Edvard Toth

DeamPlus Games Earned $12M+ IAP Revenue Amids “Hoa Hoa Hoa” Season 🍂 Game of Vampires: Twilight Sun, an empire-building RPG, is the ultimate vampire fantasy brought to life. 🌘 Gothic castles, luxurious dark interiors, a spooky atmosphere — and a ton of pop-culture references! From Twilight and The Vampire Diaries to Blade and The Addams Family — this game is packed with nostalgic nods that resonate with players through its ASO, ad creatives, and character design. 🧛‍♂️🏰 The right timing and a touch of luck drive this success even further: with the game’s global launch, the unexpected revival of the Twilight franchise came into play! Millennials are fueling it with nostalgia, while Gen Z is having fun with those cringy moments the old movies have. ✨🧛‍♀️ For a deep dive into this phenomenon and the insights game developers can draw from it, check out Diana Levintova's fantastic article for AppMagic. Halloween couldn’t be a better time to dive into the industry insights, spooky vibes, and, of course, “hoa hoa hoa” 🎃👻 Link in the comments! 👇

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Simply Sweet Games is thrilled to partner with Spectrum Laboratory in a collaboration that benefits both our organizations and, most importantly, the gaming community. This partnership aligns SSG’s mission to create inclusive, accessible, and fun casual games with Spectrum Laboratory's dedication to fostering innovation for neurodiverse audiences. Through this collaboration: ➡️ Simply Sweet Games gains insight: We’re leveragingSpectrum Laboratory's expertise and working with students on the autism spectrum to ensure our games, like Criss Cross Castle, resonate with and meet the needs of neurodiverse players. ➡️ Spectrum Laboratory expands impact: By engaging in game testing and providing design feedback, they’re offering valuable opportunities for neurodiverse students to influence the development of accessible gaming experiences. Together, we’re championing the importance of inclusivity in the gaming industry and setting a new standard for accessibility. We’re excited to share updates as this partnership unfolds and to continue creating games that truly welcome everyone. #inclusivegaming #neurodiversegames #accessiblegaming #indiedev #gamedevelopment #collaboration #innovation #diversityintech #crisscrosscastle #gametesting #autismcommunity #gamedesign #impactgaming #wordgames #gamesindustry #inclusionmatters

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I really enjoyed this conversation with fellow Zynga alum Michael Martinez, founder & CEO of casual mobile studio FunCraft. In this episode of the Naavik podcast, we discuss how Michael built a $35 million revenue run rate company with not one, not 2, but now 3 hit games in the highly competitive casual word game genre on mobile. Some great lessons for any gaming entrepreneur, including: - Bigger is not always better: Funcraft's team size will surprise you! - Speed is of the essence: this is one advantage startups have over larger incumbents - Ad monetization works: Funcraft generates impressive ARPDAUs from ads alone and is able to do LTV-positive UA against them - Remote culture can be an asset: it opens up hiring globally - Failure provides valuable learnings: Michael talks candidly about the failure of his prior gaming startup, Juicebox Games, and what he's doing differently this time around Real talk, with lots of real metrics to benchmark against.

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I was watching SPARK 2024, Tencent Games' annual showcase focused on the Chinese market (no EN live stream, unfortunately) for nearly 2 hours! It was exciting to see the choice of games and the way they were being showcased. The showcase kicked off with Tencent Games' flagship title, King of Glory. Surprisingly, there was still no update on Honor of Kings: World. So its very unlikely that we'll see something on this during the upcoming Summer Game Fest. One notable highlight was Supercell's new game getting a quick China release for the first time. The showcase included Squad Busters, which is about to enter testing there! Additionally, a new Valorant-like mobile game was unveiled, featuring 2D anime-based characters. This game is likely Strinova, a tactical team-based shooter already available on Steam from iDreamsky Technology. Beyond Tencent's own games, titles such as Blade & Soul 2 from NCSOFT, Black Desert Mobile from Pearl Abyss, Maple Story from NEXON Co., Ltd. （Head Office／Japan）, all LOL games from Riot Games, NBA Mobile game & a new civilisation mobile title from 2K, and Cookie Run Kingdom from Devsisters were also showcased. We have the complete coverage in this article and all the videos on GamingonPhone's Twitter, just in case you'd like to check.

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Come learn about Xsolla's strategies to improve your mobile games revenue.

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New episode drop! 🚀 I sat down with Ben Kvalo, Founder & CEO of Midwest Games, to discuss supporting underserved developers, his journey into the industry, the Madison game community, some favorite projects, and the challenges of starting a new company. We also got into the importance of networking and building genuine connections, persistence, the advantages of working with a publisher, the future of games, and even Skee-Ball.🔮 Available on all the pod players or below on the GDA YouTube channel. 🎧 Game Dev Advice #gameindustry #gamedev #gamepublishing https://lnkd.in/g4intV_s

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Less than a year ago, we decided to switch the engine we were developing our game on. It was a bold decision, but after weighing all the pros and cons, we took the leap. Today, seeing more and more commercially successful games (TopWar(937M net, mobile only), Legend of Mushroom (266M, net, 8 months after release, mobile only) and others) using this engine, we know we made the right choice. Additionally, cross-platform capability and the fact that this engine is used by industry giants makes it a crucial decision. For instance, Ford chose Cocos for its Smart Cockpit (link in the comments). Cocos is also a partner of BMW, BYD, and Lincoln. Why is this important? It's simple - optimization, reliability, and performance. These are critical when developing a product for cross-device use. Thanks for the highlight Cocos! Oh, and by the way, the new tests went great, so we're moving forward! #development #game #develop #cocos #crossplatform #engine #technology

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Collision Conference excerpt: understanding the evolution of real objects in 3D games, from banned to brands. https://lnkd.in/gsR7t5jh

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Gamescom is upon us 🍻 glad to be back and moderate this key roundtable about "Game Discovery" together with a terrific panel of experts. Join us and participate - we're going to dive into lots of practical knowledge on how to do things, discuss, debate and share our daring opinions about what's missing, which trends to follow and what is the future of game discovery. From finding your key discovery hooks early, to developing strategies for marketing and community while utilizing a planning framework, all through researching & trying new tools, harnessing data, thinking outside the box, and developing a growth mindset. Come and ask these seasoned experts and myself everything you wanted to know. Erik Peterson - Biz Dev @ Steam Benoit Clerc - Head of Publishing @ Nacon (Robocop, Terminator, Greedfall 2) Charlotte Cook - Global Commercial @ Team 17 (Hell Let Loose, Overcooked! 2, Golf with Friends) Jeremy Fielding - Head of Community @ Stunlock Studios (V Rising) Gregory Queste - CEO @ Trailsparker and veteran brand marketing Tuesday 20.8 - 3pm - at Stage 13 More details: https://lnkd.in/dsgwJQZH

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How do puzzle games use Loss Aversion to monetize level fails? Based on the Playliner research, here are the most common things a player will lose if they fail: • Win streaks progress • Lives • Season pass keys • Event stage rewards • Tournament position • Additional rewards • Infinite Boosters time • x2 Level Multiplier It’s all about the fear of losing – and driving that next purchase to keep playing. What do you think? Is it a fair strategy or too much pressure? Data Source: Playliner

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Some insight into the Annapurna implosion. https://lnkd.in/gd-Sszj2

Sumo Digital announced a 15% cut in its workforce, roughly impacting 250 individuals. Among these 250 individuals was the team of Timbre Games, which also confirmed that the studio was being shut down. Timbre Games was founded in 2021 and made a part of Pipework Studios. Although Timbre had yet to launch any games, its website indicates that it was in the middle of two game projects. Unfortunately, game developers face more loss than the parent company when something like this happens. Who knows how Timbre's team might be coping after putting in millions of efforts to build the games and losing everything in a single blink? In their support, this is list 2 of some of the Timbreeos who were impacted by the closure. Every bit from the community counts, so requesting you all to help this reach recruiters and game studios currently hiring. Sophie Mallinson — In 2017, she was Arkane Studios' (Lyon) Narrative Designer who worked on Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. By 2019, she had become a Principal Narrative Designer for Arkane's Deathloop. It is quite interesting to note that after Arkane, she went on to work for EA on Star Wars and later for EA's own studio - Maxis Studios on The Sims Series. Nadia Lohan — With over a decade's worth of experience in Production, before Timbre, Nadia was a Producer at Blackbird Interactive and worked on Minecraft Legends. Notably, she has experience in the VFX industry and coordinated for blockbusters like Mulan, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Maleficent. Vivek Ramkumar — Here's a talented Game Designer who has worked on titles like Sleeping Dogs and Tryst, built his own first-person indie game, and has experience in LiveOps Design. Prior to Timbre, he was a senior Technical Designer for Relic Entertainment. Gerritt Turner — Before Timbre, Gerritt worked at Wizards of the Coast on a lot of Magic: The Gathering's writing, designing and overall creative. They even have an experience in Brand Writing for Hasbro. Yuliia Bocharova — Prior to Timbre, she was a Lead 3D Artist for Blackbird Interactive and worked there for 3+ years. You should check out her ArtStation portfolio: https://lnkd.in/gKEwykG5 Vincent-Gabriel Canadian — A talented VFX Artist who has worked for Studios like Frima, Behaviour Interactive, and Nesting Games. Vincent specializes in real-time VFX for video games! #layoffsupport

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🎮 On this day in gaming history: 44 years ago, Pac-Man was released for arcade machines! Pac-Man, initially called Puck Man in Japan, is a 1980 maze action game developed by Namco for arcades, released in North America by Midway Games Manufacturing. Players control Pac-Man, who must eat all the dots in a maze while avoiding four colored ghosts. Eating "Power Pellets" turns ghosts blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points. Developed in 1979 by Toru Iwatani and his team, the game was designed to appeal to both women and men with its cute and colorful characters. Renamed Pac-Man for its North American release, it became a massive hit, spawning sequels, merchandise, TV shows, and the hit song "Pac-Man Fever" (I still recall that song by Buckner & Garcia). Pac-Man is now Namco Bandai's mascot and remains one of the highest-grossing and most iconic video games ever. Interestingly, it also inspired the nickname of a world-famous boxer from the Philippines. I recall my first time playing Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 console, a gift from my dad. It wasn’t arcade accurate, but the gameplay was sweet and kept me glued to the screen, munching on wafers and avoiding those pesky ghost monsters. I distinctly remember the satisfaction of gobbling up the ghosts after eating Power Pellets, racking up points—it was incredibly fun! 👻 What was your strategy? I used to follow a specific pattern, prioritizing eating all the wafers over chasing ghosts. To me, advancing to a new level was more beneficial than risking being caught by a soon-to-recover ghost. Pac-Man is definitely one of those games I'll never forget. 🕹️ #JBlaze #PacMan #GamingHistory #RetroGames #ArcadeGames #Game #Gamer #Namco #Atari

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Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

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💡 ERROR LOG #27: If your core gameplay loop isn’t compelling, your game might not be either. What I mean by that is the core gameplay loop is the heartbeat of your game. It’s the cycle of actions players will perform repeatedly, and if it’s not engaging, the entire player experience can be doubtful. The loop doesn’t just entertain, it defines the game, driving the player’s emotional and strategic investment. For example, think of a classic side-scroller. The loop might involve running, jumping, and shooting while collecting treasures and defeating enemies (YES! You got it! Metal Slug :D). Simple, but highly engaging. Compare that to a more complex RPG loop, blending exploration, combat, and dialogue. These loops provide different experiences, but they all share one thing: they’re finely tuned to keep players coming back but first and foremost they have to enjoy it! 💡As some of you know I’m not a designer by profession, I simply love all the aspects of game development. Here’s where I went wrong early in my design journey as I was mostly driven by visuals and appeal: I’d focus so much on flashy features and world-building that I’d lose sight of how those elements tied into the core loop. It’s easy to overcomplicate or dilute the loop with feature creep. But here’s the hard truth: if the loop isn’t tight, even the best visuals or narrative can’t save your game. 📘A-HA Moment: Start simple, then refine. Think of the gameplay loop as the game’s skeleton. It needs to be strong before you add the muscles (mechanics) and skin (aesthetics). For me, studying great games and their loops - like the seamless exploration and combat of The Legend of Zelda or the addictive power fantasy of Kratos in God of War was a game-changer. If you’re crafting a core gameplay loop, ask yourself: ✅ What will the player do 80% of the time? ✅ How does it feel? Is it satisfying, challenging, and fun? ✅ Does every element of the game enhance the loop or distract from it? What’s your favourite example of a perfectly executed gameplay loop? Let me know in the comments! Stay tuned for more ⚔️🐻

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Late Stage Gaming VCs: "We would be interested in companies generating $100M+ in annual revenue that are profitable." Early Stage Gaming VCs: "We would be interested in companies generating $100M+ in annual revenue that are profitable." #vctalk #joke

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When I started Combat Waffle Studios I didn’t have a roadmap, just a vision and a relentless drive to make it a reality. I raised $1.2M from a single investor—non-ownership shares—and got to work. Two years later, we’ve turned that into $20M in sales, and I still own 100% of my company. Call this cliche; but success isn’t about taking the easiest route. It’s about betting on yourself when no one else will. It’s about refusing to sell your soul for the promise of “easy money.” Stop taking “dumb money” from investors looking for a quick buck in a rising industry. I’ve turned down two acquisition offers for insane amounts of money because I refuse to let someone else dictate my future. I didn’t work this hard to build someone else’s dream—I built mine. If you’re grinding right now, wondering if you’ll ever break through, let me tell you this: keep going. The path isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. The reward isn’t just in the money or the numbers; it’s in knowing you stayed true to yourself, your vision, and your values. Be your own boss. Write your own story. Take the risks that matter and stop selling your soul to people who don’t understand your worth. Whether you succeed or fail, make sure the story is yours. No one else can live your dream but you. You’ve got this. Keep pushing. #Motivation #BetOnYourself #Entrepreneurship #BeYourOwnBoss

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