Nexus CEO Justin Sacks has been in gaming for 15 years, from competitive gamer to content creator to running BD for a media company. He's now the CEO at Nexus.gg, which builds and manages creator programs for the world's best live service games.
Sacks is one of more than 250 expert speakers delivering 29 conference tracks at Pocket Gamer Connects London on January 22nd to 23rd, and will be hosting a session on The Growth Track entitled 'Content Creator Programs - The Hidden Secret for Mobile Growth & Monetization'. He'll also take part in a panel on the same track called 'How do you Scale Your Game in a Hostile Market?'.
Ahead of his appearance at Pocket Gamer Connects, we asked Sacks to tell us more about his upcoming session and get his opinions on the latest industry trends.
PocketGamer.biz: Please give us a summary of what you’re speaking about and why it’s important.
Justin Sacks: Content creators are the driving force for discovery and retention for games, but it's incredibly challenging for game publishers to identify attribution or work with creators at scale.
Nexus.gg builds creator programs for games that taps into the incredible power creators have in a performance-driven way that drives incredible value for the publisher, the creator and the player
What’s the most important key performance indicator (KPI) for you - and why?
One of the KPIs that almost no games are tracking but is critically important - the unique number of individual people who make a living out of playing just your game.
How many content creators have a majority of their income from making content around your game? The higher the number, the much higher your chances are to achieve and retain success.
What company do you most admire in the mobile games world?
Supercell. They've done an absolutely incredible job on everything to do with making games, while being true pioneers in multiple ways (from how they staff, to their laser-focus on core loop, to their incredible attention to content creators).
I think there is so much to learn from what Supercell has accomplished and continues to innovate on.
What do you think the next big disruptor in mobile games will be?
I'm certainly biased, but I absolutely believe that while creator programs are competitive advantages today, in just a few years they'll be expected table stakes.
When not making/selling/playing games, what do you do to relax?
My life is only four things! Games, books, food, and work. So taking out games and work, I love to read, generally in the sci-fi/fantasy space (come talk to me about how litrpg is the future!). Otherwise I'm finding the best restaurants/food trucks I can.
Can people get in touch with you at the event? What sort of people would you like to connect with?
Absolutely! I'd love to chat with anyone who's either the GM/EP of a live service game or working on the growth/community/marketing side. Happy to chat about all things creators!
Meet Justin Sacks at PG Connects London
Not only will you have the chance to see Sacks take part in one of our panel debates, but you can also arrange to meet him at PG Connects London. Our online organiser MeetToMatch is free to all event attendees, connecting you directly with more than 2,500 decision makers from the global games industry.
As well as the 29-track conference schedule, the two-day event also features a series of side-events like The Very Big Indie Pitch, Publisher SpeedMatch, Investor Connector and a host of other networking opportunities all aimed at helping you level up your skills and business.
