Mobile Gaming CPIs Are Out of Control. Is Web the Answer? | Smart & Wright Ep. 6

Mobile gaming has a problem. User acquisition costs keep rising, and even studios doing everything right are struggling to keep up. In Episode 6 of Smart & Wright, Adam Smart and John Wright discuss whether web-to-app acquisition could be one of the answers. John shares how his studio almost doubled player lifetime value (LTV) over 12 months, only to see acquisition costs rise by 80%. It’s a perfect example of just how difficult mobile gaming’s economics have become. With traditional mobile acquisition getting more expensive, could the answer be to start looking outside the app stores? We explore how studios can use web campaigns, browser-based games and landing pages to reach new audiences, potentially reduce acquisition costs and build better acquisition funnels. We also discuss how attribution technology has improved, why web-to-app is suddenly becoming such a big talking point, and whether this is a genuine shift in mobile gaming or just another short-lived trend. In this episode: • Why mobile gaming CPIs keep increasing • How one studio nearly doubled LTV but saw CPIs rise by 80% • Why smaller studios are struggling to compete • How web-to-app acquisition actually works • Using browser-based games to acquire mobile players • The challenges of retention and conversion on web • How attribution and measurement are improving • Our predictions for web-to-app over the next 12–24 months And, because it’s Smart & Wright, we somehow end up discussing attribution models from 15 years ago and why gaming might be going backwards to move forwards. Two gaming industry veterans discussing the business of games, user acquisition, monetisation and everything in between. Subscribe for more conversations about the gaming industry. #MobileGaming #UserAcquisition #WebToApp #SmartAndWright #GamingIndustry