Making sure you start the year in style, Pocket Gamer Connects London is happening on 13-14 January 2015 at Vinopolis. 

And tickets are available now.

So to give you a hint at what you can expect, we're shining the spotlight onto our speakers to provide a deeper look at the personalities who will be taking the stage at PG Connects London 2015.

Build your brand

Michael Puriz is senior manager of global strategic partnerships at AppLift. He specializes in developing new business models outside the realm of mobile user acquisition, entering relevant relations with respective key market players and creating appropriate commercial models.

As such, he built AppLift's TV business with an emphasis on running integrated user acquisition campaigns on YouTube and social media.

Before joining the AppLift team, Michael worked in a German restructuring consultancy, focusing mainly on German mid-cap companies in industries such as telecommunication, energy and food. Michael graduated within the top percentile from both the Private University of Witten/Herdecke and Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

Pocket Gamer: We’re showcasing the Best of British at Pocket Gamer Connects so how much of an impact have British game developers had in your gaming life?

Michael Puriz: (Laughs) I think games are universal and I don’t think of them in terms of the country where they stem from.

However, I did spend a lot of my youth playing Worms by Team17, headquartered in Wakefield.

Why is user acquisition such a challenge in the mobile business today?

The space is maturing and therefore becoming more competitive. A lot of companies (non-gaming) are unbundling their apps and services in order to gain a heavier presence in the top charts, making it much harder for other publishers to gain visibility. CPI costs are also rising.

Game companies need to focus on using the free - or cheap - acquisition tools they have at their disposal: public relations, virality and social sharing, cross-promotion.

But also don’t underestimate the power of branding. Given today's wide variety of high quality games it becomes ever so necessary to set yourself apart from the rest. Branding can help achieve that through channels like TV or YouTube for example.

What are the major challenges currently facing games businesses when publishing abroad?

Obviously, localisation and fitting to the local audience culturally. There are things to take into account when you publish in Asia, for instance.

For more details, check out the Asian Beat AppLift’s blog series on the Asian mobile games markets.

How can indie developers adapt to survive in the mobile economy?

Create a great story around their brand and their games and be in synch with their audience.

Will new technology like wearable tech and VR change the mobile landscape?

It will certainly have an impact. I don’t see them as a competing space for mobile games right now, it’s more complementary.

What are you most looking forward to at Pocket Gamer Connects?

Discover some new cool games! And developers of course :)

What’s your prediction for the mobile gaming industry in 2015?

Tablet gaming will probably grow extensively, and, associated with TV as a second screen, is likely to become the most lucrative segment of the gaming market.

Grab your tickets for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2015 here!

Don't forget to keep up-to-date with content from our speakers via the Speaker Spotlight hashtag.

And you can check out videos of our speaker talks from PG Connects Helsinki 2014 here.