Today, we finally break down one of the most overlooked parts of UA strategy - playable ads.

https://lancaric.substack.com/p/playable-ads-trends-in-mobile-games-b16?r=7qqaf

And the truth is…

👉 most teams are doing them wrong

👉 most teams are not doing enough of them

👉 and most teams don’t understand why they work

We cover:

🎮 Why longer playables create higher-quality players

⚙️ Simple vs complex playable strategies

📱 Playables for apps (not just games!)

🎯 Why volume often beats perfection

🧠 How fake gameplay still wins

This episode is brought to you by Potensus. If you're a mobile game publisher tired of leaving money on the table - listen up.

Potensus is a premium ad network built by people who've actually been on both sides of this industry - game publishers, agencies, and successful exits. They get it.

Here's the thing - Potensus has direct deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Vodafone. Not programmatic. Direct. Those budgets land in your game at premium CPMs, no middleman tax.

And they handle everything with their in-house team. PLUS they're partnered with PlayableMaker WINK WINK - so they'll take a brand's YouTube video or a static banner and actually turn it into a playable ad or rewarded video. Proper interactive format, built for gaming inventory. Brands getting a gaming-native creative, publishers getting higher CPMs. Everyone wins.

Head to potensus.com to get started or check their creative portfolio here

https://vimeo.com/showcase/12093300?fl=so&fe=fs

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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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ondrej Monsberger, John Wright, Matej Lancaric⁠

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA

Chapters

00:00 Why playables matter now

01:30 Sponsor: Potensus (premium ad network)

03:00 What’s changing in playables

05:00 Apps vs games playable trends

08:00 Simple playables (end cards, interactions)

11:00 Onboarding-style playables explained

14:00 Why playables convert better

17:00 Creative volume vs quality debate

20:00 AI + playable production

23:00 Copying vs innovating mechanics

26:00 Fake gameplay in playables

29:00 Long vs short playables

32:00 Playables + video combo strategy

35:00 Final thoughts

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Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

Ondrej Monsberger

Co-Founder @playablemaker

⁠https://www.playablemaker.com

John Wright

CEO @ Turborilla

⁠https://www.turborilla.com

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Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me

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If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai

🕹️​ Playable ads are the most underused growth lever right now

two &amp; a half gamers

🕹️ Playable ads are the most underused growth lever right now

two & a half gamers