Mastering Retention

Whether you are promoting your game or advertising in your game, optimal ads and ad placement is key. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Mobile Ad Monetization Expert, Yael Takomi (Mobile Gaming at Facebook) about setting realistic expectations for new users, segmented ad placement, the use of analytics in ad placement, and so much more! Here are your cheat codes: 0:45 How did Yael...

This week’s installment of Mastering Retention is a special one, as Tom celebrates the 100th episode with the help of Yosi Tal (Senior Product Manager at Papaya Gaming). The two of them commit the entire episode to the topic of retention. They discuss features and emotions that drive retention, segmentation, player progression goals, maximizing the first time player experience and so much more! He...

Almost everyone in the video game industry dreams of launching their own game studio, but not everyone realizes what all that encompasses. This week on “Mastering Retention”, Tom speaks with Andrey Korotkov (CEO at Zillion Whales) about how to come up with creative ideas, how to launch a game studio, what to look for in potential co-founders, and the process of having your company acquired. Here a...

As the video game industry continues to emphasize additional content and liveOps, it is time to stop thinking of video games as products and more like services. This week on the Mastering Retention Podcast, Tom is joined by Fred Lepont (Head of Product at Ultracine Studios) to discuss player motivations, segmentation, and LiveOps. Here are your cheat codes: 0:46 How did Fred Lepont get into the vi...

There has been lots of speculation that blockchain games are the future of gaming, but what does that future look like? And more specifically, what does the future of blockchain gaming look like? This week on the Mastering Retention Podcast, Daniel Paez (Director of Monetization and Game Economy at Worldspark Studios) joins Tom to try and get to the bottom of these questions. The two of them dive...

Pixion, a new video game company, is on a mission to build a new category of competitive games called Lunchtime ESports. The genre aims to allow everyone to be competitive and play at their own pace. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Kam Punia (Founder and CEO at Pixion Games) about his team's ambitious goals, high standards and vision for the future. Here are your cheat codes: 0:4...

Creating a successful and beloved video game is a tall task. It is even more of a challenge to create a successful and beloved children's video game. This week on the Mastering Retention Podcast, Tom speaks with Luis Cascante (Former Franchise Director at Star Stable) about designing video games for younger audiences and all the challenges that come with it. Here are your cheat codes: 0:50 How did...

Most games require compelling live ops and multiple ways in which to make money - casino games are no different. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Dafna Ben Onn (Director of Monetization at SciPlay) about the different challenges that face casino games, managing a live ops calendar, player segmentation, monetizing casino games, and much more! Here are your cheat codes: 1:10 How did...

A game is only successful if you attract users and continually provide them with reasons to keep playing. In order to keep your fanbase happy and eager to play, you must be able to understand their wants and goals, and you need to know their behaviors and habits. While players will often be very eager to share their critiques, you can learn more about what a player wants through data and proper se...

Creating and sustaining a great user experience is a surefire way to lengthen your game’s shelf life. There are many different ways to go about creating or improving a game’s user experience. It can be as simple as choosing an art style, or it can be as complex as using data to identify weaknesses in your game. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Abhay Ramakrishnan (Product Manager a...

Whether you are building a team from scratch or adding on to an existing team, having common goals and values can have a massive positive effect on your company and its products. This week on Mastering Retention, Martina Gianfreda (Co-CEO at Whatwapp) walks Tom through the process of building a co-founding team and sustaining your company's success through shared core values. Here are your cheat c...

The role of a product manager can vary widely depending on what industry he/she is in, and even then, companies within the same industry often define that role differently. Regardless of how a product manager role is defined, it requires someone that can balance the “Big Picture” and the small details. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Stav Klauzner (Head of Product at SciPlay) abo...

There are many different ways to go about creating a video game, but two of the main methodologies are Lean and Agile. The lean methodology puts an emphasis on reducing waste by recycling content, and managing workflow, whereas in Agile, teams emphasize small batch sizes to deliver results quickly. This week on “Mastering Retention” Ruby Urlings (Director, Production at GSN Games) speaks with Tom...

Thousands of games are made each year, and very few go on to have great success. Despite their success, these games are rarely sitting atop the charts years down the road. Creating a successful game is hard, but maintaining that game’s success and daily active users is beyond difficult. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Jonathan Durr (Studio Director & Co-Founder at Foxbear Gam...

Creating a new video game is a long and strenuous process, but that process is nothing compared to launching your very own game studio. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Lior Hadashian (CTO & Co-Founder at Gavra Games) about the importance of being a data-driven game studio, when to double down on a good idea, keeping your games fresh, and what all needs to be considered when s...

Creating an awesome game is meaningless if it does not attract enough users. Acquiring new users can oftentimes require a bigger marketing budget and a great deal of patience. Not every game studio or game company sees the value in spending money on marketing their game, but it is one of the most successful and efficient ways to increase your daily active users and your games longevity. This week...

Online streaming has completely changed video games. Game designers and marketers alike have had to adapt to this tectonic shift in the video game landscape. Streaming has become a very effective way to market and sell games. Studios are now implementing streaming into the very design of their game to drive user acquisition. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Joanna Haslam (Design D...

Each user will engage differently with your game. How they play the game and/or how much they spend on the game will vary widely from player to player. In the same way a company would market their game differently for different target audiences, companies should segment their analytics to find the best possible ways to monetize their game. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Sam Abbo...

You are not supposed to judge a book - or a video game - by its cover, but that is easier said than done - especially when covers can be very misleading. People often make snap judgments about things based on how it was first presented to them. These judgments can last a long time and negatively impact your product. When creating or marketing your game, one must ensure that the copy for and design...

Web browser games are often an afterthought when thinking about the video game landscape, but with the internet being more accessible than ever, the odds of having some degree of familiarity with web games are high. Despite the perception that web games maintain a relatively low profile, there is a large market for these types of games and lots of money to be made. This week on Mastering Retention...

Today’s video game market is completely saturated with games seemingly offering the same experience. Ironing out and perfecting the small details of your game design can go a long way in helping it stand out from the competition. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Amir Dori (Lecturer for Game Design at Mentor College & Head of Game Design at SciPlay) about building and managing...

Creating a video game from scratch requires a lot of manpower and specialized talent. Being able to work effectively and efficiently as a team is key to creating a game that is both enjoyable for users and financially beneficial for your studio/company. In addition to helping teams work together seamlessly to coordinate and execute tasks, product managers serve many different roles depending on th...

When you think about video games, your first thought is likely not about the business and financial side of things, but the video game business, like all other major industries, puts a large emphasis on money. No matter what the status of your game company is, money is at the center of all your current needs and future goals. During the infancy of starting and growing a game studio, you are consta...

Staying ahead of the curve and budding trends is of paramount importance in the modern landscape of the video game industry. Smart companies and CEO’s identify these trends in their early stages and experiment with them, which oftentimes leads to adopting them. This week on Mastering Retention, one of those CEO’s, Oliver Jones (Co-Founder & CEO at Bombay Play), speaks with Tom about a budding...

What makes a game special is not the graphics, the gameplay, or the plot … it's the people that work tirelessly behind the scenes. Having the right people in place at your studio is the difference between a smash-hit game and a forgotten one. This week on Mastering Retention, Tom speaks with Kunal Mordekar (COO at YOOZOO Games) about finding the right people, the hiring process, and how important...