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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers – 💥 The latest WTF ads pushing the creative envelope: Creative Trends You’ll Regret Missing April 2025

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 am conference discussion vibe, so let’s not take it too seriously.

The Team:

Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r- Game design consultant

Felix Braberg⁠ – Ad monetization consultant

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej Lančarič – User Acquisition & Creatives consultant

Join our slack channel here: SLACK CHANNEL

Summary

In this episode, the 2.5 Gamers crew — Matej, Felix, and Jakub — dissect the top mobile ad creative trends spotted across platforms in April 2025.

From AI-generated hooks dominating 5-second ad intros, to IP-mirroring creatives, TikTok-style POV playables, and Freezing Families never going away — this is a masterclass in what’s hot (and not) in mobile game UA right now.

Notable highlights include:

Golden Goblins and Chillbase are continuing to dominate with high IAP performance

AI hooks are scaling fast, but are still being used inconsistently by most studios

Ads getting weird: Space Invaders in Travel Town and catapulting into beer bellies 🧠

Royal Kingdom vs. Royal Match: who’s running celebrity ads, who’s testing AI-generated short form

Hexasort sees stable users but declining revenue, hinting at a pivot to ad monetization

Jakub unveils a 5-second gates hook with a literal shotgun chase… because, why not?

You’ll see:

⚙️ The rise of AI-generated 5-second hooks — and how top studios use them
👑 Royal Kingdom going full Hollywood with celebs and social-first video
🔄 Playable ad chaos: POVs, vacuuming goblins, and “Freezing Shakira” memes
📉 Games with declining revenue but surging DAU — what’s behind it?

If you work in UA, game marketing, or mobile design, this is your creative radar check.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Public Service Announcement
04:08 Exploring Creative Trends in Gaming
06:59 AI in Game Creatives
10:06 Analyzing Successful Game Strategies
13:05 The Role of Creatives in User Acquisition
16:09 Current Trends in Game Development
19:07 Deep Dive into Royal Kingdom’s Success
23:10 User Acquisition and Video Content
26:09 The Role of AI in Creative Development
29:08 Game Mechanics and User Engagement
32:10 Trends in Mobile Gaming and User Acquisition
36:27 Exploring Royal Match and Game Mechanics
38:55 Analyzing User Engagement and Revenue Trends
39:30 AI in Game Development and Animation
40:55 Creative Strategies in Game Marketing
41:41 The Role of AI in Creative Processes
43:59 AI’s Impact on Visual Design and Branding
45:47 The Evolution of Game Ads and User Experience
47:56 Innovative Concepts in Game Creatives
52:01 Future Trends in Game Marketing and AI Integration