Key insights

• 🎮 Voodoo aims for anyone who engages with their product to become a millionaire in around 3-4 years with a good product
• 🔄 Transition from hyper casual to hybrid casual games monetizing through in-app purchases
• 💰 Hybrid casual games have better monetization than hyper casual games
• 📱 Hybrid casual games have a mix of in-app purchases and ads
• 🍏 Apple's privacy changes led to increased cost per install and decreased ad revenue
• 📈 Increased ad frequency in games due to decreased ad revenue
• 👥 Separate teams for prototyping and live operations were created
• 🕒 Transition to a live phase for sustained operations after core phase

Q&A

• What is Voodoo's focus in terms of coaching studios, company culture, and talent acquisition?

  Voodoo focuses on coaching studios to develop innovative games, has a performance-driven culture with ownership and profit sharing, and hires talent globally. The company transitioned from hyper casual to casual games and seeks talented general managers for game development.

• What is the company's approach to identifying studios to work with, and what are its revenue ambitions?

  The key to identifying studios to work with is a shared mission to make iconic games and having small, talented, and versatile teams. The company prototypes around 100 games simultaneously, aiming for a hit game with yearly revenue of $100 million and a 40% profit margin, with ambitions to develop games hitting the $1 billion mark.

• How long does the transition from core team to live team in game development take, and what are key considerations for successful game publishing?

  The transition from core team to live team in game development can take up to 18 months, with clear communication and contract transparency being crucial. Revenue sharing, talent acquisition, and internal vs external studio dynamics are key considerations for successful game publishing.

• How did Voodoo transform its game development process?

  Voodoo transformed its game development process by creating separate teams for prototyping and live operations, transitioning to a live phase for sustained operations, and focusing on retention, monetization, and scaling during the game's lifecycle.

• What caused the death of hyper casual games, and how did Voodoo adapt to this change?

  The death of hyper casual was caused by Apple's privacy changes leading to increased cost per install and decreased ad revenue. Wadoo shifted focus to hybrid casual games monetizing through in-app purchases, requiring more strategic gameplay and level balancing.

• How do hybrid casual games monetize, and why are they preferred over hyper casual games?

  Hybrid casual games have a mix of in-app purchases and ads, and they monetize better than hyper casual games.

• What type of games did Voodoo transition from and to?

  Voodoo transitioned from hyper casual to hybrid casual games.

• What is Voodoo's goal for anyone who interacts with their product?

  Voodoo aims for anyone who touches their product to become a millionaire in around 3-4 years if they make it a good product.

• 00:00 Voodoo aims for anyone who touches their product to become a millionaire in around 3-4 years if they make it a good product. Voodoo transitioned from hyper casual to hybrid casual games. Hybrid casual games monetize better than hyper casual games. Hybrid casual games have a mix of in-app purchases and ads.
• 06:26 The death of hyper casual was caused by Apple's privacy changes leading to increased cost per install and decreased ad revenue. Wadoo shifted focus to hybrid casual games monetizing through in-app purchases, requiring more strategic gameplay and level balancing. Hyper casual games relied on high IPM and ad revenue, but the ad model became unsustainable, resulting in a shift to in-app purchases.
• 12:43 Voodoo transformed its game development process by creating separate teams for prototyping and live operations, transitioning to a live phase for sustained operations, and focusing on retention, monetization, and scaling during the game's lifecycle.
• 19:07 The transition from core team to live team in game development can take up to 18 months, with clear communication and contract transparency being crucial. Revenue sharing, talent acquisition, and internal vs external studio dynamics are key considerations for successful game publishing.
• 24:30 The key to identifying studios to work with is a shared mission to make iconic games and having small, talented, and versatile teams; success for small studios is possible but challenging due to the complexity of the market; the company prototypes around 100 games simultaneously, aiming for a hit game with yearly revenue of $100 million and a 40% profit margin, with ambitions to develop games hitting the $1 billion mark; scale provides advantages in terms of volume and data use.
• 30:47 Voodoo focuses on coaching studios to develop innovative games, has a performance-driven culture with ownership and profit sharing, and hires talent globally. The company transitioned from hyper casual to casual games and seeks talented general managers for game development.