Growth Marketing & The Game Lifecycle (ft. Sanlo) – Games Growth with Upptic

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For this episode of Games Growth with Upptic, we are republishing Story Mode‘s recent episode with Upptic CGO Warren Woodward. Warren sits down with Story Mode host Olya Caliujnaia, CEO of Sanlo, to discuss the evolving landscape of growth marketing in the gaming industry. With over a decade of experience, including roles at Nexon and Wargaming, Warren brings a wealth of knowledge on user acquisition (UA) and growth strategies.

Many thanks to Olya and Sanlo for allowing us to republish the episode on our own channels. Here are some key insights from their conversation.

Building a full-stack growth marketing machine

Upptic, founded in 2019, started as a full-service games growth agency with a unique software platform to streamline game marketing. Warren shared that this dual focus on services and technology has evolved significantly. Today, Upptic’s Games Growth Platform integrates multiple tools and data sources to help gaming companies manage their growth campaigns efficiently.

The platform pulls data from various sources, including social media, ad networks, and user acquisition channels, offering features like a digital asset manager (DAM) and advanced data science models for user value forecasting. This comprehensive solution replaces many costly, fragmented tools, offering game developers — particularly smaller teams — better leverage over their marketing campaigns.

Growth marketing: What’s working today

Warren emphasized that growth marketing in gaming is highly multidisciplinary. It involves creative development, data science, UA channel management, and more. With the increasing complexity of marketing channels, the key is to maintain simplicity during the soft launch phase. “You want the marketing to be pretty dumbed down in the soft launch phase,” he noted. The goal is to gather clean, reliable user data rather than focus on optimizing for profitability too early.

At the soft launch stage, marketers need to act as data providers rather than revenue drivers. By bringing in a broad set of average users, they can help development teams refine the game based on real-world engagement metrics, like retention and monetization.

The shift to cross-platform gaming

The gaming landscape is rapidly shifting toward cross-platform experiences. Warren explained that this trend is driven by players who interact with games across various screens — from mobile devices to consoles and PCs. “As technology advances, we have more screens in our lives, and the line between these screens gets increasingly blurred,” he said.

Developers are increasingly realizing the benefits of building games that work across multiple platforms, ensuring broader reach and engagement. This shift is also influenced by changing consumer behavior, with younger generations growing up without the stigma that mobile games aren’t “real games.”

Preparing for the future of growth marketing

As AI and automation continue to improve, the role of the marketer is evolving. According to Warren, growth marketing will move “up the value chain,” focusing more on strategic elements like messaging, community building, and funnel optimization. On the data side, challenges around privacy and attribution are increasing, but they also create new opportunities for innovation in data science and analytics.

Warren remains optimistic about the future of gaming. He believes that as tools for game development become more accessible, smaller teams will be able to bring their creative visions to life. “We’re at a real acceleration point where technology is going to let teams do more and more with less and less,” he said.

Key takeaways for game developers and marketers

• Simplicity in soft launch: Focus on gathering reliable data rather than optimizing for revenue too early.
• Cross-platform thinking: As technology evolves, games need to be developed with a broader audience in mind, accessible across multiple devices.
• Evolving marketing roles: The future of growth marketing will be more strategic, focusing on creative messaging and community building, while automation and AI handle optimization.
• The rise of small teams: Lower development costs and improved tools will lead to a creative renaissance, with smaller teams delivering unique gaming experiences.

These insights highlight the evolving complexities of growth marketing in the gaming industry and offer a roadmap for both established developers and emerging startups aiming to navigate this dynamic field.