Dan Anahory is the head of business development for in-game help video firm Real Media Now. A serial entrepreneur with a background and passion for mobile games, he specialises in helping mobile games with UA, retention and monetisation.

Anahory will be speaking as part of Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Digital on a panel discussing the next generation of ad formats.

Ahead of the show, we caught up with him to find out more about what Real Media Now offers, and what has changed in the games industry over the last few months.

PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about Real Media Now.

Dan Anahory: We provide in-game help videos for mobile and web games studios. These are created by us, we localize them into the language of your users and then we get advertising for them as well. This has shown to increase user retention whilst increasing revenue from ads. We were founded in December 2019 and recently raised a funding round from ex-Vungle Founders.

What does your role entail?

I am head of business development, so I focus on reaching out to games studios understanding their issues and trying to solve them through our tech. This usually involves going to trade shows such as PG Connects and cold calling.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I have loved games my whole life and the thought of seeing how the games I love are made was a dream come true!

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

I would focus on getting a good degree within the games industry and learning as much as you can about it in your free time. Getting work experience when you are younger will also help.

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

I think that the industry is really taking off, with Zynga's recent acquisition of Rollic Studios, we can see that there is huge demand within the games sector and I can only see that growing in the long term.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

With Epic's recent lawsuit against Apple and Google over the app stores, I can see this having a big effect on the mobile gaming industry. I'm not entirely sure that this would wipe out Apple's dominance on the app store, however I do think it may change the 30% revenue share that they charge developers. I guess time will tell, but I think we are looking at a very interesting 12 months for mobile games.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

I only joined the industry in December 2019, however a lot has changed since then. With the introduction of Covid-19 gaming has seen an increase in usage compared to a decrease in most other industries. I can only see that continuing in the future, with the advent of cloud gaming and downloadable games becoming the norm.

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

I really enjoy listening to the Growth Track, I always love hearing about new and innovative ways to grow your game.