In this Game Radar episode, we revisit dozens of games reviewed in 2025 and check what actually happened to them. Most didn’t fail; they decayed. A few refused to die. And one game completely broke the curve. This is a brutal, data-backed look at what survives in mobile gaming.
What you’ll learn
• Why most games decay instead of dying
• The difference between zombies and cockroaches
• Why ad-only games hit revenue ceilings
• How hybrid monetization keeps games alive
• Why UA quality beats game design
• How Tasty Travels took over the merge category
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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
00:00 — What Game Radar actually measures
02:10 — The podcast curse explained
05:00 — Zombies vs cockroaches
08:40 — Why ad-only games cap out
11:30 — Hybrid monetization survivors
14:10 — UA quality beats game design
17:20 — Tasty Travels breaks the radar
21:00 — Merge category reality check
25:00 — Elixirs of youth in mobile
29:10 — What studios should copy
32:10 — Final radar takeaways
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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
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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