Game Refinery

APRIL 27, 2023

Mobile games and gacha mechanics have been closely aligned for a significant time. Regardless of the genre, most gamers playing titles on a mobile device will inevitably encounter gacha mechanics in some shape or form, whether that’s a box gacha, sugoroku gacha, timed gacha, or one of many others.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Mechanics 227

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

If you’re looking for ways to improve player retention for your mobile game, hosting a collaboration event with a well-known franchise as part of your LiveOps might be the answer you’re looking for. As an example, collaboration events are used by more than 70% of the top 10% of highest-grossing games in the China iOS market.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Game Development 233

Game Refinery

OCTOBER 26, 2023

The ever-changing nature of the mobile market means that new monetization mechanics are constantly emerging and evolving. One of the most popular monetization mechanics is the subscription-based battle pass , which was introduced via Valve’s DOTA 2 in 2013 but popularized by the worldwide phenomenon, Fortnite.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Co-op 220

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Narrative design has always been an important part of video game development, but its significance in modern-day games continues to grow as narrative elements play an important role in player engagement and retention. Several exploration games also incorporate similar story designs. Storytelling elements in Gossip Harbor.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 247

Logic Simplified

JULY 31, 2023

There is one area every game designer must focus on to ensure that their games are captivating enough to entertain and provide an impactful experience to the user: game mechanics. When creating a new game, video game mechanics are often considered the most important factor. What are game mechanics?

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Mechanics Puzzle Games Balance 95

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

Void Sails by indie developer Ticking Clock Games is a single-player action-adventure RPG that takes players on a thrilling journey through mysterious worlds, where they captain a flying ship across uncharted space. The name Ticking Clock Games serves as a reminder for the team to stay on track and meet deadlines.

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Point and Click Games Feature Balance 104

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Disclosure: This article has been written as a part of a paid cooperation with Xsolla Game demos are as important to a successful game marketing strategy as trailers and advertising. A game demo is more than a condensed snapshot of your game. What kind of demo do you need? The most commonly used form is a prologue.

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Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

With IDFA regulation changes and an influx of new games entering the market, publishers and mobile game studios are facing an ever-uphill battle to acquire new players (UA) and retain them. However, as we wrote last year , many top-grossing mobile games have found that minigames are the best way to boost UA and player retention.

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PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Polish indie studio Eleven Puzzles has been making a name for themselves as the creators of some fine cooperative puzzle games, like Unsolved Case and Unboxing the Cryptic Killer. “The initial idea was very simple and primitive, we just wanted to make a game set in a laboratory. We love the freedom that comes with remote work.

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Puzzle Mechanics Communications Studios 138

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 28, 2025

This unique ability, previously unseen in Metroidvania games, represents a significant innovation for the genre that the creators at Canadian indie game company Lucid Dreams Studio so love. Their debut game, the 2D single-player action adventure Legends of Ethernal, launched three years later.

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Game Refinery

APRIL 6, 2023

With increased competition from IDFA regulation changes and new games consistently entering the market, two of the biggest challenges facing publishers and mobile game studios are acquiring new players (UA) and keeping those players in your game (player retention).

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Mechanics Puzzle Mobile Mobile 217

Game Refinery

MARCH 16, 2023

From national calendar days to religious holidays, seasonal events are a great way for mobile games to find new and exciting ways to drive player engagement. We’ve updated the blog post with new seasonal event implementation examples and best practices for introducing seasonal events into your mobile game.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Content 298

Game Developer

AUGUST 9, 2023

Nintendo's filed patents for Tears of the Kingdom's big gameplay mechanics and smaller features like fast travel and Link interacting with in-game objects.

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Mechanics Feature Games 190

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 11, 2023

The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. At Geometric we put gameplay first, and we will always build our games around strong gameplay ideas”, says Carlsen. years of development.

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Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 257

Game Refinery

JUNE 21, 2023

Below, we’ll go through four basic strategies for targeted IAP offers that do just that, with specific trigger timings and unique appeal, while looking at how these have been implemented in some of the top games on the market. Users who clear one of these challenging levels receive a ‘missing toy’ for an in-game toy box.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 44

Game Refinery

JUNE 15, 2023

The rise of hybridization in mobile games has resulted in game developers experimenting with new gameplay mechanics and features from other genres to drive engagement, something that’s often done via limited-time events.

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Racing Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile 196

Game Errors

JANUARY 31, 2023

Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 is available on Steam and it seems that the game encounters a lot of errors. In this 2018 version, Car Mechanic Simulator seems to be poorly optimized and players reported launching issues, black screen, crashes, low frame rates, drops of fps, and freezes.

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Mechanics Simulation PC FPS 96

PreMortem.Games

JUNE 3, 2024

Anima Flux , the latest game by studio Anima Flux, is exploring new territories in gaming. According to Andrey Songraf, Game Designer and Product Owner, this makes them pioneers of sorts. However, after experimenting with different formats, it evolved into a platformer and a Metroidvania genre game,” says Songraf.

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Co-op Cutscenes Communications Animation 239

PreMortem.Games

JULY 4, 2023

AppMagic has released a new quarterly report with an overview of the most successful hypercasual games on the market right now. Top 10 Games By Downloads Now, it’s time for a deep dive into the top 10 hypercasual games by downloads. The game features different modes and progressively more challenging levels.

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Tile Racing Pixel Games 252

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Competition is fierce in the mobile game market, but even more so for developers of casual and hyper-casual games. So, what can mobile game developers do to increase the chances of their games performing well? So, what can mobile game developers do to increase the chances of their games performing well?

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Build Mechanics Mobile Gaming Puzzle 130

Game Refinery

AUGUST 22, 2024

With 95% of game makers developing or maintaining a live service game, live events have become one of the most important elements of finding and maintaining success in not just the mobile market, but PC and console too. You should start thinking of your LiveOps strategy from the moment you start developing your game.

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Build Mechanics Feature Mobile 157

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 7, 2024

“We’re excited that it conveys an important conservationist message that we believe is very meaningful,” says Pablo Martínez Carratalá , CEO of Inverge Studios and the game’s director. Creatures of Ava is a project born from the desire to create a game similar to Slime Rancher.

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Studios Mechanics Indy Concepts 177

Logic Simplified

MAY 28, 2024

Any game developer who wants to build and enhance a Unity game can do so using its 3D models, audio files, animations, scripts, plugins, and so on. Its vast and ever-growing library of high-quality resources speeds up the development time to create amazing games and interactive gaming experiences.

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Asset Feature Game Development Game Developer 101

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

With over a 1,000 positive reviews in just one week, the game seems well on its way to reaching the target of 200,000 copies sold. It’s also a quite difficult game, which brings friction to the minute-to-minute decision, which we find way more engaging. Sulfur burst out of the gates when it was released on Steam last week.

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FPS Art Indy Media 104

Cocos

MARCH 13, 2025

Were seeking an experienced Cocos Creator developer to join our team in developing an exciting web-based 2D Collectible Card Game (CCG) with play & earn mechanics. This is a contract position where youll work alongside our established team of UI/UX designers, game artists, backend developers, and blockchain specialists.

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Development Mechanics UX Communications 40

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Dylan Tredrea is a product & publishing consultant with over 12 years of experience in mobile free to play games at studios such as Disney, Rovio, Zeptolab, & CrazyLabs. We got to work with professional writers and craft stories featuring iconic characters. The game has to then deliver on that promise.

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Cutscenes AI Content Mechanics 90

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Written by Ahmetcan Demirel , the maestro of product management and a podcast host ( Game Dev Diary ) from Germany! With a knack for puzzles, arcades, and simulation games. The puzzle genre is a powerhouse in mobile gaming, generating over $7 billion annually in in-app purchases (IAP). Succeed in the market.

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Puzzle Mechanics Tile Games 52

Game Refinery

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Mobile game developers are constantly looking for new ways to bring in new players and keep existing players engaged with their games. One of the most successful ways of doing this is by introducing meta elements – gameplay elements and mechanics from other game genres – into your game.

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Mobile Gaming Mechanics Puzzle Mobile 130

PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 16, 2024

Studio owner and Lead Developer Max Hermann originally developed the idea for the game in the time when he was still a computer science student and active in the RimWorld modding scene. I remember when an Early Access update added the overworld feature. Exceedingly difficult The team first built the game in Unity.

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PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 3, 2024

Based in the city of Ohrid in North Macedonia, the two brothers Bobby and Zhanko Mojsovski work hard on their next game, the bodycam survival-horror shooter Chasmal Fear. Our games are made for the players. “We noticed that most bodycam games were either hyper-realistic shooters or found-footage games. .

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Horror Build Playtesting Animation 211

Deconstructor of Fun

DECEMBER 2, 2024

What defines a game’s success post-launch today? Sure, the product still reigns, but as Daniel Tchernahovsky, VP, of Global BD at AppLovin , sees it, today’s game success hinges on two strategic questions. First: what’s your creative edge—what’s going to make your game stand out in an endless market of competitors?

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Mechanics AI Games Studios 52

PreMortem.Games

APRIL 17, 2023

Fresh out of school Kaighen Finley started his own web & game development company Team iNtuition. Game development is a natural medium for my range of skills and interests”, he says and so he ‘pivoted sharply’ into game development after two years. I function well like that.” Why did you become a solo developer?

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Game Development Game Developer Development Games 197

Played with Fire

MARCH 12, 2025

The gaming industry is evolving at a rapid pace, with cutting-edge technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) playing a crucial role in shaping its future. VR & AI The Future of Gaming? Will VR and AI redefine how we play games, or are they just temporary trends? But what does the future hold?

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Game Designing

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Video games today are far more immersive than ever, and that isn’t simply because consoles and PCs have gotten more powerful. A lot of the beauty and appeal in modern games comes down to a less quantifiable factor: Atmosphere. What Is Game Atmosphere? Compare two games Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring.

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Games Mechanics Fantasy Art 136

Logic Simplified

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Similarly, in a game development setup, various virtual reality tools have become easily accessible to both creators and consumers to create and encounter immersive experiences. 10 Popular VR Game Development Tools There are a range of tools and frameworks that are being used for VR game development projects.

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Game Development Game Developer Development Texture 52

Deconstructor of Fun

DECEMBER 23, 2024

Written by Stanislav Yushenko , an ex-M&A lawyer who transitioned to the business side of gaming. I was recently playing a mobile game. The game was fun, though I forgot the name. Spot the difference (credits: Kopelovich and Iorga ) Playing casual games often gives me a sense of dj vu. Can you help me recall it?

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 52

Game Refinery

JANUARY 5, 2023

They say imitation is a form of flattery, and there’s no shortage of mobile games that share a striking similarity with other popular titles in the PC, console and mobile markets. And that’s exactly the case with the chart toppers Stumble Guys and Eggy Party, two mobile clones of the 60-player knock-out party game, Fall Guys.

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