In this episode of Two & a Half Gamers, Felix, Jakub, Jim Payne and Dan Sack go deep on the future of mobile ad monetization. From MoPub to MAX to CloudX, this conversation explains why mediation is outdated, why publishers are trapped in black boxes, and how AI-driven supply-side tools can finally put control back in publishers’ hands.
What you’ll learn
• Why classic mobile mediation is a legacy workaround
• How mobile ads differ fundamentally from desktop advertising
• Why publishers can’t see or trust most auctions today
• What “monetization as code” actually means
• How AI agents can automate pricing & floor optimization
• Why fair, inspectable auctions matter
• Why retention-focused publishers are underserved
• Who CloudX is built for (and who it’s not)
https://www.cloudx.io/
Special guests:
Jim Payne https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpayne/
Dan Sack https://www.linkedin.com/in/dansack/
Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop
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For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.
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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 — Why mobile mediation is broken
08:20 — Publisher-first philosophy
16:55 — AI agents & monetization as code
24:10 — Auction transparency & trust
33:30 — Who wins in the next era
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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 the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!
Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!
Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
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Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask Matej AI - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai