How do you pick the right core for your next puzzle hit?

Jakub Remiar breaks down the methodology behind some of

the most successful puzzle launches of the last two years

— Domino Dreams, Magic Sword, Block Out, Hexa Out, Arrow

Gem — and explains the pattern that connects all of them.

The short version: stop trying to invent new cores. Find a

puzzle sub-genre that already has massive download volume

but is monetized almost entirely through ads. Take that

core, wrap it in level-based design, blockers, and live-ops

polish, and convert the ad-revenue audience into IAP

players. Domino Dreams did it with Domino. Magic Sword did

it with Water Sort. Block Out did it with Color Block Jam.

Same playbook every time.

This is the video to send to anyone who asks "what genre

should I build in next."

Potensus is a premium ad network built by people who've actually been on both sides of this industry - game publishers, agencies, and successful exits. They get it.

Here's the thing - Potensus has direct deals with Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Vodafone. Not programmatic. Direct. Those budgets land in your game at premium CPMs, no middleman tax.

And they handle everything with their in-house team. PLUS they're partnered with PlayableMaker WINK WINK - so they'll take a brand's YouTube video or a static banner and actually turn it into a playable ad or rewarded video. Proper interactive format, built for gaming inventory. Brands getting a gaming-native creative, publishers getting higher CPMs. Everyone wins.

Head to potensus.com to get started or check their creative portfolio here

https://vimeo.com/showcase/12093300?fl=so&fe=fs

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro — how to pick a core for a new puzzle game

02:21 Domino Dreams: capturing the Domino category

05:20 Magic Sword: turning Water Sort into IAP gold

07:50 Spyke Games / Combo Games portfolio strategy

10:50 Hexa Out — when iteration becomes innovation

13:00 Grand Games portfolio: the templatization machine

15:55 Arrow Gem: the obvious next move after Lesmore's Arrows

17:30 Why this is a lottery — and consistency wins it

18:30 Closing methodology: pick your strengths, know your shot

📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

— The opportunity isn't in inventing new puzzle cores.

It's in finding ad-driven puzzle categories with high

download volume and converting them to IAP via level

design, blockers, and live-ops.

— Domino Dreams isn't a Domino game. Magic Sword isn't

a Water Sort game. They're level-based puzzlers with

a familiar core wrapped around them — that's the trick.

— Category ceiling matters: Domino Dreams will likely

cap around $7–8M/month because the niche is finite.

That's still a profitable, sustainable hit.

— Studios like Grand Games and Spyke have built a

consistent template: 80% finished metagame engine +

swap in the new trending core + 20% iteration.

— Lesmore's Arrows is the current source code —

everyone is iterating on it (Hexa Out, Arrow Gem,

countless clones).

#mobilegaming #gamedesign #puzzlegames #liveops #f2p

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.

Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA

Jakub Remiar

Game design consultant

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar

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💡 How to create new mobile games 101, 2026 edition 😎

two &amp; a half gamers

two & a half gamers