by Lancaric.me
This is a no BS gaming podcast. We share insights, knowledge and fun gossip relating to the topics of User Acquisition, Game Design and Ad monetisation. You will find here actionable insights in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. A safe space where we mimic the honesty of a 4am conference discussion. Enjoy & let us know your feedback!
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/14/2022
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 21, 2025
<p>No UA. No App Store tricks. Chess.com - just 650 remote workers, a Netflix show, a cat bot named Mittens, and a $500M/year business.</p><p>We dive deep into one of the most fascinating growth stories in mobile: chess.com.</p><p><br></p><p>From Queen’s Gambit virality to Magnus Carlsen’s meme-worthy genius, we explore how chess.com built a mobile app empire on subscriptions, community, and strategic chaos — all without running a single ad campaign.</p><p><br></p><p>🎯 What You’ll Learn:</p><p>Why Queen’s Gambit + COVID lockdown sparked the app’s hockey-stick growth</p><p>How Magnus Carlsen, memes, and controversy drove global attention</p><p>The insane monetization potential chess.com isn’t using (but could)</p><p>Deep dive into subscriptions vs. ad revenue – and why purity might be expensive</p><p>Why their retention, session length, and user time rival top-tier mobile games</p><p>How they turn in-app education into a sticky, premium experience</p><p>The role of community-driven UA powered by YouTubers, Twitch, and chess drama</p><p>👑 Whether you're a game dev, monetization lead, or just a fan of big plays in niche markets — this episode is your move.</p><p>🧠 Chess.com isn’t just a game. It’s a content engine, a learning platform, and a masterclass in scaling without spending.</p><p>🎧 Listen to how they turned 🐾Mittens the cat bot into a quarter-million downloads/day spike — and why we think they’re leaving $50M+ a year on the table.</p><p><br></p><p>Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop</p><p>--------------------------------------</p><p>PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.</p><p>Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/</p><p>They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.</p><p>- Scale fast</p><p>- Keep your shares</p><p>- Drawdown only as needed</p><p>- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you</p><p>+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>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.</p><p>Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric</p><p>Podcast: </p><p><br></p><p>Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Introduction to Chess and the Hosts</p><p>04:25 Chess.com: Growth and Revenue Insights</p><p>07:22 The Impact of External Factors on Chess Popularity</p><p>10:28 Chess.com Features and Community Engagement</p><p>13:22 Company Background and Strategic Moves</p><p>19:24 Monetization Strategies and Future Prospects</p><p>20:32 Monetization Strategies in Chess Apps</p><p>23:33 User Engagement and Learning Features</p><p>26:05 Ad Revenue vs Subscription Revenue</p><p>30:35 Potential for Increased Revenue</p><p>36:38 The Balance of User Experience and Revenue</p><p>39:43 Chess.com: The Dominant Platform</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>Matej Lancaric</p><p>User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant</p><p>https://lancaric.me</p><p>Felix Braberg</p><p>Ad monetization consultant</p><p>https://www.felixbraberg.com</p><p>Jakub Remiar</p><p>Game design consultant</p><p>https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!</p><p>Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!</p><p>Please share feedback and comments - [email protected]</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>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</p><p>Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask Matej AI - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai</p>
April 17, 2025
What do you get when you mash Fallout Shelter, AFK Journey, and Batman?🦇 DC: Dark Legion is FunPlus’ latest 4X-adjacent mobile RPG — but despite the DC IP, flashy UA creatives, and $400K/day revenue spike, it might already be in trouble.Today, we dissect the design, monetization, UA, and feature depth of DC: Dark Legion. Is it a mobile gacha RPG pretending to be 4X? Or is it a 4X that forgot the most important part: the map?🎯 What You’ll Learn:Why DC: Dark Legion is NOT a real 4X — and why that mattersWhat the game borrowed from Frozen City, AFK Journey, and Fallout ShelterHow a simplified economy + zero persistent map = reduced spend depthWhy DC IP ≠ guaranteed scale (and how this game proves it)Whether $10M in launch revenue is enough to survive FunPlus’ declining 4X portfolioBreakdown of its multi-channel UA strategy — static ads, UGC, playables, cinematic trailers🛑 Don’t build your 4X like this. Watch the breakdown and learn from it.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 LancaricYoutube: https://youtu.be/pJnJi1XnPeEJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to DC Dark Legion04:16 Gameplay Mechanics and Features07:04 Onboarding and User Experience10:24 Combat and Progression Systems13:19 Monetization and Gacha Elements16:14 Visual Appeal and Game Design19:17 Market Position and Future Prospects31:06 The Dynamics of Guild Conflicts33:46 Analyzing Revenue Trends in Gaming36:01 The Rise and Fall of Game Portfolios38:00 FunPlus and the Crisis in Game Development42:00 Marketing Strategies in the Gaming Industry50:48 The Future of Game IPs and Market Competition---------------------------------------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 - [email protected] you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit lancaric.substack.com & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricLatest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
April 16, 2025
<p>30% of your revenue could be coming from a web shop, and you wouldn’t even see it in your external IAP dashboards.</p><p><br></p><p>In this exclusive episode of 2.5 Gamers, we sit down with David Stelzer, President of Xsolla (formerly Epic Games, SEGA, CAA), to discuss how top-grossing games are ditching App Store dependency and scaling through direct-to-consumer (D2C) models.</p><p><br></p><p>This isn’t theoretical.</p><p>📈 The top mobile publishers using Xsolla’s stack are pulling 25–30% of their total revenue through off-store web shops — with 50% less in fees than Apple or Google.</p><p><br></p><p>Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop</p><p>💥 What You’ll Learn:</p><p>Why web shops are the future of mobile monetization</p><p>The battle pass + subscription combo every midcore game should explore</p><p>How AI is reshaping LiveOps, A/B testing & offer personalization</p><p>Why casual games are struggling and how offerwalls may be the solution</p><p>How to launch a localized, conversion-optimized web shop in minutes</p><p>The right UA mindset for 2025 (hint: it’s not CPI chasing anymore)</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>🔗 Want more revenue, more retention, and more control?</p><p>Xsolla’s Instant Web Shop might be your best-kept growth secret.</p><p>www.xsolla.com</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>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.</p><p>Panelists: Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric</p><p>Special Guest: David Stelzer</p><p>https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstelzer/</p><p>Youtube: <a href="https://youtu.be/Ab6muq76UGo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://youtu.be/Ab6muq76UGo</a></p><p><br></p><p>Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Introduction to Exola and David Stelzer</p><p>03:16 Evolution of the Gaming Industry</p><p>06:30 Monetization Strategies for Game Developers</p><p>10:27 Direct-to-Consumer Sales and Web Shops</p><p>12:51 Trends in Mobile Gaming and IAPs</p><p>15:01 Challenges for Casual Games in Monetization</p><p>17:24 The Role of Subscriptions and Battle Passes</p><p>20:00 Expanding into APAC and LATAM Markets</p><p>22:53 Localization and Compliance in Global Sales</p><p>25:04 The Impact of 5G and Cloud Gaming</p><p>26:27 The Rise of AI in Gaming</p><p>27:56 AI's Role in Game Development and Monetization</p><p>28:27 Data-Driven Decision Making in Game Studios</p><p>30:22 Building Effective Web Shops for Games</p><p>32:37 Optimizing Web Shops for Better Revenue</p><p>34:26 Leveraging AI for Enhanced User Experience</p><p>36:37 Understanding Player Behavior for Monetization</p><p>38:06 Actionable Strategies for 2025</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>Matej Lancaric</p><p>User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant</p><p>https://lancaric.me</p><p>Felix Braberg</p><p>Ad monetization consultant</p><p>https://www.felixbraberg.com</p><p>Jakub Remiar</p><p>Game design consultant</p><p>https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!</p><p>Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!</p><p>Please share feedback and comments - [email protected]</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>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</p><p>Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true</p><p>Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask Matej AI - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai</p>
Deconstructor of Fun
Liftoff
PGbiz Podcast
Naavik
Andreessen Horowitz
Harry Stebbings
Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts
BG2Pod
All-In Podcast, LLC
Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
Lenny Rachitsky
Lex Fridman
The Wall Street Journal
MobileDevMemo
The Ringer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at [email protected] for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.