The leading games industry conference is almost here. Pocket Gamer Connects London is now just a few days away and what a lineup of speakers we have for you.
On January 23rd and 24th Pocket Gamer Connects hits home soil, returning to London for two days of insight-sharing, and contact-making interspersed with our world-famous thought-provoking panels, seminars, keynotes and more.
There are excellent networking opportunities and our expert sessions are your chance to get up close and meet some of the biggest names in mobile games in what will be our biggest and best PG Connects London yet!
Before the event takes place, we've been speaking to the industry leaders, pioneers and speakers who will be taking to the stage and finding out more about what they plan to discuss - and their thoughts on the wider industry.
Adam Smart has worked in technical, product, and growth roles in the gaming industry for over 10 years. Currently working as a Product Director - Gaming for AppsFlyer, he has extensive experience in user acquisition and retention, monetisation and conversion design, product analytics, and software architecture.
PocketGamer.biz: What can we expect from your session at PGC London?
Adam Smart: We will be talking about the supply side and how it technically operates. For a user acquisition (UA) manager, understanding some of the technical nuances when it comes to ad placements would help to create a fuller picture of measurement.
What's the most common mistake you see being made in the games sector?
People being absolutely genius game makers but not understanding monetisation or advertising.
If you could give one piece of advice to other games companies, what would it be?
Think about how you will market the game when you are building it. i.e. If you are focussing on "organic" growth make sure the technical flows of referring your friends works and the user interface (UI) is clear and makes sense.
Where are the next big opportunities are coming for in the games market?
I believe emerging markets like India and Africa are massive opportunities at the moment. Obviously, it's not easy to adapt to run on the networks and devices that are common in these areas but over the next couple of years I believe these countries will grow in gaming.
What's the most important KPI for you - and why?
ROI - Return on investment, I use it a lot and not just for monitoring stats, its very useful to understand time or monetary value you put into something and what that yielded in return.
What company do you admire most in the mobile games space?
Fingersoft Games - They have a fantastic ethos and are quietly successful.
What is the single biggest challenge facing the games sector in 2023?
Platforms and the limitations each brings. It would be so nice to build one version of your game that can be instantly released anywhere.
What game(s) from another company do you wish you had worked on?
Either Raid, Fall Guys or I actually find Roblox and the opportunities surrounding the platform very interesting.
Is there a PC/console trend you think is going to reach the mobile market in the near future?
F2P on console I predict will explode this year.
What is the most overhyped trend in games right now?
Crypto gaming.
Is hypercasual gaming here to stay?
Regardless of monetisation there will always be a need to kill five minutes by opening a game on your phone.
What do you enjoy most about working in the games sector?
The people, CEO/CFOs are so down to earth and open to ideas, in my experience its very different to other industries.
There's still time to get your ticket for Pocket Gamer Connects London. To find out more about the event and secure ticket visit the PGC London website.
