Brutally Honest by Matej Lancaric
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💔​ Why Habby Dropped Hybrid Casual? Is Wittle Defender too deep for Global Scale?
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💔​ Why Habby Dropped Hybrid Casual? Is Wittle Defender too deep for Global Scale?

This is not another Survivor IO. Unfortunately!

We break down Wittle Defender, Habby’s latest departure from the mass market, blending deep meta, squad RPG mechanics, and a relentless gacha system. This is not another Survivor IO. It is a meta monster built for hardcore RPG fans, multi-layered progression, gear grind, rune systems, and dozens of monetization hooks. But is it too deep for a global scale?

What’s inside:

Meta Gone Wild: Five-character squads, each with rarity, gear, runes, elemental affinity, and skills. Think Genshin, but with more grind and randomization.

Gacha and Progression

More Modes, More Monetization

Deep automation and idle mechanics

Ad Revenue Shrinks: Unlike Survivor IO, only 20 to 24 percent of revenue now comes from ads. Most rewarded ads are hidden in revives or special offers, with the main spend coming from IAPs, funds, and deep progression systems.

The Simulation Game Ad Playbook: What's Working

The Simulation Game Ad Playbook: What's Working

You know what’s wild? Simulation games – those intricate world-builders and complex economy-jugglers – are out here running some of the most hypnotic, problem-obsessed, and downright weirdly effective mobile ads on the market right now.

Numbers Game: $300,000 daily revenue, 40,000 downloads a day, top revenue from Taiwan (28 percent), China (20 percent), South Korea (14 percent), Hong Kong (12 percent), and only 8 percent from the US. This is a hardcore Asia RPG at heart.

UA and Creative: Focused on Asia, with heavy use of fake gameplay, static images, and Rush Royale or Top Heroes clones for Facebook and TikTok ads. Playable ads exist but are rare.

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Key Takeaway:

Wittle Defender marks Habby’s pivot away from broad hybrid monetization. The focus is now on deep spending, multi-layered progression, and gacha depth for a smaller, more hardcore player base. Ad revenue is down, IAP is up, and the US is no longer the top target.

🔥 2025 Hybridcasual Market Overview - Real Data inside!

🔥 2025 Hybridcasual Market Overview - Real Data inside!

The hybrid-casual market is accelerating, with global net revenue reaching a new high of $174.8M in March 2025 across the App Store alone for iPhone and iPad. That’s a significant step up from ~$100M in early 2024, reflecting sustained momentum over the past 12 months. The

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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 Lancaric⁠

Podcast

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00:00 Introduction and Host Dynamics

02:49 Sailing Adventures and Job Interviews

04:06 Whittle Defender Game Overview

07:19 Game Mechanics and Progression Systems

11:22 Monetization Strategies and User Experience

14:22 Gameplay Modes and Challenges

18:17 Character Skills and Randomization Mechanics

25:18 Final Thoughts and Game Depth

25:42 Character Dynamics and Game Mechanics

28:36 Game Depth and Player Engagement

29:52 Market Positioning and Audience Targeting

34:15 Revenue Insights and Market Performance

40:15 Monetization Strategies and Future Directions

44:06 Game Mechanics and Trends

46:13 Marketing Strategies in Gaming

51:18 Investment and Development in the Gaming Industry

56:14 Future Directions for Game Studios

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📈Q1 2025 Brutally Honest UA report - Real Data inside!

📈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.

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Felix Braberg

Ad monetization consultant

⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

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