How do you pick the right core for your next puzzle hit? Jakub Remiar breaks down the methodology behind some of the most successful puzzle launches of the last two years — Domino Dreams, Magic Sword, Block Out, Hexa Out, Arrow Gem — and explains the pattern that connects all of them. The short version: stop trying to invent new cores. Find a puzzle sub-genre that already has massive download volume but is monetized almost entirely through ads. Take that core, wrap it in level-based design, blockers, and live-ops polish, and convert the ad-revenue audience into IAP players. Domino Dreams did it with Domino. Magic Sword did it with Water Sort. Block Out did it with Color Block Jam. Same playbook every time. This is the video to send to anyone who asks "what genre should I build in next." 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 ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro — how to pick a core for a new puzzle game 02:21 Domino Dreams: capturing the Domino category 05:20 Magic Sword: turning Water Sort into IAP gold 07:50 Spyke Games / Combo Games portfolio strategy 10:50 Hexa Out — when iteration becomes innovation 13:00 Grand Games portfolio: the templatization machine 15:55 Arrow Gem: the obvious next move after Lesmore's Arrows 17:30 Why this is a lottery — and consistency wins it 18:30 Closing methodology: pick your strengths, know your shot 📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS — The opportunity isn't in inventing new puzzle cores. It's in finding ad-driven puzzle categories with high download volume and converting them to IAP via level design, blockers, and live-ops. — Domino Dreams isn't a Domino game. Magic Sword isn't a Water Sort game. They're level-based puzzlers with a familiar core wrapped around them — that's the trick. — Category ceiling matters: Domino Dreams will likely cap around $7–8M/month because the niche is finite. That's still a profitable, sustainable hit. — Studios like Grand Games and Spyke have built a consistent template: 80% finished metagame engine + swap in the new trending core + 20% iteration. — Lesmore's Arrows is the current source code — everyone is iterating on it (Hexa Out, Arrow Gem, countless clones). #mobilegaming #gamedesign #puzzlegames #liveops #f2p 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 Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA Jakub Remiar Game design consultant https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar 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
