In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, we look at how monetization features have evolved from 2020 till now. Joining us from GameRefinery, a Liftoff Company, are Chief Game Analysts Erno Kiiski and Wilhelm Voutilainen. We explore innovation in battle passes, IAP mechanics, external web stores, and what monetization may look like in the future for mobile games like Cookie Run: Kingdom , Call of Duty Mobile , and Royal Match . You can now find The Mobile GameDev Playbook on GameRefinery’s...
Nov 02, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, Mike Taramykin, the founder of HypGames, and Chief Game Analyst Teemu Palomäki from GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, join our host Jon Jordan to discuss the celebrity partnerships in mobile games. We delve into the strategy behind celebrity partnerships and analyze mobile collaboration trends this year while sharing heartwarming anecdotes of working with stars including Tiger Woods, Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. You can now find The Mobi...
Oct 19, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 36
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, we’re joined by GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, analysts Erno Kiiski and Sonja Skoglund, who will be discussing seasonal events in mobile games. We will cover noteworthy events, interesting trends, and what these events may look like in the future for the three major markets - the USA, Japan, and China. You can now find The Mobile GameDev Playbook on GameRefinery’s Youtube channel. Please subscribe and leave a review! Thanks for listening, The Mob...
Oct 06, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, Teis Mikkelsen, the founder of Multiscription, and senior market analyst Kalle Heikkinen from GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, joins our host Jon Jordan to discuss the topic of subscriptions in mobile gaming. We will cover the exciting trends in mobile game subscriptions, their mechanisms, the Unleashd service, and what the future may look like for this increasingly common trend. You can now find The Mobile GameDev Playbook on GameRefinery’s Youtub...
Sep 21, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 34
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, Bob Slinn, Head of Business Development at FunPlus, and game analyst Milka Paunonen from GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, joins our host Jon Jordan to discuss State of Survival’s well-deserved wins in the most recent Mobile GameDev Awards! We will discuss the development and inspiration behind State of Survival , the recent trends in the 4x strategy genre, its wins in the categories of ‘Biggest Evolver’ and ‘Best Use of IP in a Collaboration Event’...
Sep 07, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 33
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, we’re joined by GameRefinery, a Liftoff company analysts Erno Kiiski and Kalle Heikkinen for a special episode looking at the games that won at the Mobile GameDev Awards. The Mobile GameDev Awards are an annual set of awards by GameRefinery to recognize and celebrate innovation and excellence in mobile games. We will cover what made these games and studios win their respective categories, what aspects GameRefinery examines within a game, and what t...
Aug 24, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 32
In this episode of the Mobile Gamedev Playbook, Thi Detert, Senior Lead Game Designer at InnoGames, and Product Owner, Alison Simpson talk about the development journey of Sunrise Village with GameRefinery, a Liftoff company analyst Teemu Palomäki and our host, Jon Jordan. We will cover the challenges (and solutions) encountered along the way from soft launch to global launch; the solutions that allowed the design team to build everything from components developed by the dev team; what inspired ...
Aug 09, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In this special episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, our host Jon Jordan discusses the popular but controversial game Diablo Immortal with Erno Kiiski and Wilhelm Voutilainen, Chief Game Analysts at GameRefinery, a Liftoff Company. We discuss the franchise's background, what separates Diablo Immortal from its predecessors, the player experience, the monetization controversies surrounding the game, and whether they are justified. You can now find The Mobile Game Dev Playbook on GameRefinery's ...
Jul 20, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In this episode of the Mobile Gamedev Playbook, Kirill Petruk, Lead Producer at Ten Square Games, talks about the development of Fishing Clash: Sports Games and other realistic life simulation games with GameRefinery, a Liftoff company analyst Teemu Palomäki and our host, Jon Jordan. We discuss the inspiration behind Fishing Clash, the realistic gameplay it provides, the social elements, and the collaborations it has had. You can now find The Mobile Game Dev Playbook on GameRefinery’s Youtube ch...
Jul 05, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In this episode of the Mobile Gamedev Playbook, we’re looking at the tools available on the market to build a thriving free-to-play game economy. Our host, Jon Jordan, is joined by GameRefinery’s Erno Kiiski, Machinations CEO & Co-Founder, Mihai Gheza and Sales Director of Machinations, Matthew Morris. We’ll learn how the Machinations tool designs and balances game economies, forecasts player progression across gameplay, and how it’s used in classrooms worldwide to teach game economy design....
Mar 28, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 28
In this episode of the Mobile Gamedev Playbook, Ariel Coppes, Lead Game Engineer at Ironhide Games, talks about the success of the Kingdom Rush franchise with GameRefinery by Vungle analyst Erno Kiiski and our host, Jon Jordan. We delve into making games for the premium market, releasing games cross-platform, stepping into F2P games, and the highs and lows that come with developing a franchise of successful mobile games. You can now find The Mobile Game Dev Playbook on GameRefinery’s Youtube cha...
Feb 23, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 27
In this episode of the Mobile Gamedev Playbook, host Jon Jordan and GameRefinery by Vungle analysts Erno Kiiski and Altti Fromholdt join Vice President of Creative at Plarium, Nick Day. Together they give an inside look into the development process behind Raid: Shadow Legends and how it became one of the best known mobile games in the world and enjoyed by millions of players. Nick spills the tea on influencer marketing tactics, retention strategies, and the art direction behind Raid: Shadow Lege...
Feb 07, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, we sit down with Finnish mobile game developer Nitro Games to discuss how to design, monetise and market your mobile shooter for success. Jon Jordan is joined by GameRefinery by Vungle’s Erno Kiiski and Product Marketing Director at Nitro Games, Jukka Hilvonen, to discuss the popularity boom in mobile shooters, how to succeed in a genre dominated by massive studios, as well as getting some juicy insights into Nitro Games upcoming release Nerf: Batt...
Jan 26, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, we look at what 2022 might have in store for the mobile game industry across the US, China and Japan. Host Jon Jordan is joined by GameRefinery by Vungle’s chief game analyst, Kalle Heikkinen, to discuss upcoming trends and changes in mobile games in 2022, as well as anticipated releases throughout the forthcoming year. You can now find The Mobile Game Dev Playbook on GameRefinery’s Youtube channel. Please subscribe and leave a review! Thanks for l...
Jan 13, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 24
As we wrap up the end of the year, this episode of The Mobile Gamedev Playbook looks back at what 2021 brought to the mobile gaming industry in the US, China and Japan. We delve into the key trends to come out of this year, including the rise of renovation mechanics, collaboration events and popular IPs. Host Jon Jordan is joined by GameRefinery by Vungle’s analysts, Teemu Palomäki and Wilhelm Voutilainen, who together take us through this year’s most successful games and even a few unfortunate ...
Dec 16, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 23
In this episode of The Mobile Gamedev Playbook, we’re looking at diversity in the mobile games industry and how having a culturally and ethnically diverse team helps build better mobile games. Co-founder and Head of Analytics at GameRefinery, Joel Julkunen, shares his expertise on player motivations and expanding your player base by adding features that cater to wider audiences. He is joined by the HiDef team, Anthony Castoro, Jen Donahoe, and basketball legend Rick Fox. Together they discuss th...
Nov 07, 2021•47 min
In this episode, GameRefinery looks at the craziest events this year, from Genshin Impacts’ collab with KFC to Roblox Lil Nas X digital concert. GameRefinery Analysts Kalle Heikkinen and Wilhelm Voutilainen join host Jon Jordan to discuss the wonderful world of mobile game events, including the mechanics behind LiveOps and utilising the same framework for multiple events, the benefits of collaborating with non-gaming brands and the importance of seasonal events to the success of mobile games. Yo...
Oct 11, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 21
In this episode of The Mobile Gamedev Playbook, we're looking at the use of AI moderation in social gaming. GameRefinery analyst and podcast regular Kalle Heikkinen joins host Jon Jordan to kick off the podcast with all things social, including the emergence of social hangout areas and the rise of social features in mobile games. While social features create endless opportunities for games to succeed (look at Roblox!), there is also a toxic content dilemma that comes with gamers being able to co...
Sep 28, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this episode of The Mobile Gamedev Playbook, we’re exploring all things metaverse. The idea of the metaverse has caught on across the tech industry over the last decade, with tech giants seemingly in a race to make it a reality. CEO and co-founder of RP1, Sean Mann, joins host Jon Jordan to discuss how close the metaverse is to becoming a reality, what it might look like, how it’ll affect mobile gaming and how RP1 has created a proprietary technology that provides a foundational layer upon wh...
Aug 17, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 19
As we wrap up the first half of 2021, in this episode of The Mobile Gamedev Playbook, we have asked our analysts to spell out what have been the biggest mobile trends and games of the year so far! GameRefinery by Vungle's own Erno Kiiski, Wilhelm Voutilainen, and Kalle Heikkinen join host Jon Jordan to discuss how hybrid game mechanics and particular market trends have rocketed new games to the top of the download charts across the USA, China and Japan, as well as which games we should be keepin...
Jul 18, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 18
We are a bit starstruck in this episode of The Movile GameDev Playbook, with guest Richard Bartle! Listen in to learn more about best practices for audience design, taxonomies of players and how they can help developers design better, more engaging mobile games. Richard joins the podcast to discuss his impressive career, including how he created the Multi-User Dungeon - or simply MUDs - the forebearer of the multiplayer online role-playing genre and how he developed the Bartle Taxonomy Player Ty...
Jun 29, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this episode of The Mobile GameDev Playbook, we’re discussing how to utilize player insight to help build better games. We look into the tips, tools, and techniques game developers can use to understand what their players want so that they’ll keep coming back for more. Market-research platform PickFu joins this episode to discuss how game developers have collected user feedback using their service, along with mobile game studio Mojiworks, which uses data-led design in their game development p...
Apr 15, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode of The Mobile GameDev Playbook we discuss the common struggles game developers face when monetizing their games and provide some top tips to ensure optimal ROI on mobile gaming ad monetization. We also take a deep dive into the current mobile app monetization strategy and how it might change post IDFA. Will high IAP monetization games survive the change? Kolibri Games brings their expertise to the panel today, as a games publisher, with their most notable mobile titles including ...
Mar 23, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Episode 13 brings you insight into the winners and finalists of GameRefinery’s very first Mobile GameDev Awards in 2021. These new annual awards aim to reward design and innovation in the mobile game industry by developers in the US, China and Japan. In this episode, GameRefinery’s analysts and partner judge from Luna Labs discuss a few of the award categories and what made the winners stand out from the competition - what is their secret? Award categories discussed include Innovation and Excell...
Mar 10, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this first podcast of 2021, The Mobile GameDev Playbook unveils what might be in store for the new year and the mobile gaming industry - it’s a fully packed episode! We discuss how the pandemic’s development might affect industry growth in 2021 and how gaming habits might evolve in the post-COVID era. We also explore future potential trends for the Match 3 genre, the expansion of the casual gaming market in China, as well as the recent increase of mobile game collabs. Host Jon Jordan is joine...
Jan 18, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 12
As the end of the year approaches, this episode of the MobileGameDev Playbook will take a look back at what 2020 has had to offer the mobile gaming industry. We’ll delve into the key trends to come out of this eventful year, including the rise of social mechanics, changes to location-based AR games to fit COVID lockdown restrictions, as well as some of the secrets behind Genshin Impact’s success. To wrap the year up, we’ll also do some forward-thinking about what might be in store for the indust...
Dec 01, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In the latest episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, we examine what it takes to design a profitable game economy. We uncover the best monetisation strategies for mobile game developers, as well as how to plan and execute these strategies to boost a free-to-play mobile game’s potential revenue. From the planning of in-game economic structures to applying an enticing value exchange for players, this episode covers all the bases for developers looking to maximise their game’s chances of financial...
Nov 02, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Apple shocked the mobile advertising world this summer when it gave a two months’ notice of a seismic change in how mobile advertising campaigns would be targeted, measured and evaluated with the arrival of iOS14 and IDFA changes. Luckily, with these changes now likely taking place in early 2021 instead, mobile game developers and advertisers have some more time to plan accordingly and explore new ways to build their acquisition and attribution strategies. But what is IDFA? What do the upcoming ...
Oct 06, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Social Games are the hot topic for Episode 8 of the Mobile GameDev Playbook, where we delve into understanding what the must-have features that help create global hits are. We are joined by the expertise of Teatime Games who will share the lessons learnt from their amazing success with mobile game 'QuizUp', which has now accumulated over 100 million downloads. As well as talking about feature-level specifics, Teatime Games uncovers how they reached the top of the US App Charts in only two weeks ...
Sep 03, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Drawing from insights gained from Facebook and GameRefinery's brand new report on mobile gaming genres, this episode of the Mobile GameDev Playbook delves into the popular RPG Genre. Titled 'Genre and great games - Understanding Audiences and Designing Better Mobile Games', the report provides valuable genre-level insight across mobile games in the US, UK, South Korea and Japan. With a specific eye on RPG’s, the podcast takes an in-depth look at genre fulfilment, community, monetisation and ad p...
Aug 18, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 7
