Supercell’s annual letter was supposed to be routine. Instead, it triggered backlash around Clash Royale’s “resurgence” narrative. Influencers were credited for growth, including major names amplifying the story, which upset parts of the community. The reaction escalated to organized boycotts, forcing Ilkka Paananen to issue an apology and update the letter publicly. Meanwhile, revenue tells a simpler story: Clash Royale spiked aggressively, then dropped aggressively, returning close to its previous baseline.

Layoffs continue across the industry. Riot cut around 80 people from its 2XKO fighting game. Ubisoft faces union-led strikes following structural division moves that look increasingly like pre-sale positioning. Highguard is downsizing shortly after launch. Unity stock dropped roughly 30%, founders exited, and Bernard Kim steps in. Contrast that with AppLovin reporting $5.4–5.5B revenue in 2025, up ~70% YoY. One side restructures. The other compounds.

On the upside, indie and system-driven plays are thriving. The Steam indie hit sold 500k copies in its first week. ARK Raiders drove revenue growth to $3.1B (+6.5%). Overwatch doubled its concurrent record to 165k after a story-driven update. Arknights: Endfield crossed $30M within weeks of launch. The lesson is clear: execution and product-market clarity still win, even when public markets wobble.

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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:

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

Chapters

00:00 — 🚨📢 Supercell annual letter backlash

01:10 — Clash Royale spike & community boycott

02:20 — Riot layoffs (2XKO) & early launch cuts

03:10 — Ubisoft strike & restructuring signals

04:10 — Indie Steam hit sells 500k week one

05:00 — ARK Raiders & Overwatch concurrency jump

06:00 — AppLovin Q4 earnings explode

07:00 — Unity stock slide & founder exits

08:10 — Roblox child safety scrutiny

09:00 — Arknights: Endfield momentum

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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

🚨📢BREAKING NEWS: Clash Royale Drama, Layoffs, Applovin Q4, Unity Reshuffle 🤯

two &amp; a half gamers

two & a half gamers