Today, we fire up the Soft Launch Sonar - scanning the seas of upcoming mobile games to spot which soft launch titles might sink or scale.

Key highlights:

Monopoly Go & Moon Active’s spree – Multiple new soft launches (Monopoly Go, All in Hole, Match Dreams). The hosts argue it’s either IP hubris or a UA-driven funnel experiment. “Where’s the pig? Where’s the bacon?”

Rovio + Sega’s Sonic Blitz – A Marvel Snap/Hearthstone hybrid with Sonic IP. Hosts skeptical: “Sonic IP is too core to carry this.”

Rovio’s Angry Birds Rush – A genius comeback: Coin Master meta + slingshot mechanic + Monopoly Go mini-games.

Microfun’s Icy Hearts – Gossip Harbor clone with icy meta. Hosts roast the reviews but admit: “Nobody cares, it still works.”

Playrix surprises – Match Around (merge + match hybrid) and Austin Odyssey (energy adventure + match 3). First real Playrix innovation in years. “Too much innovation, guys. Step by step.”

Small Giant’s new TD - Tower defense PvE hybrid with heavy meta. “Complexity is not going to help here.”

Up for Fun & Vizor persistence – Endless iterations of forex hybrids with sexed-up creatives.

Warner Bros’ Game of Thrones: Dragonfire – Forex with dragons & real actor rights. Will IP help?

Takeaway: Soft launch is alive and messy — clones, hybrids, and bold experiments everywhere. Rovio’s Angry Birds Rush and Kitka’s Drill game stand out as the most promising.

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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

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Soft Launch Sonar

02:04 Exploring Recent Game Releases

03:55 Analyzing Monopoly Go and Coin Master

06:42 Rovio's New Direction with Sega IP

10:16 Innovations in Game Mechanics

13:45 The Rise of Merge Games

16:34 Conclusion and Future Trends

17:45 The Evolution of Game Mechanics

19:05 Exploring New Game Releases

20:44 Innovations in Game Design

24:34 The Rise of Tower Defense Games

26:20 The Persistence of Game Themes

28:47 Ad Creatives and Marketing Strategies

29:35 The Forex Game Landscape

32:59 Unique Game Concepts and Predictions

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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Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

Best Rovio game we’ve seen in years: Soft launch Sonar September 2025

two &amp; a half gamers

two & a half gamers