Mobile Game Strategies

MOBILE GAME STRATEGY

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To add your game to Facebook Gaming, you’ll need to apply to their updated Approved Partner Program. Once your application is approved, you’ll be eligible to submit games for review

You can then create an application and submit your Instant Game for testing from your App

Dashboard. There are many ways to launch games on Facebook, including cross-platform solutions

Interactive ads

Allow users to play your game before installing the app, The interactive ad format is an interactive video ad for Facebook and Audience Network. With this format, mobile app advertisers can attract more valuable and intentful users to install their apps through a pre-purchase experience.

With a call to action, users can install the app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

To add your game to Facebook Gaming, you’ll need to apply to their updated Approved Partner Program.

Once your application is approved, you’ll be eligible to submit games for review.

You can then create an application and submit your Instant Game for testing from your App Dashboard. There are many ways to launch games on Facebook, including cross-platform solutions.

The Approved Partner Program is an application process for developers who want to submit games to the Instant Games platform on Facebook Gaming.

Once an application is approved, developers will be able to submit games that are subject to quality review guidelines and platform quality criteria.

To apply for the Approved Partner Program, you’ll need to have a business account on Facebook and a Facebook Developer account. You can then access the Instant Games/Review tab in your App Dashboard and complete all fields in the Approved Partner Program Application.

Applications should be submitted in English only

Once your application is reviewed, you’ll receive a notification in your App Dashboard indicating whether your application was accepted or not. If your application is not accepted, you can resubmit for review after 180 days if you have made material changes to your business and games

To create a Facebook Developer account, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the Facebook Developers website at [Facebook Developers](https://developers.facebook.com/)

2. Click on the “Get Started” button in the top right corner of the page.

3. Follow the prompts to log in with your Facebook account or create a new one if you don’t already have one.

4. Complete the registration process by providing the required information and agreeing to the terms and conditions.

Once you have completed these steps, you will have a Facebook Developer account and can start creating and managing your apps.

You can create engaging and interactive ads for your game on Google using App campaigns

App campaigns use machine learning to help you promote your app across Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, and other apps on the Display Network.

Create an App campaign for engagement - Google Ads Help. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9234102?hl=en.

Promote Your Mobile App with App Campaigns - Google Ads. https://ads.google.com/intl/en_us/home/campaigns/app-ads/.

Google Play Console. https://play.google.com/console/about/ads2021/

Think about this too:

TikTok offers Interactive Add-Ons for In-Feed Ads that can help you create engaging and interactive ads for your game. These add-ons offer a unique way to entice engaged viewers with pop-ups, stickers, and other visual elements

1. You can enhance your In-Feed Ads with either Standard or

Premium add-ons, depending on your needs. Standard add-ons offer a way to reach lower-funnel marketing goals, like driving clicks and conversions. Premium add-ons offer a way to reach upper-funnel goals, like brand awareness and community building

2. One way to create an interactive ad with an option to “play now” is by using Playable Ads. Playable Ads are interactive videos that allow you to showcase a preview of your game before someone downloads it.
   
   When someone watches your video, they are invited to interact with

your ad in a full-screen playable experience

3. You can create an In-Feed Ad on TikTok by using TikTok Ads Manager. To create your ad, you can upload your videos and images or design eye-catching ads using TikTok Ads Manager’s creative tools

However, it’s important to note that this feature is currently in the testing phase and may not be available to all users.

Additionally, the games available as part of this initiative are developed by third-party gaming studios

Yes, it is possible to launch a mobile game on other platforms such as PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Nintendo.

However, it’s important

to note that each platform has its own requirements and submission process. You may need to make changes to your game to meet the specific requirements of each platform.

For example, you may need to adjust the controls and user interface of your game to work with a game controller or keyboard and mouse instead of a touchscreen. You may also need to optimize the graphics and performance of your game for different hardware.

It’s a good idea to research the specific requirements and submission process for each platform you’re interested in launching your game on.

This will help you understand what changes you need to make to your game and how to submit it for review.

INCLUDE ROI in your Pitch Deck, Return on Investment (ROI) is a measure of the profitability of an investment, calculated by dividing the net profit by the cost of the investment.

For a free-to-play (F2P) game, the ROI can be calculated by dividing the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a player by the Cost Per Install (CPI)

1. LTV is the average revenue generated by a single player over their lifetime in the game. This can be calculated using various methods, such as analyzing the audience size and revenue, or using average Lifetime and Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU)

1.

CPI is the cost of acquiring a new player through advertising or other marketing efforts. This can vary depending on the marketing channels used and the target audience.

To calculate the ROI for your F2P game, you’ll need to determine the LTV and CPI for your game.

Once you have these values, you can use them to calculate the ROI and evaluate the profitability of your game.

User acquisition is the process of attracting and acquiring new users for your game. This can be done through various marketing channels such as advertising, social media, content marketing, and influencer partnerships.

The cost of user acquisition can vary depending on the marketing channels used and the target audience. One way to measure the cost of user acquisition is by calculating the Cost Per Install (CPI), which is the cost of acquiring a new player through advertising or other marketing efforts. To optimize your user acquisition strategy, it’s important to track and analyze key metrics such as CPI, conversion rates, and retention rates. This will help you understand which marketing channels are most effective for acquiring new users and how to optimize your marketing efforts to reduce costs and increase ROI.

Several platforms connect game developers with gaming influencers for mobile games and PC games too. Some of these platforms include GameInfluencer, GRIN, and Udonis.

These platforms can help you find and collaborate with gaming influencers who can promote your game to their followers.

You can also reach out to gaming influencers directly through social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch.

Many gaming influencers have a large following on these platforms and can help you reach a wider audience.

Where you can stream mobile games (best → worst)

TikTok LIVE

Why

Massive organic discovery

Mobile games perform extremely well

Viewers don’t need to follow you to see you

Limits

LIVE requires ~1k followers

Some regions need Creator tools enabled

Best for

Fast-paced games

Devlogs + live gameplay

Testing mechanics live with chat feedback

YouTube (Live + Shorts)

Why

Highest long-term value

Streams become VODs automatically

Shorts can recycle clips

Limits

Slower discovery than TikTok

Needs consistency

Best for

Dev commentary

Tutorials

Deep systems / strategy games

Twitch

Why

Still strong for hardcore audiences

Better chat culture

Limits

Terrible discovery for new channels

Mobile-only streams perform poorly unless you already have viewers

Best for

Existing audience

Long dev streams

⚠️ Kick

Possible, but mobile gaming audience is small

Only worth it if you already stream elsewhere

2. The 3 REAL setups (from simplest to pro)

SETUP A Phone only (zero cost)

Good for TikTok

What you need

Just your phone

TikTok app

Screen capture enabled

How

TikTok → LIVE → Screen

Enable mic

Play directly on phone

Pros

Fast

No PC needed

Authentic dev vibe

Cons

No overlays

Hard to read chat while playing

Lower audio control

Best for early traction

SETUP B Phone + PC (recommended)

Best balance (most devs use this)

What you need

Phone (Android or iOS)

PC

OBS Studio (free)

Screen mirroring software

Screen mirroring options

Android

scrcpy (free, low latency)

Vysor

LetsView

iOS

Elgato Screen Link

AirServer

Reflector

How it works

Phone → PC (mirror)

PC → OBS

OBS → TikTok / YouTube / Twitch

Pros

Clean overlays

Scene switching

Alerts, chat on screen

Record clips while streaming

Cons

Setup takes ~30 min first time

This is the sweet spot

SETUP C Capture card (pro / studio)

⚠️ Overkill unless needed

What you need

HDMI out phone (or adapter)

Capture card (Elgato, AverMedia)

PC + OBS

Pros

Highest quality

Stable for long streams

Cons

Expensive

Extra cables

No real benefit vs scrcpy/ScreenLink

👉 Only worth it for studios or events

3. TikTok-specific streaming (important)

Option 1: TikTok Live Studio (PC)

Official

OBS-like

Easy setup

Limited features

Option 2: OBS + TikTok RTMP

Requires TikTok approval

More control

Best quality

Start with Live Studio, move to OBS later.

4. Audio: what most people screw up

Minimum viable

Phone mic (acceptable)

Better

USB mic to PC

Disable phone mic

Sync audio in OBS

Pro

Headset mic + noise gate

Game audio slightly lower than voice

Rule:

Voice > game > alerts

5. Camera or no camera?

No camera

Totally fine

Especially for:

System-heavy games

Strategy

Dev testing

With camera

+20–30% retention on TikTok

Use small facecam corner

Phone camera or webcam

6. Content formats that WORK for mobile devs

Live

“Building this mechanic live”

“Chat decides the next feature”

“Testing broken builds 😅”

Clips (reposted)

Bugs

Funny AI behavior

Before/after changes

Player choice consequences

7. Recommended starter stack (cheap & solid)

Phone (you already have)

PC (you already have)

scrcpy (Android) / Screen Link (iOS)

OBS

TikTok LIVE

Optional USB mic

Cost: $0–$50

Good luck!