Brutally Honest #170 by Matej Lancaric
No 💩 BS newsletter with useful stuff about UA in the post IDFA world
Hey, FAM! What’s up?
🥃 Drink talk
AI always makes our lives easier. Applies for creative testing or production. If you are a small team and need help, here you go:
🏰 How I Used 7 AI Tools to Make a Killer Ad in a Day
The result of this article is a scroll-stopping game ad with humor, polish, and personality: all delivered in 24 hours. This AI-powered process slashed production time from a week to a day, showing how lean teams can create AAA-quality mobile ads with the right tools and creative prompts.
You can scale your creative production easily.
🦩Tip of the week
Applovin best practices?
When it comes to attribution windows on AppLovin, it's not just about how long you track users. Each window targets a different type of player.
D0 campaigns are best suited for short-term monetizers and games with fast payback.
D7 campaigns offer more stability, capturing users with better retention and mid-range value.
D28 campaigns go after long-lifetime, high-value players who tend to deliver the strongest return.
As Alexis put it, “You’ll see D0 campaigns with ROAS half or even a third of what D28 delivers. But over time, D28 wins big.”
These windows work best when run together, helping advertisers capture a broad spectrum of user behaviors and LTV profiles.
To optimize AppLovin campaigns effectively, start by matching your ROAS goals to the right attribution window. Be patient.
D28 campaigns need at least 10 to 14 days to calibrate, while D7 campaigns typically stabilize in 3 to 5 days.
Avoid changing goals too often, especially for longer windows.
If a campaign stops spending, lower the ROAS target drastically to restart delivery, then increase it slowly in 10 to 15 percent steps every few days.
Budget is another critical factor. For IAP-focused games, low spend will not work. You need at least $500 per day to give the algorithm enough data.
Also, tailor your ROAS goals by geo and campaign type. A universal goal across all markets and formats is a common mistake. The best results come from setting goals that reflect the value of each user group.
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🐊 Cornelius: The Suspicious Investi-gator
True detective-like exploration of creative trends and historical influences. Delving deep into the world of creatives to uncover hidden patterns and inspirations:
Raid Rush hitting all-time high making 🤑 $𝟮𝗠𝗜𝗟+ 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗔𝗣 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 & 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝟯𝟬-𝟰𝟬% 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗔𝗗𝗦. Creative strategy really stands out 👇
Raid Rush’s creative strategy is a blend of authentic gameplay, creative risk-taking, and relentless testing. By combining real-life hooks, AI-generated assets, hyper-casual aesthetics, and timely IP events, they have developed a UA machine that adapts as quickly as the market shifts.
This diversity in creative approach helps Raid Rush stay competitive and appeal to both hardcore and casual audiences.
In our latest two & a half gamers episode, we analyze the evolving creative playbook that Panteon uses to drive user acquisition, retention, and engagement. The discussion covers a wide range of ad formats, hooks, and trends that have powered Raid Rush’s success in both Western and Asian markets.
Real-Life Hooks and Static AI
AI Image and Video Integration
Hyper-Casual Aesthetic
Gameplay First, Fake Second
IP and Event Creatives
While some creatives feature “altered” or slightly fake gameplay (e.g., impossible defense setups or over-the-top action), the most successful ads still highlight the unique core loop: player-drawn roads, merging towers, and strategic placement.
Authenticity is balanced with entertainment value.
Yours truly, Cornelius.
💀 Dr. Doom is not amused
One of my industry friends amused me with his direct and honest TL;DRs, so we agreed to share it here, too! My friend remains anonymous as Dr.Doom!
"Some old school doom today 😎. It seems EA's CEO Andrew Wilson got really really poor, so his bonus had to be raised by $5 Mil. (now $30 Mil. for last year, duh!) which means he is still only making 260 times more than average EA employee, which is still very low compared to the latest general CEO standard of 399 times more. Oh the horror, I think we will need to get some more AI and more layoffs at EA immediately to bump up these rookie numbers, in the mean time hang in there Andrew " Sincerely, Doom (https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/eas-ceo-pulled-in-usd5-million-more-this-year-than-last-while-his-employees-took-home-the-least-money-theyve-made-since-2022/
🎉 “Ha-ha” moment
Because life is too short to be serious.
🎮 two & a half gamers new episode
𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹? Wittle Defender by Habby is making $300,000 a day, but most of it comes from Asia’s hardcore RPG fans. 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗯𝘆’𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿.
Wittle Defender is the signal that Habby has left hybrid casual behind and is now chasing Asia’s RPG whales. The surprise is not just the endless meta layers or gacha depth. The real shock is the creative and UA shift happening right now.
𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.
UA spend and targeting is focused on Taiwan, China, Korea, and Hong Kong. Over seventy percent of revenue now comes from Asia. The US is just eight percent.
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.
Most ads are still images, fake gameplay, or straight-up clones of Rush Royale and Top Heroes. Playables are rare.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸-𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲, personality-driven video. Habby’s creative library 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬. Looks like TikTok-style videos are run on Meta. Archero2-inspired ad with Wittle defender text, but what about the Archero2 end card? That's a bit lazy..
𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵.
Survivor IO blitzed the West with bold creatives and UA spend. Wittle Defender stays home, focusing on what works for core RPG and gacha fans in Asia—big numbers, deep meta visuals, and summons everywhere.
📺 Watch on YouTube
🎧 Listen on Spotify
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📈Q1 2025 Brutally Honest UA report - Real Data inside!
Hey there, Matej here! Welcome to the most brutally honest look at mobile game UA you’ll read this quarter. This report isn’t just another round-up of trends – it’s built on real campaign data, survey responses from hundreds of UA pros, and my experience running UA for some of the hottest games.
THE Soft launch Bible: Full 2025 blueprint with real data!
Soft launching a mobile game in 2025 remains one of the smartest strategic moves you can make before a full global release. With the mobile gaming market now even more saturated—and user acquisition costs still climbing—a well-planned soft launch can be the difference between success and failure.
🏰 How I Used 7 AI Tools to Make a Killer Ad in a Day
The result of this article is a scroll-stopping game ad with humor, polish, and personality: all delivered in 24 hours. This AI-powered process slashed production time from a week to a day, showing how lean teams can create AAA-quality mobile ads with the right tools and creative prompts.
THE Creative Bible: How to win in 2025?
Let's just dive directly into the creative framework for 2025
🦄 Diary of a Dancing Unicorn
Today was a good day.
Hey hey! How is everything?
All good, all good!
Heard interesting things about you and your company.
Really? Whats up?
Are you really buying all the ranks in Slovak Game Dev Association?
Wait, what?
Yeah, I have heard that you ranking on 7th place in terms of revenues is paid.
hahahahahahahah, well thats some interesting rumours. You know its actually calculated by official revenue numbers provided by Slovak government, right?
No, I didn’t know.
Well, now you know. Just look here, its all there!
Omg, thats so pathetic. Why would anyone make something like this up?
No idea, envy?
Hmm.. I assume you also didnt buy forbes articles or any other PR stuff.
Yeah, the good thing about being honest and direct with the real numbers is that people really want to know more and ask for interview. So no, I haven’t paid a single EUR for any interviews.
oh man, people are so funny….
Today was a good day.
🤺 Quote of the week
"We did get many positive feedback and reactions from our community” - Oren, DM
Wittle Defender review
🧞 The Song of the Week
We launched a music album. Yes, that's correct. We are putting a ton of energy into creating valuable (and crazy) content that I think you'll like. Check out the latest songs, and give us a like and subscribe. Play ehm. Listen now!
👾 THE AI (R)EVOLUTION
The AI revolution is here, and it’s transforming the way we approach mobile games marketing.
From creating scroll-stopping ad creatives to optimizing user acquisition strategies, AI is the game-changer we can’t ignore.
🥦 Before you go
Ask Matej AI a question. It’s actually quite good!
We produced one more episode at 2.5 Gamers. Check it out now:
We are also starting a new segment. Give it a go:
🍿 Fun starts in two & a half gamers Slack! Join now
We are opening up a Slack channel for everybody. It is the most inclusive slack for the gaming industry. Female, male, non-binary, juniors, mid-level, seniors, vendors, developers = EVERYBODY! We are waiting for you ♥️
Feel free to join here!
🧙 Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter!
Please do me a favor and share this with someone in your network who you think would benefit from the insights and brutal honesty. It would mean a lot to me!
Take care, everyone! See you next Monday!
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