Author profile
Michail Katkoff
Product Manager at Supercell
19 min read
#Game Deconstructions
If Vainglory Doesn’t Make it, No One Will
In short: Vainglory is without a doubt the best MOBA that has been made for touch screen devices. It’s a giant fish in a very small pond that is the MOBA category on touchscreen devices. If the pond grows into an ocean, it’s only because of this game. Super Evil Megacorp’s (SEM) Vainglory is easily the most hyped mobile game of 2014 – and for a very good reason. Vainglory delivers a true multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) with unseen graphics and a game engine that can run this piece of art at a massive worldwide scale on touchscreens. Vainglory is MOBA on mobile, not MOBA for mobile. It stays true to the genre with a large enough map, multi-dimensional champions, complex item strategies and long game sessions. In fact, the only casual part about this game is that it’s...
5 min read
#Ads & Monetization
Mid-Core Success Part 4: Monetization
In the last part of his Mid-Core series, Michail Katkoff talks about why sustained monetization is a result achieved through excellent game design, a balanced game economy, engaging social mechanics and a fresh approach.
11 min read
#Marketing & Publishing
Mid-Core Success Part 3: Social
In part three of his Mid-Core Success series, Michail Katkoff talks about true social mechanics, the kind that add to the gameplay, improve overall player experience and make the game feel more alive.
9 min read
#Live Ops
Mid-Core Success Part 2: Retention
Michail Katkoff gives tips on how to overcome the challenge of returning players to your game with a well-though core loop, a balanced game economy and clever use of in-game events.
7 min read
#Game Design
Mid-Core Success Part 1: Core Loops
Mid-core games are casual games designed for adult males with a gaming background, who have a steady income but who simply don’t have time to play anymore now that they are older. Michail Katkoff explains how to strike the perfect balance between complexity and simplicity in order to hook mid-core gamers.
9 min read
#Ads & Monetization
From Paid to Free(mium) in Three Steps
In this latest post, Michail Katkoff delves deeper into the realm of freemium and walks you through the process of assessing the profitability of switching an existing game from paid to freemium.
13 min read
#Game Deconstructions
How Puzzle & Dragons Does it
In this post Michail analyses the mixed success of Puzzle & Dragons, Japan's top grossing free-to-play mobile game, on the Oriental and American market.
10 min read
#Data & Analytics
How Criminal Case drives growth
Criminal Case is one of the best Facebook games in terms of growth. In this case study Michail Katkoff explains how a hidden object game can drive growth through rounded game mechanics.
6 min read
#Game Deconstructions
Beating Candy Crush Saga
Michail Katkoff is back with more game analytics goodies. In this post specifically, he will dissect one of the most succesful games of all time, Candy Crush Saga, and give you tips on dethroning the king of social gaming, none other than King (pun intended). So read on.
5 min read
#Data & Analytics
Five Tips for Killer First-Time Flow
In this post Michail Katkoff gives us some tips on achieving flow in video games. While the concept of flow has its roots in psychology, it has been in the last few years associated with the world of video games as well. Flow is defined as that state in which a person is fully immersed into a video game, which guarantees maximum enjoyment.
8 min read
#Game Deconstructions
Behind the Success of Hay Day
In this guest post, Michail Katkoff combines his game analytics wisdom with the hands-on experience of Timur Haussila, Product Lead at Supercell, to tell you the story of the studio's game Hay Day, from the very first idea to launch. Read on to see the results of this uncanny balet of ideas.
12 min read
#Ads & Monetization
How Rage of Bahamut Monetizes
This third post from Michail Katkoff, game analytics expert and friend of GameAnalytics, puts the spotlight on Rage of Bahmut - a game of contrasts. Michail explains how this game can effectively monetize players, while otherwise being bland, annoying and lacking polish.
7 min read
#Ads & Monetization
How to Monetize an Infinite Runner
Michail Katkoff, Product Manager at Supercell, is back with yet another witty post. Michail is an expert in making profitable games using game analytics and an overall great guy and friend of GameAnalytics. This second post is a complex analysis on what defines a successful infinite runner game. Ladies and gentlemen, Michail Katkoff: