acquisition Costs36:08 The Role of Data in Game Marketing Success---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

This episode of Two and a Half Gamers dives deep into UA financing with Jeff Cohen from PVX Partners, unpacking how mobile game studios can scale without giving up equity. Jeff breaks down the mechanics of non-dilutive funding, explains why not all financing partners are created equal, and reveals the traps founders fall into when choosing a lender.Founders' guide: How to choose the right UA financing partnerhttps://pvxpartners.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-ua-financing-partner-a-founders-guideKey insights include:UA financing ≠ publishing — best for post-product market fit games with proven ROAS curves.Funding scale: PVX clients receive between $500K and $2M/month, with the largest hitting $4M/month.Market potential: UA financing is projected to hit $2.5B by 2027.Flexibility matters — some lenders force you to take capital every month, even when you don't need it, which burns cash.Hidden costs: setup fees, legal fees, bundled SaaS tools you don't need.Risk management: Understand secured vs unsecured loans. With PVX, the risk is on them if funded cohorts don't pay back.Alignment is key — avoid lenders whose primary business isn't lending (publishers, VCs, SaaS providers with side financing).Scalability: Choose a partner who can grow your facility with you so you don't stall at scale.Main takeaway: Treat UA financing like raising equity — vet the partner's reputation, structure, and incentives as if your studio's future depends on it… because it does.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Special Guest: Jeff Cohen https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-cohen-29930455/Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to UA Financing04:09 Understanding UA Financing06:57 The Need for UA Financing09:53 Choosing the Right UA Financing Partner12:30 The Business Model of UA Financing15:29 Pricing and Interest Rates in UA Financing18:36 Flexibility and Facility Size in UA Financing22:58 Understanding Risk Management in Lending25:32 The Importance of Counterparty Risk29:10 Aligning Incentives Between Lenders and Borrowers32:46 Navigating Secured vs Unsecured Loans39:06 Evaluating Lenders: Key Considerations and Red Flags---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this solo episode of Two and a Half Gamers, Matej Lancaric reveals his full Soft Launch Framework: the exact 40-page playbook he uses to validate retention, monetize effectively, and decide whether to scale or shut down a game before global launch.From three critical stages — Tech Test, Retention, Monetization — to precise KPIs, country targeting, creative iteration, and UA channel sequencing, Matej walks through the step-by-step process he's used across dozens of successful launches. This isn't theory, it's built from real campaign data, retention curves, LTV models, and monetization funnels from midcore, puzzle, and RPG hits.Key insights from the episode:Why a soft launch should run 3–6 months (not one) to capture real LTV and retention curves.The 3-stage framework: Tech stability, Retention validation, Monetization scaling.Exact geo picks for each stage (Philippines, Mexico → Poland, Brazil, Netherlands → UK, Germany, Canada).UA sequencing: Facebook → Google → TikTok/Unity, shifting from MAI to event-optimized to purchase campaigns.Retention benchmarks (ideal 40/20/10) and what “healthy” ratios actually look like.Creative strategy: 10–15 videos per month, 3–5 playables, gameplay-first to avoid misleading retention data.How to kill a game quickly if it can't meet KPIs — and save your studio in the process.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej Lancaric⁠Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Soft Launch Framework04:06 Key Performance Indicators for Soft Launch07:17 Stages of Soft Launch Testing09:55 Retention and Monetization Strategies12:21 Understanding Game Metrics and KPIs14:48 Technical Testing and Data Evaluation18:54 Retention Strategies and User Acquisition21:36 Pre-Launch Strategies and Market Selection25:07 Monetization Strategies and Campaign Optimization27:58 Creative Approaches and User Engagement37:34 Preparing for Global Launch and Final ThoughtsMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.mePlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

How a Chinese Survivor.io Clone Is Printing $170K/Day in a Brutal Category?We tear into Mech Assemble: Zombie Swarm, a high-performing “shoot ‘em up” that's managing to out-earn Survivor.io in a red-ocean market. With nearly $4M monthly revenue, $170K/day at peak, and only ~12K daily downloads, the game is proof you can win with ruthless monetization, creative overload, and a mix of East + West appeal.Key takeaways:Category Killer: In a genre where most titles die after launch month, Mech Assemble is holding and scaling revenue.Revenue Mix: 85%+ IAP with whales from the US, Japan (20%), South Korea, Taiwan, and Tier 1 EU. Ads add ~$14K/day.Customization Hook: Fully movable, functional weapon placement on mechs — a novelty in the subgenre.Onboarding Power Move: Classic “Asian onboarding” — start overpowered, then strip it away.Aggressive Monetization: 200-pull pity timers, daily ad boosts, limited waifu offers, and multiple battle passes.Creative Strategy: 500+ pages of creatives across TikTok, Google, and Facebook. Mix of AI-generated, meme-driven (Skibidi Toilet, Gundam knockoffs), and misleading playables.UA Reality: CPIs hitting $30+ in US, mitigated by whale-heavy spending and blended campaigns. Downloads modest, but ARPDAU sky-high.Why It Works: Strong East + West monetization, relentless creative testing, genre familiarity + novelty in mech customization.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠ Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to the Episode04:21 Exploring the Game: Make Assemble07:16 Gameplay Mechanics and Features10:10 Monetization Strategies and Revenue Insights13:14 Customization and Player Engagement16:08 Creative Marketing and User Acquisition19:22 Comparative Analysis with Other Games22:09 Future Predictions and Closing Thoughts---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

We dissect Miniclip's War Drone 3D, a surprise hit blending realistic drone fantasy, hypercasual onboarding, and ruthless gacha with relentless ad monetization. With over 50 percent organic downloads, scaling past 300,000 installs per day at peak, and daily revenues topping $65,000, War Drone 3D proves you can go viral with core gameplay, slick visuals, and a smart (but sometimes broken) upgrade loop. What's inside:Viral Organics: Over half of all downloads are organic, driven by gameplay that looks and feels like real drone footage. Younger demographics are hooked on the “news media” aesthetic and immersive perspective.Tower Defense, Shooter, Hypercasual: Fast onboarding, no menu bloat, and you're shooting in seconds. The core loop is classic tower defense, layered with shooter upgrades and skill cards—instantly accessible, but with depth for longer-term play.Rewarded Ads and Gacha MonetizationProgression and Pain PointsCreative UA and Organic Blend: Ads leverage real drone footage aesthetics, survival hooks, and “breaking news” memes. Vertical and story formats are underused—big opportunity for TikTok and Instagram growth.Key Takeaway:War Drone 3D proves you can scale to millions without heavy UA if you nail fantasy, onboarding, and reward loops. Add better gacha balancing, creative iteration, and the sky's the limit.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction and Technical Issues02:04 Overview of War Drone 3D04:00 Gameplay Mechanics and Balancing07:03 Game Design and User Experience12:02 Monetization Strategies and Ads19:09 User Engagement and Replayability22:58 Market Performance and Future Prospects25:21 Ad Revenue Insights and Gameplay Mechanics28:03 Game Design and User Experience30:59 Improving Game Mechanics and Progression Systems35:00 Marketing Strategies and Audience Engagement39:57 Creative Approaches in Game Advertising---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this episode, we break down Tile Survive! FunPlus's biggest 4X pivot yet and their boldest copy of Century Games' “Dark War” playbook. From idle meta and scripted roads to resource overload creatives and meme awards, Tile Survive is showing that copying the leaders is now the fastest path to $50,000 a day. Find out what's new, what's missing, and why FunPlus may finally scale back into the 4X top tier.You'll learn:The real gameplay and meta changes—what's new, what's just Dark War with cartoon paintThe evolution of 4X ad creatives—Golden Goblins, AI memes, Minecraft hooks, and fake UGCWhy simplifying onboarding, events, and gacha is now the winning moveKey Takeaway:Tile Survive is proof that the new 4X playbook is copy, simplify, and scale—then innovate only once you're printing money. FunPlus finally stopped reinventing, and the numbers are speaking for themselves.How to master the template and what FunPlus might do nextGet our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Podcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Revisiting Forex: A Nostalgic Dive04:05 Game Review: Tile Survive Unpacked06:53 Game Mechanics: Simplification and Comparison10:03 Market Trends: Analyzing Downloads and Revenue13:06 Creative Strategies: Marketing and User Engagement16:05 Future Predictions: The Path Ahead for Games25:00 Emerging Trends in Game Development27:05 Creative Strategies and Marketing Insights30:25 Game Mechanics and User Engagement34:00 Benchmarking and Performance Metrics37:55 Final Thoughts and Future Directions---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

This episode, Two and a Half Gamers sit down with analytics legend Russell Ovans—the mind behind Professor ARPDAU and the author of game analytics' “bible.” Learn the brutal truth about retention, ARPDAU, LTV, and the “golden cohort” trap. If you want to scale your game profitably in 2025, you need these formulas, tools, and lessons - no hype, no BS, just results.You'll learn:Why retention is the only metric that matters (until ARPDAU takes over)How to model and predict your LTV, player days, and payback window using real retention curvesThe difference between analytics and data science, and why cohorts are your best friendHow to avoid burning your UA budget chasing “golden cohorts” or missing your D7 ROAS targetFree tools at arpdow.com to plug in your data and get real answersKey Takeaway:Retention plus ARPDAU equals real growth. Track cohorts, model your curve, and never fall for the golden cohort trap or ad network happy talk. If you want more, arpdow.com has the tools.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Special Guest: Russel Ovanshttps://arpdau.com/https://arpdau.com/ltvJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Analytics in Gaming05:38 Russell Owens' Journey in Game Analytics08:29 Understanding Analytics vs. Data Science11:37 The Importance of Cohorts in Game Analytics14:43 Retention Metrics and Their Significance18:44 Key Performance Indicators for Game Success21:39 The Relationship Between LTV and CPI24:37 Predicting Retention and Its Impact on Game Design30:41 Understanding Retention Metrics33:42 The Importance of Retention in Monetization36:31 Expected Player Days and LTV Calculation43:43 Tools for Predicting LTV and ROAS50:41 Final Thoughts and Homework for Game Developers---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this episode, I chat with Stephan Livera, Bitcoin educator, host of the Stephan Livera Podcast, and advisor at Bold Bitcoin. We explore his journey of escaping the lockdowns in Australia to build a new life in Dubai, and how his libertarian values and understanding of Bitcoin economics shaped that decision. Stephan also shares his thoughts on cycles, proof of reserves, the role of stablecoins, and the long-term outlook for hyperbitcoinization. ––– Offers & Discounts ––– Theya is the world's simplest Bitcoin self-custody solution. Download Theya Now at theya.us/cedric Get up to $100 in Bitcoin on River at river.com/matrix The best Team Bitcoin merch is at HodlersOfficial.com. Use the code Matrix for a discount on your order. Become a sponsor of the show: https://thebitcoinmatrix.com/sponsors/ ––– Get To Know Today's Guest ––– • Stephan Livera on X: https://x.com/stephanlivera ––– Socials ––– • Check out our new website at https://TheBitcoinMatrix.Com • Follow Cedric Youngelman on X: https://x.com/cedyoungelman • Follow The Bitcoin Matrix Podcast on X: https://x.com/_bitcoinmatrix • Follow Cedric Youngelman on Nostr: npub12tq9jxmt707gd5vnce3tqllpm67ktr0mqskcvy58qqa4d074pz9s4ukdcs ––– Chapters ––– 00:00 - Intro 01:09 - Escaping Australia and the Birth of a New Life in Dubai 06:34 - How Bitcoin and Libertarianism Shaped Stephan's Exit 12:09 - Feeling Disconnected from Home and Becoming a Global Citizen 16:24 - The Allure of Dubai and Its Strategic Advantages 18:54 - Bitcoin Core vs. Knots, Ordinals, and Relay Filters 23:09 - Consensus vs. Policy and Mining Centralization Risks 28:09 - Core Development, Multiple Implementations, and GitHub Controversy 32:34 - Bitcoin Core Funding and Developer Incentives 35:54 - Bitcoin Treasury Companies and Fiat Arbitrage Opportunities 40:09 - Understanding Risk and the Premium to NAV Debate 45:29 - Global Perspectives: Trapped Capital, Arbitrage, and Institutional Flows 49:49 - The Future of Treasury Companies and Their Evolution 55:09 - Nation-State Adoption and Libertarian Reflections 58:24 - Market Cycles, Future Peaks, and Drawdowns 01:04:49 - Is It Too Late to Stack? Advice for Friends and Family 01:07:54 - Inflation, Recess from the Rulers, and the Tether Debate 01:11:03 - Seven Years of Bitcoin Podcasting: What Keeps Stephan Going 01:12:28 - Aha Moments, Power Laws, and the Path to Hyperbitcoinization DISCLAIMER: All views in this episode are our own and DO NOT reflect the opinions/views of any of our guests or sponsors. Produced by nilli studio (https://x.com/nillistudio) I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for tuning in, supporting the show, and contributing. Thank you for listening!

Today, we break down Granny: the solo-developed mobile horror hit that racked up a billion downloads and $50,000 daily ad revenue with no UA, no team, and nothing but YouTube virality.You'll learn:The secrets behind Granny's viral growth and billion-plus downloadsWhy four simple interstitials are better than banners, IAP, or rewarded videoHow meme culture, Let's Plays, and YouTube Shorts keep the DAU highHow a lack of mediation and adops left $50 million on the tableWhat makes Granny so replayable—and why nobody's cloned the formulaThe untapped goldmine of horror games on mobileKey Takeaway:You do not need a team, UA, or even high production values to win. Build for memes, embrace virality, and never underestimate the power of a good scare on mobile.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠ Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Granny: The Horror Game04:26 Game Mechanics and Design Exploration07:27 Gameplay Experience and Strategies10:26 Monetization and Revenue Insights13:26 Multiple Endings and Replayability16:23 Personal Reflections on Horror Games19:22 The Evolution of Granny: From One to Two21:50 Connecting the Dots: Granny and Slendrina Lore23:57 The Passion Behind Game Development26:42 Analyzing Download Trends and User Engagement31:08 Revenue Insights: The Financials of Granny Games35:17 Optimizing Ad Placements for Better User Experience36:18 Game Design and Monetization Strategies37:29 Understanding Ad Mediation and Revenue Loss39:52 Calculating Potential Revenue Losses42:00 Leveraging YouTube for Marketing44:09 The Impact of Horror Games on YouTube46:05 Challenges in the Horror Game Genre50:01 Future of Horror Games and Closing ThoughtsMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Viele Anleger unterschätzen ein Risiko, das sie an der Börse arm hält: große Drawdowns. Im heutigen Podcast welcher ein YouTube Reupload vom 08.07.2021 ist, zeige ich dir anhand konkreter Zahlen, warum es wichtiger ist, Verluste zu minimieren als hohe Gewinne anzustreben, und wie du dein Vermögen langfristig schützen kannst. Vereinbare jetzt dein kostenfreies Strategiegespräch: https://jensrabe.de/Q3Termin25 Trage dich hier in meinen täglichen kostenfreien Newsletter ein https://jensrabe.de/Q3NewsYT25

Charlie and Peter dive into the triumph created from long-term investing, including why it's better to be an owner than a lender and the importance of global diversification. Together they offer insights into the behavior of investors, the cost of pessimism, and economic indicators that influence your portfolio. Plus, the continued growth of AI and new all-time highs.

We break down Century Games' Tasty Travels, the new merge hit muscling into a category long dominated by Travel Town and Microfun. Tasty Travels is not just a clone. It's a polished, high-velocity merge machine, doubling the ARPDAU of Travel Town and already scaling toward $200,000 daily revenue, with a launch playbook built on AI, altered gameplay, and relentless creative iteration. We explore why Century's approach to UA and live ops could make them a serious threat to every top-grossing merge game and why nobody wants to go head-to-head against them.What's inside:Insane UA and CreativesOnboarding and PaceEvents, Live Ops, and MonetizationMarket Impact!Clone Wars and CopycatsKey Takeaway:Tasty Travels is not just another merge game. It's Century Games' statement that nobody is safe from a studio that can outspend, outclone, and out-iterate the entire category.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Youtube: https://youtu.be/IreEye1zjF0Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Tasty Travels04:14 Gameplay Mechanics and Features07:15 Comparative Analysis with Travel Town10:06 User Experience and Game Economy13:22 Event Structures and Engagement16:15 Innovative Elements and User Acquisition Strategies21:13 Introduction to UA Play and Gameplay Mechanics24:15 Live Operations and Monetization Strategies27:14 Ad Monetization in Merge Games31:16 Revenue Insights and Market Trends37:46 Future Predictions and Competitive Landscape40:17 Exploring Creative Strategies in Gaming43:26 The Role of User Acquisition in Game Success46:42 Innovations in Game Design and User Engagement51:51 Competitive Landscape in the Gaming Industry---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

In this episode we celebrate Ozzy Osbourne and answer emails from Iron Tony, Ben and Robbin.  We discuss some of the charts at Portfolio Charts and some related research, the unexpected problems of complex trusts and the value of simplifying estate planning by giving money away while you are alive and balancing treasury bonds, gold, and equity allocations to create resilient portfolios.If you'd like to move to the front of the email line, please consider donating to the Father McKenna Center at fathermckennacenter.org or through the support page at riskparityradio.com.Links:Portfolio Charts Page O' Charts:  Charts – Portfolio ChartsPortfolio Charts Golden Ratio Article:  Beautiful Constants and the Golden Ratio Portfolio – Portfolio ChartsJim Sandidge Chaos Paper:  RMJ081-ChaosAndRetirementSecurity.pdfDana Anspach Presentation (watch minutes 17 - 59):  How to Turn Investments into a Retirement Paycheck in 2023Testfolio Comparison of TLT and VGLT:  https://testfol.io/analysis?s=dGUGRbj009NBreathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:Season 6 kicks off with a deep dive into the powerful analytical tools at Portfolio Charts that can transform how you evaluate investment strategies. Frank unpacks essential charts like Withdrawal Rates and Drawdowns, revealing why understanding a portfolio's behavior during market stress matters more than chasing maximum returns. Through clear explanations and vivid analogies, he demonstrates how risk parity approaches function as the Toyota 4Runners of investment strategies—reliable, versatile, and designed for challenging conditions.The conversation shifts to a listener's complex trust situation, sparking a thoughtful examination of estate planning pitfalls. Frank offers a compelling perspective on legacy planning: rather than creating elaborate structures meant to preserve wealth indefinitely, consider simpler approaches that benefit heirs during your lifetime and avoid unintended family conflicts. His personal approach of allocating roughly 1% of his annual portfolio withdrawals to giving provides a practical model for balancing financial security with meaningful impact.Finally, Frank addresses portfolio construction fundamentals, explaining why Treasury bonds serve as essential "recession insurance" and how to balance them with other assets like gold and equities. He emphasizes that even historically strong performers like gold can experience decade-long drawdowns, reinforcing the need for true diversification across asset classes that respond differently to varying economic conditions.Whether you're new to risk parity investing or refining your existing strategy, this episode delivers valuable insights for creating a resilient portfolio designed to weather market uncertainty while supporting your long-term financial goals. Have questions about your own investment approach? Send them to frank@riskparityradio.com or use the contact form at riskparityradio.com.Support the show

Inside Bending Spoons: the $2.5 billion app juggernaut behind Evernote, Remini, Splice, and more. Special guest Darius reveals the hacks behind viral UA, review scores, creative iteration, and the brutal playbook that's rewriting consumer SaaS.You'll learn:The secrets behind Bending Spoons' $500 million annual revenueWhy TikTok, Shorts, and Reels are more powerful than any ad network for app growthThe playbook for cutting costs, boosting review scores, and scaling faster than competitorsWhy retention is all about renewals, not DAU or D30Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Special guest: Darius MoraYoutube channel: ⁨@DariusMora⁩ https://www.linkedin.com/in/moravcik/Youtube: https://youtu.be/xP3AziedKW0Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Bending Spoons and Guests02:49 Bending Spoons' Unique Business Model08:21 Hiring Practices and Company Culture11:19 Acquisitions and Market Strategy18:17 Transitioning from Gaming to App Development24:15 The Impact of Viral Trends on App Success29:37 User Acquisition and Marketing Techniques34:14 Subscription Models and User Retention Strategies37:31 Key Metrics for Success39:23 Understanding Retention and Monetization in Gaming41:11 Creative User Acquisition Strategies42:09 Manipulating Reviews for Better App Ratings44:07 Leveraging TikTok for User Acquisition50:19 Navigating Paid User Acquisition Challenges53:28 The Importance of Creative Testing55:39 The Power of Authentic Content in Marketing---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Governor Newsom isn't letting up on President Trump, despite the drawdown of federal troops in LA. An Army veteran is demanding an investigation, after he was detained for days by immigration officers without being charged. President Trump has pulled the plug on federal funding for one of California's most ambitious projects. Plus, more.Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.comVisit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support the show: https://laist.com

Jakub Remiar dives into Uma Musume Pretty Derby's “Spark” and legacy mechanics—one of the most advanced progression and inheritance systems in any mobile RPG. See why this game's depth is pulling 100,000 downloads a day and racking up 450,000 dollars daily revenue even outside Japan. From Genshin-style stat RNG to community-driven parent borrowing, you'll learn why this system is built for both theorycrafters and casuals, and why it's suddenly trending in the West.You'll learn:How legacy and spark inheritance work, and why this is deeper than anything in Western gachaWhy are there sixty-page guides and two hundred-page translations just to optimize your teamThe power of borrowing “whale” parents and building the perfect runHow no-level, stat-based progression makes Uma Musume endlessly replayableWhat makes this system so viral on YouTube, Shorts, and Steam right nowWhy every risk-reward decision and endless RNG roll keeps the meta aliveGet our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Youtube: https://youtu.be/jk7CmPs4JRYJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Umo Musume Pretty Derby04:54 The Roguelite System Explained08:12 The Legacy System and Its Importance11:05 Understanding the Spark System13:59 Social Mechanics and Community Impact16:53 Replayability and Randomness in Gameplay20:13 Future Potential and Game Design Insights---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

This episode is a tour through the wildest creative trends dominating mobile games in June 2025. We break down why two- and three-minute video ads are everywhere, how AI hooks and long-form ASMR are pre-qualifying high-value users, and why the best-performing creatives this month are often stitched together from hits of the past. What's inside:Long-Form Video SurgeCopy-Paste ManiaASMR and Satisfying LoopsAI-Driven InnovationClone Wars and IP TheftReal Life and UGCKey Takeaway:If you are not testing long-form videos, iterating ASMR or AI hooks, and watching what your competitors are copying, you are missing out. Quality and innovation are moving at warp speed, and copy-paste is the new default.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Youtube: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Creative Trends in Mobile Gaming04:24 Analyzing Recent Creative Campaigns07:32 The Impact of Video Length on User Engagement10:27 Innovations in Game Advertising13:23 Exploring AI in Game Marketing16:25 Case Studies: Successful Game Creatives19:16 Conclusion and Future Trends20:26 Understanding Player Perception22:34 Innovative Ad Strategies26:15 Analyzing Game Trends30:08 Marketing Strategies for Game Growth35:22 Emerging Trends in ASMR and Casual Gaming37:32 Innovations in Game Development and User Engagement39:22 The Role of User-Generated Content in Gaming41:07 The Impact of AI on Game Creatives44:46 AI Developments and Their Influence on Game Marketing53:08 Conclusion and Future Insights in Gaming---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

We unpack KnitOut by Rollic, a surprising hit blending simple, relaxing puzzle mechanics with clever monetization and UA execution. Underneath the soothing yarn is a sophisticated, scalable system that echoes the Turkish studio's proven blueprint. KnitOut is already generating $ 60,000 daily revenue and 20,000 downloads a day, with the US accounting for sixty percent of revenue and CPIs exceeding $10. What's inside:Core Gameplay: Addictive bench mechanic, yarn “block jam” puzzle core, and highly satisfying ASMR touches. Monetization: Interstitials start after level sixteen or eighteen. First rewarded ad comes with an upsell to “remove ads” IAP. No banners. Creative StrategyBlueprint for Hits: Rollic's process is all about finding a sticky core, tuning every curve, scaling hard, and only adding events or meta once retention and monetization benchmarks are proven. Hundreds of prototypes feed the pipeline, but only a handful get to scale.Key Takeaway:KnitOut looks simple, but it is a masterclass in “build core first, polish to perfection, then scale with data.” The Turkish blueprint continues to win, even as clones flood the market.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor, FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Youtube: https://youtu.be/o22Ky7sGWqsJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction and Game Overview04:27 Gameplay Mechanics and Strategy07:25 Game Difficulty and Progression10:27 Monetization Strategies and User Engagement13:23 Comparative Analysis with Other Games16:33 Development Insights and Future Prospects21:45 Understanding Game Monetization Strategies25:30 Analyzing Game Performance Metrics29:25 The Shift in Ad Revenue Dynamics33:46 Creative Strategies in Game Marketing38:06 The Importance of Creative Length in Ads---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

We go deep on Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Japan's gacha horse girl sensation, and a masterclass in roguelite meta complexity. With real horse DNA, multi-layered training runs, six gacha layers, and a live ops cadence that powers up to 72 million dollars per launch month, Uma Musume is a unicorn in the global market—an RPG sim that's too Japanese for most of the West, but a billion-dollar franchise at home.What's inside:Japan-First, World-Second: Ninety-five percent of all revenue still comes from Japan.Insane Revenue Per DownloadTrue Roguelite Progression: Training runs carry over legacy stats, traits, and inspiration from previous “parents.” Every decision in a run matters. Social features like friend-run inheritance and deep support card gacha fuel endless replay.Authentic Horse Girl DNAToo Complex for the West: The English launch saw a brief spike (three hundred thousand dollars in a day) but quickly dropped. Complexity, visual style, and waifu focus make it a core product for otaku and hardcore sim fans.Key Takeaway:Uma Musume Pretty Derby is proof that deep, highly local games with real social and meta layers can still print billions, if you own your niche and deliver unmatched complexity.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej Lancaric⁠Youtube: https://youtu.be/HmKZaCWlDBIJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Uma Musume Pretty Derby06:02 Understanding the Game's Popularity and Mechanics09:11 The Unique Design and Gameplay of Uma Musume12:02 The Evolution of Horse Racing Games15:10 Rogue-lite Mechanics in Uma Musume17:58 Character Selection and Training Strategies21:06 The Role of Support Cards and Skills27:03 Final Thoughts on Gameplay and Complexity37:19 Racing Mechanics and Strategies42:13 Game Progression and Challenges55:22 Monetization and Gacha Mechanics01:01:24 Marketing Strategies and Community EngagementMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Markets have recovered fast - maybe too fast. Alan and Niels unpack what sits beneath the surface: a bond market brushing off record deficits, volatility draining from asset prices, and trend followers caught between sharp reversals and shrinking conviction. They explore how sentiment, structure, and speed are shaping today's trading environment, and what most investors still underestimate about liquidity, macro policy, and risk. With fresh research in hand, they ask whether drawdowns are misunderstood, if diversification has become an illusion, and why clarity often emerges only after the pain. We do recognize that we had some technical issues with this recording and appreciate you for sticking with us.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE-----Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or via the TTU website.IT's TRUE ? – most CIO's read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.comAnd please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.Follow Alan on Twitter.Episode TimeStamps:00:57 - What has caught our attention recently?04:38 - Industry performance update07:38 - Is trend thriving?09:57 - Dunne's global macro overview16:33 - A catastrophic year for the dollar18:12 - Is this time different for trend following drawdowns?27:26 - The value of long term track records34:30 - Is trend following flawed?37:48 - What are investors actually interested in?44:32 - What is up for next week?Copyright © 2024 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved----PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about

Krisen wirken sich immer auf Börsenindizes aus – jedoch in unterschiedlichem Ausmaß. In Teil 1 dieser Folge sprechen wir mit Nicolas Werbach über die Entwicklung bedeutender Indizes wie den MSCI World, MSCI ACWI, MSCI Emerging Markets, S&P 500, MSCI Europe und MSCI Japan. Gemeinsam analysieren wir, wie sich diese Indizes in historischen Krisenszenarien verhalten haben – mit besonderem Fokus auf Rendite, Chancen-Risiko-Verhältnis und maximalen Drawdown. Außerdem geben wir konkrete Tipps, wie sich ein Portfolio möglichst krisenfest aufstellen lässt. ++++++++ Der Portfolio Tracker von extraETF ist da. Unser neues Tracking-Tool ist einfach zu bedienen und hat genau die Funktionen, die du wirklich brauchst. Portfolioanalyse, Dividendenplanung, vollständige Holdings-Analyse: Der Portfolio Tracker kann alles. Überzeuge dich selbst. Jetzt testen! https://go.extraetf.com/portfolio-tracker ++++++++

If the market was 100% wiped away, many would be broke, but I feel I could still win. Drawdowns in their recovery this year could make second fastest recovery in the S&P. Stay sharp and keep your faith high because this is about market crash.

In this episode of Excess Returns, Matt Zeigler and Jason Buck sit down with Eric Crittenden, CIO of Standpoint Funds, for a wide-ranging and candid discussion about trend following, risk transfer markets, and what it takes to build a resilient investment strategy for uncertain futures. Eric shares decades of hard-won insights on investor behavior, portfolio construction, performance pain points, and why blending passive equities with systematic macro might just be the future of asset allocation.

Paul Hawken is one of the great elder statesmen of environmentalism, a bestselling author, and the mind behind Drawdown and Regeneration.  This conversation explores the biosphere's intrinsic intelligence through the expansive lens of Paul's latest book, Carbon: The Book of Life. We discuss carbon's improbable origins, examine the mycelial networks that function as Earth's connective tissue, and challenge our extractive relationship with nature.  He methodically deconstructs our reductive approaches to climate solutions, highlighting how humility and wonder might be our most powerful tools for planetary stewardship. Paul's perspective represents not merely a shift in environmental thinking, but a fundamental reimagining of our relationship with the living world. Enjoy! Show notes + MORE Watch on YouTube Newsletter Sign-Up Today's Sponsors: Eight Sleep: Get $350 off your Pod 5 Ultra w/ code RICHROLL

It's so easy to spiral into a climate doom loop. But solutions to the crisis are out there! Even as federal action stalls, states, local organizers and innovators across the U.S. are charging ahead with climate progress. What responsibility does the media have in elevating the solutions that exist and are working? And how can artists help reframe the climate conversation and shift the narrative from foregone conclusion to a reimagining of what's possible?  This episode features conversations recorded live during SF Climate Week — with Jonathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown, Nikhil Swaminathan, CEO of Grist, and author and artist Jenny Odell — all exploring how solutions-focused storytelling today can help shape the future we dare to imagine tomorrow. Guests: Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, Project Drawdown Nikhil Swaminathan, CEO, Grist Jenny Odell, Artist; Author, “Saving Time,” “How to Do Nothing” Mina Kim, Co-host of Forum, KQED Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you'll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today. For show notes and related links, visit our website. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices