When it comes to publishing a successful mobile game, every detail matters. But when it comes to tracking, improving, and maintaining the success of a mobile game, the devil is in the data. Data analytics plays a substantial role in the behind-the-scenes of a mobile game – it gives an insightful reference point for everything from mobile game marketing to monetization, and should never be overlooked or underestimated.

In this article, we’ll give you a quick run-through of 6 basic mobile game data analytics that matter. Whether you’re a mobile game publisher, developer, or marketer, these metrics should definitely be on your radar. 

Installs

The success of every mobile game is hugely measured by the number of installs: essentially, the number of people who have downloaded the game. Not only is this metric the baseline figure needed to track other analytics off of, but it’s also a huge indicator of your user base. Tracking installs gives you insight into your mobile game’s growth and, over time, you can look at patterns to create forecasting models and plan future strategies. 

Daily Active Users

DAU (Daily Active Users) measures exactly what it sounds like: the number of users that use or play your mobile game on a daily basis. This metric will help you better understand the usage of your mobile game on a day-to-day basis, as well as individual users’ daily habits surrounding the mobile game. A long-term look at this metric can tell you a lot about return users and give you some insight into retention. Essentially, this metric provides you with a numeric figure for unique users that play your mobile game every day. 

Monthly Active Users

Since we’ve already covered DAU, the MAU (Monthly Active Users) metric is rather straightforward: it tells you the number of unique users playing or interacting with your mobile game on a monthly basis. 

While DAU and MAU give you a simple numerical figure as to how many unique users log onto your game, be it on a daily or monthly basis, they don’t give much insight past that. That being said, tracking your Daily Active Users and Monthly Active Users can indicate the mobile game’s level of growth over time. 

Retention Rate

Retention rate is an indicator of users’ return rate, meaning how often they return to your mobile game after first installing it. Tracking retention rate gives you insight on users’ loyalty and satisfaction with the mobile game. A high retention rate means that you’ve succeeded beyond the first step, which is user acquisition – it indicates that your mobile game has a good user experience that is resulting in longevity. To determine retention rate, you must track whether a user has interacted with your mobile game on multiple occasions after install. 

Churn Rate

On the flip side, churn rate tracks the rate at which users stop playing your mobile game. Just like retention rate can tell you a lot about your user experience and the point at which you retain users, churn rate tracks the point at which users bounce off of your mobile game. Tracking churn rate over time will tell you a story about your mobile game experience and what needs to be tweaked about it. This can be extremely beneficial in helping you determine your incentivization strategies and potential engagement campaigns. 

Session Length

Another metric that’ll signal engagement level is session length: the duration of time that a player spends on your mobile game in one sitting. Because session length is measured on the basis of a single session, it can be an informative look at the elements of your game that keep users engaged and playing. With such insight, you can know what to focus on introducing more of in order to keep players more engaged. Tracking session length over your entire user base will give you an average session time, which you can then use as a reference to see which users are spending above-average time playing your game and then reward them accordingly. Similarly, you can also incentivize users with below-average session lengths to try to increase their engagement.

Although there are many more fundamental mobile game analytics that are worth tracking, these are great to start with. Mobile game analytics are insightful KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that help measure how your mobile game performs while also giving you insight on user behavior. 

The data analytics team at Tamatem Games plays a fundamental role in assessing all of our games’ performances, which then largely feeds into our marketing strategies and our user acquisition efforts. By giving us solid, number-backed evidence, our data analysts are truly the unsung heroes behind Tamatem Games’ continued success. 

Mobile gaming is, without a doubt, a top industry to keep an eye on. To get even more specific, MENA mobile gaming is a market that’s not only booming but also generous with opportunities. 

Looking back at the last couple of years, it’s interesting to see how the pandemic accelerated growth in the MENA mobile gaming space. The question now is: where will the industry be headed over the coming year?

It’s no secret that the MENA region accounts for a huge chunk of the global mobile games market. To put it into numbers, the Middle East makes up around 23% of the global market – that’s about one-fourth of the entire world’s mobile gaming industry, and growing. 

With the spread of infrastructure and the rising rates of smartphone penetration, we can expect MENA mobile gaming to only continue to multiply in most if not all areas of the region. With over 400 million Arabic speakers and a mobile gaming community that is considered the world’s fastest-growing, the MENA region is headed towards promising trajectories.

In 2016, the MENA mobile gaming market was worth around $1.6 billion dollars – only a slice of its projected valuation of $4.4 billion by 2022. Whether you’re entering the mobile gaming market as an employee, founder, or investor, the MENA region is where you should be looking. 

Over the next year, you can expect to see more mobile game localization efforts headed towards the MENA region. Since Arabic is one of the most spoken languages in the world, MENA is flooded with opportunities. Additionally, the space is not yet saturated which makes these opportunities closely aligned with reward. 

2020 and 2021 have been transformative years for the MENA mobile gaming industry; years we can learn from to move forward and apply trends that can meet mobile gamers’ 2022 needs. Tamatem Games is dedicated to driving MENA into the forefront of mobile gaming, encouraging both developers and investors to keep track of the region in 2022. 

Content translation is arguably the most crucial part of localizing a mobile game. When you localize a mobile game you are essentially molding it to fit the linguistic needs of an international market. When done correctly, mobile game translation is a powerful cornerstone of localization.

At first glance, translation might seem like the simplest of tasks but the reality is that it is a complex process that requires extensive expertise and attention to detail. This blog post will give you a brief idea of some “Do’s” to focus on and some “Don’ts” you should avoid when translating a mobile game.

Do’s:

Do work with an expert

The first and most basic rule of thumb when it comes to any sort of translation is to work with someone who knows what they’re doing. Not only do you need to work with a translator who knows both languages inside out, but one who has a track record.

Choose the translator you decide to work with carefully; make sure you do your due diligence by looking at their previous work and by asking for references. Take this one step further by conducting a trial period where both you and the translator can test out your dynamic.

Lastly, hiring a translator who has worked on mobile games before is a huge plus. The bottom line here is to take the mobile game translation process seriously – don’t cut corners, don’t rush into hiring, and, most importantly, don’t rely on Google translate.

Do know your audience

When it comes to publishing an existing mobile game in a new market, your audience should be your guiding compass. Yes, if you’re expanding an existing mobile game into a foreign market then chances are it is already successful. However, that doesn’t mean that it would be an immediate success among new audiences.

Prior to kicking off the process of translating a mobile game, you should know everything there is to know about the audience it’s meant for; who is your ideal consumer? What language do they speak and which dialect do they use? How old are they?

Creating a consumer profile for your target audience will help guide the type of translation you should implement, from start to finish – this will ensure that you’re fully localizing your mobile game instead of simply translating it.

Do consider the details

Even the simplest mobile games can be rather complex; a mobile game’s user experience makes for more micro-details and interface elements to consider than a website, for example.

Throughout the translation process, make sure to closely consider the wording for each and every button, reward notification, level-up message, character name, ad description, and so on. These details, however meticulous they may seem, are the finishing touch to your mobile game copywriting.

Don’ts:

Don’t underestimate market research

Before deciding to translate your mobile game, there’s nothing more important than doing your market research and doing it right. Don’t just tap into a new market because it’s trending or because you’ve “always wanted to”. Invest in carrying out thorough market research that will give you a numerical, data-backed idea of why you should enter a specific market.

For example, entering the MENA mobile game industry would be a promising venture not only because of the substantial number of Arabic speakers but also because of rising smartphone penetration rates, high spending power, and the currently underserved market.

Don’t rely on one pair of eyes

While you should without a doubt be working with an experienced translator, you should never rely on them and them only. Make sure that your translation process has a quality assurance step where the translated content is reviewed, proofread, and revised by someone else. That’s not to undermine your translator’s expertise, but rather to cover your bases and minimize mistakes.

Don’t translate without the right tone

Translation is everything but tone is everything and more. Meaning, if you’re translating a mobile game to launch in the MENA market you need to consider multiple factors relating to tone. You wouldn’t use the tone of formal, “fus-ha” Arabic in a game that mainly targets teenagers. Similarly, you wouldn’t use the Egyptian dialect in a game aiming to target mobile game user bases in Jordan.

Long story short, the spelling, grammar, and linguistics of your translation can be on point but if the tone is off then it won’t land where you want it to.

If you’re looking to translate and localize your mobile game for the MENA region, get in touch with Tamatem games. Working with a top mobile game publisher can elevate your translation process and ensure that all the “Do’s” are done and all the “Don’ts” are knowingly avoided.

The common belief that learning stops once your education is over is rather inaccurate – in fact, some of the most impactful educational experiences happen outside of the classroom. Elena Hinnawi, Public Relations Strategist at Tamatem Games, shares 5 things she’s learned on the job so far.

As soon as I joined Tamatem Games, I knew right away that the job and the team were unlike anything I had experienced since my career started. After having worked at Tamatem Games for almost a year now, here are 5 things I’ve learned.

CEO’s make all the difference

Like many in the region, I had always been fascinated with the backstory of Tamatem Games; how it started, how far it’s come and how Hussam Hammo managed to make it all happen. It was only when I experienced it firsthand by becoming part of the team that I saw for myself how much of a difference a CEO can make, not only on a company-wide level but on a personal one too.

Although you could read as many CEO success stories as TechCrunch publishes and hear as many good things as people in the industry could say, you truly appreciate a CEO’s hard work once you experience what they’ve built. Hammo’s influence can be seen in the success that Tamatem Games has achieved over the years but his true character, both as a human and a CEO, can be seen in the inclusive, nurturing and powerful company culture he has built.

You never stop learning

If I were to write this article again a year from now, I would easily be able to share 5 or more new things I would have learned. Working with one of MENA’s top mobile game publishers, the learning curve is constantly stimulating and I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.

The truth is, even when you get the hang of every task related to your day-to-day job, there’s still more to learn from everyone else around you. From learning about the power of data analytics, to gaining experience in dealing with all kinds of personality types, the learning you do on the job at Tamatem is impactful in a lifelong way.

People are everything

You can have every part of the equation nailed down; investment rounds, office space, access to the latest and greatest tech – you name it. But if your team is not made up of the right people, chances are you won’t make it.

It’s not just a matter of having people with relevant industry experience, skill sets and capabilities; it’s about passion, personality, drive, team spirit, longevity, and the list goes on. As an employee, the people I work with make my day-to-day better in every sense of the word. As a company, your people are your secret weapon every single day but, more importantly, in the long run too.

Agility is a superpower

As a PR Specialist at Tamatem Games, one of the most crucial things I’ve learned is the power of agility. The mobile games industry is fast-paced to say the least, namely in the MENA region. Being agile as a company is the only way to keep up with industry trends, market patterns, and tech advancements – we embrace change wholeheartedly, respond to it quickly and adjust as we go.

In order to play my role in maintaining company-wide agility, I’ve had to learn the power of agility on an individual level. Being agile and having the ability to run with changes, pivot, and keep my head above the water is one of the most valuable skills I’ve learned to date.

Expect the unexpected (and embrace it!)

While it sounds cliché, expecting the unexpected is truly a skill best learned from real life experience – it gets easier the more you deal with unexpected obstacles. However, embracing the unexpected is much easier said than done.

Being able to welcome change and be agile is one thing, but embracing it and responding to it with a smile, with much-needed positive energy, and a productive attitude is a game-changer.

That’s not to say that you should always fake a smile through the storm, but that you should at least try to see the cup half-full when facing any challenge. I’ve learned that not everyone on the team will always have the capacity to be positive and cheery during tough times, but if we each do our part to at least try embracing the unexpected whenever we can, then we can lift each other up when needed.

If you’re interested in a job where the industry never sleeps and the learning never stops, check out our careers at Tamatem Games.

With the rising popularity of story-focused games, high-quality graphics and complex storylines have become something of a phenomenon – so why do some mobile games still have low-res graphics? Why are some mobile games incredibly simple and easy to play yet still so popular?

Although we’re big fans of story-focused mobile games, we’re fascinated by the power of hyper-casual mobile games and their popularity. You would think that lower quality and simpler design in a mobile game would make it more likely to be undesirable. Interestingly enough, some of the most popular mobile games ever made are the simplest.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss why hyper-casual mobile games can be just as successful as their high-quality, hyper-realistic, plot-heavy counterparts.

Simplicity

Usually, what makes hyper-casual mobile games stand out more than anything else is their simplicity. Simple mobile games offer more accessibility in terms of skill level, meaning you don’t have to be a professional gamer in order to enjoy the game right from the get-go. Once you get comfortable with the main moves required to play, it quickly becomes an enjoyable and, in some cases, highly addictive mobile game.

When a mobile game is simple it becomes a great time-passer, even if the graphics are subpar. Think of playing Snake on an old mobile phone – there’s no denying how simple yet addicting it is. Despite it’s low-res graphics, the game is still widely played on lower-end mobile phones meaning that it has managed to preserve its longevity quite well despite its in-your-face simplicity.

Gameplay

In a nutshell, gameplay is the way you interact with a game. Just like any website or app would have user experience (UX), gameplay is known as the experience of a game, how players play it and how they feel while doing so. This can include the plot, mechanics, game rules, and any other elements that make up the game.

Engaging gameplay is a large defining factor in how a mobile game performs. When a hyper-casual mobile game is hugely successful, chances are it has impressive gameplay that creates a can’t-put-your-phone-down feeling when playing a mobile game. Gameplay doesn’t have to be extensive and sophisticated, it just needs to create an ebb and flow that connects the player to the game on a deep level – some sort of bliss point between easy yet challenging enough.

Free-to-play

Since a lot of hyper-casual mobile games are low-budget, many of them are published with a free-to-play model. Free-to-play offers wider accessibility, meaning the game can tap into a larger audience of players. Being available to practically anyone with a smartphone makes hyper-casual mobile games have a higher chance at gaining popularity.

Accidental Success

Creating a successful mobile game can be a hit or miss and, many a time, even the game developers themselves aren’t aware of how the response to their game will be. That’s why, with hyper-casual mobile games, extreme success can sometimes be completely accidental.

In some ways, that’s the beauty of the mobile games industry – in others, it can be a double-edged sword. Even the perfect recipe for a successful mobile game can sometimes land wrong, especially for new mobile game developers.

If you’re a mobile game developer entering the market, consider partnering with a top mobile games publisher. Partnering with Tamatem Games can boost your readiness to go to market in the MENA region and help you strategize when it comes to launch strategy, marketing, data analytics and more.

Mobile gaming has shown tremendous growth across emerging markets over past years, with the MENA region straight ahead at the forefront. Now more than ever, mobile has evidently taken over the region and it’s here to stay. Forecasts show that the MENA mobile gaming market is predicted to maintain its multi-billion dollar revenue for years to come, making it an investment opportunity worth keeping an eye on. 

In an effort to take a closer look at mobile gaming in MENA, this blog post will give you a quantifiable look at the market while breaking down some elements that make it a high-growth region with large potential.

Market Size & Demographic

The MENA region is uniquely opportune – with a population of over 400 million, it boasts an attractive market size. About half of the MENA population is aged under 25, making its mobile game market potential powerful and unwavering. In addition, around 50% of the region has internet access which results in a viable market demographic with high potential for acquirable users.

Showing the highest year-over-year growth among emerging markets, like Latin America and Asia Pacific, in the mobile space, the MENA region has proven to be a worthy contender for mobile game developers’ next best investment. 

An Unsaturated Marketplace

Not only does MENA have a generous market size and a suitable demographic, but it’s also extremely unsaturated. With the scarce supply of high-quality Arabic mobile games and large demand for more and more mobile entertainment, the MENA market is largely untapped. That, combined with the growing internet adoption rate and the young age of average mobile gamers makes MENA the ideal market. 

Smartphone penetration rates are on the rise, meaning that the market will naturally show an increase in demand for mobile games catered to the region. MENA’s unsaturated marketplace means that mobile game developers should set their sights on expanding into the region via localization. 

MENA Mobile Games: What Works?

Considering that the majority of MENA uses Arabic as their default language, the market is a localization gold mine waiting to be tapped into. Seeing as the region is significantly culture-oriented, Arabic mobile games are adopted fast and retained strongly. Mobile games that use the Arabic language along with cultural isms and elements tend to perform well. 

As for pricing models, free-to-play mobile games are showing great promise and potential for growth. With that in mind, in-app monetization is an incredibly viable avenue since the Gulf has unparalleled purchasing power. 

Another prevalent trend that has picked up throughout MENA mobile games is social mobile gaming. Games like VIP Baloot and VIP Jalsat are good examples of how socially driven mobile games are successful in the region. This can also be a testament to the power of localization since card games are a huge part of the culture in MENA.

What’s Next For MENA Mobile Gaming

In a nutshell, mobile gaming in the MENA region is a force to be reckoned with and an investment area to capitalize on. With current market trends to show so and forecasts predicting a growth-centric future, we believe more global developers will look to target the MENA mobile gamer. 

If you’re a mobile games developer with an interest to expand into the region, consider partnering with a top mobile games publisher to lead your localization efforts. Tamatem’s team of seasoned translators, marketers, data analysts,, and developers make for a mobile game publishing powerhouse with an impressive track record.

To some extent or another, we all personally know the power of a great mobile game. Whether you’re hooked yourself or you know somebody who is, there’s no denying that mobile games are entertaining for everyone. But the billion-dollar question, quite literally, is: what really makes a great mobile game? 

The mobile gaming space is synonymous with many blockbusting success stories that it’s become intriguing to try and figure out the secret behind what it takes to make a great mobile game. Being a multi-billion dollar industry, the mobile market is swarming with games, which makes it difficult to part the bad from the good and the good from the great.

In this post, we’ll break down the fundamental elements behind what makes a great mobile game. Let’s jump right in!

An Experience Rooted In Emotion

Also known as “gameplay”, the experience behind enjoying a mobile game truly comes down to feeling a certain way while playing. Great mobile games touch on emotions to create a memorable and addicting experience for the player. Think of the simple emotions or feelings behind a mobile game you love playing and try to identify the specific elements that bring those feelings about. 

Whether that involves a repetitive aspect, a soothing sound, a relatable character, or a social factor, the emotion-inducing elements of a great mobile game make players feel fulfilled while playing. 

High-Quality Graphics

While this one seems like a no-brainer in today’s world, you’d be surprised at just how many mobile game developers put their graphics last. Even though a low definition, retro aesthetic could work for some mobile games, it can be off-putting when the graphics are just plain bad. 

This is especially true for social mobile games with characters that are meant to look and act lifelike. The quality of a mobile game’s graphics can truly elevate the experience or simply ruin it all together, so this element is key to a mobile game’s success.

Simplicity

For the most part, mobile game players enjoy simple games. Whether the mobile game mimics a real-life card game they already know or brings forward a totally new concept, players tend to gravitate towards and appreciate simplicity. 

Mobile games are made for on-the-go, time-passing playing, so it makes sense that simple games perform well. However, simplicity in game design means that the game is simple to learn and get into, but it certainly does not mean that the game is easy. Simplicity means that the baseline requirements on the player’s part are simple and straightforward, and as the levels get higher the simplicity is still there but the game becomes harder to master.

Incentives

Rewards are a hugely motivating factor when it comes to practically anything, and mobile games are no different. The feeling you get when you earn a reward is incentivizing, both in the long run and in the short term. When designing a great mobile game, the reward system must be rooted in psychology in order to give players what they want.

While rewards come in different forms, they motivate players not only to keep playing but to play better. Some examples of incentivizing rewards in mobile games are rank, currency, newness (unlocking new players or levels), power boosts, and more. A great mobile game tows the line between making the player feel rewarded but also like they’ve worked hard to earn that reward.

Depth

Depth in mobile games can sound contradictory to simplicity, however, they go hand in hand in creating compelling gameplay. A great mobile game must have some sort of depth to it; a certain element that gives the player more than what meets the eye. This can be in the form of a narrative that is slowly uncovered in parallel with levels, or it can also be more technical in the sense of having in-game social functionalities between players. 

Relatedness

The feeling of relating to a game – whether it’s to the actions required in the game or to a specific character – is extremely appealing. The relatable factor behind a mobile game can create a feeling of familiarity between the player and the game, which makes for longevity. It creates a bond between game and player that builds foundational loyalty. 

However, making sure mobile game players feel like they relate can sometimes be a matter of localizing your mobile game. At Tamatem, we take great mobile games and build on their greatness by localizing them to cater to MENA players. Localization is an effective way to ensure that different audiences relate to a mobile game.

Ultimately, creating a great mobile game comes down to balance – it’s a matter of finding that bliss point where elements of the game are in sync in creating an enjoyable experience. Too much of anything, like too much simplicity, will make the game unexciting and challenge-lacking. Too little of anything, like very few rewards, will make the game feel too challenging and impossible to master. 

A great mobile game requires intricate attention to these elements in order to create a long-lasting, captivating experience for the player. Long story short, making a great mobile game is truly a fun game of its own.

Developing a profitable mobile game is no walk in the park – it takes time, resources, market research, UX design, and the list goes on. Even once your game is developed and released, you need to carefully assess the steps to take in order to ensure its longevity. Investing in aspects like marketing strategy, user acquisition, and in-app monetization can boost your game’s long-term profitability and success.

But let’s say that, as a game developer, you’ve done all the right steps and checked off all the strategic boxes, and you’ve got yourself a massively successful mobile game. At that point, multiplying your game’s success, popularity and profit margins calls for bigger moves. Large-scale global expansion opportunities for your already-successful mobile game can be highly rewarding when done right.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss how mobile game developers can expand their game’s success and reach by entering new markets like MENA. We’ll dive into what the process looks like and what to watch out for, while giving you some insight on how Tamatem comes in.

Why Expand Your Mobile Game’s Reach Internationally

The success of a mobile game is measured in metrics like number of downloads, monthly active users, retention rate, and so on. As your game hits certain milestones, it becomes a never-ending race to hit the next one and the one after that. At a certain point, the continued large-scale success of your mobile game becomes a matter of international expansion.

Mobile gaming is a massive global industry with many international markets left untapped. With that said, it’s important to carry out extensive research on different regions, their market size and scalability before expanding your mobile game internationally.  

Looking at the MENA mobile games market, it’s important to weigh out all the factors that make it a ripe entry point for expansion opportunities. Expected to hit $6 billion in 2021, there’s no doubt that the market is on the rise. As an emerging market, the region has high scalability opportunities especially when you consider how underserved the Arabic language is. However, entering an unfamiliar international market, like MENA, without strategy, can come with high barriers to entry and large risk. 

Do’s And Don’ts Of Entering A New Market

In order to enter a new market and take advantage of a potentially lucrative expansion opportunity, mobile game developers must plan strategically. Bringing a mobile game to market the second time around shouldn’t be taken lightly, so here are some do’s and don’ts for entering a new market without undermining the success of your mobile game: 

Don’t…

• Make the expansion without a plan

Expanding into a new market, especially an international one with different barriers to entry (eg. language), must be planned out. Don’t underestimate the power of market research and a thoroughly planned go-to market strategy that considers your new target audience’s needs.

• Enter on your own

Entering a new market on your own can be a recipe for disaster. Although you’ve already proven your success as a game developer in your own market, don’t be closed to the idea of partnering with a local games publisher in the new region you plan to enter. 

• Use the same strategies

Using the same strategies you did in your original market might not work for your mobile game in the new market. Do not stick to the exact same marketing strategies, in-app incentivization strategies or launch strategies you implemented when releasing your game locally. Even if you do have a great mobile game on your hands, your entry strategies could make or break it.

Do…

• Choose your new market wisely

Focus on choosing an international market that is ready and growing. For example, the MENA mobile games market is a great option to expand to because of its high growth and high mobile game adoption rate. The market is not yet saturated, it’s still emerging and it’s filled with opportunity.

• Focus on localization and be open to changes

When entering a new market, you must focus on localizing your mobile game to cater to your new audience to the best of your abilities. Expanding your mobile game into an international market comes with new considerations like language, culture, religious factors, and so on. In order to make sure your mobile game is easily understood and adopted by your new audience, you should be open to making the necessary changes to localize it successfully.

• Partner with the right mobile games publisher

Localizing and publishing your mobile game in a new market is done best when you partner with a top local game publisher. Partnering with the right mobile games publisher will give you access to market insights, high quality translation, local marketing experts, and more. Having a publishing partner will take a huge load of pressure off your team and set you on the right track to successfully penetrating a new, profitable market.

Tamatem And Game Developers: How It Works

At Tamatem, we’re big backers of localization. Instead of focusing all efforts on developing our own mobile games, we’ve recognized the opportunity in localizing and publishing already-successful games. Once we decide to partner with a mobile games developer on publishing their game in the MENA market, our team kicks off an extensive process. With the best industry experts in the region, we carry out 360° localization to ensure your game becomes suitable for the market. From there, we implement data-backed market research to build out a top-notch go-to market strategy catered to your game. With aggressive marketing and large-scale user acquisition strategies, Tamatem is guaranteed to push your already-successful mobile game to new heights.

If you’re a mobile games developer interested in penetrating the profitable and opportune MENA market, Tamatem is the partner for you.  

The evolution of Tamatem has consisted of hard work, perseverance, unity, and lots of outside-the-box thinking across our teams. There’s no doubt that each team at Tamatem has gone through its own growth and development that has contributed immensely to our collective success. 

Throughout this ongoing series, we’ll explore the ins and outs of different teams at Tamatem. To give you a behind-the-scenes taste of each team’s secret sauce, we will feature awesome Tamatem team members who candidly share their insight and experience. 

As such, this article features Lamia Shreim; our all around remarkable Marketing Manager, passionate and driven team player, and highly valued Tamatem family member. Drawing from her impressive track record, Lamia shares the best practices and systems that shape her team. 

Inside Tamatem’s Marketing Team

At Tamatem, we take pride in our tried and true strategy of localizing mobile games for the MENA region. Successfully publishing a localized mobile game is a multi-dimensional process that is very much contingent on vigorous marketing and user acquisition strategies. 

Led by Lamia, the team ensures that Tamatem puts a strong leg forward when it comes to marketing our localized mobile games. Over the past 6 years, Lamia has spearheaded the growth and development of Tamatem’s world class marketing team. The team has gone from one person managing monetization and user acquisition, to over 20 talented team members who collectively make up a full-stack, superpowered, 360° marketing force. 

To give a quick look at Tamatem’s Marketing department from an operational standpoint, it’s important to note that the team is distributed across a range of sub departments, outlined as: 

• Data Analytics
• User Acquisition
• Influencer Marketing
• Social Media 
• Multimedia
• App Store Optimization
• Search Engine Optimization
• Growth Marketing

“Each division is unique in its own way, contributing to the overall success of the whole department. For example, Performance Marketing efforts focus on A/B testing to maximize ad monetization. Social Media Marketing ensures our strong presence across distributed channels. Data Analytics plays an unmatched role in compounding insights and building number-backed strategies”, shares Lamia.

Lamia reiterates that, while each of the sub departments has its own area of focus, the team, as a whole, operates with a tight-knit culture that places collective growth at the center. 

Company-Wide Collaboration

The Marketing team has a strong interdepartmental presence at Tamatem, crossing over to work with different teams to achieve different goals. “We maintain communication with pretty much every team at Tamatem, but we mainly cross over to work with Product, Design, Finance and Support”, says Lamia. 

“For example, the Marketing team works with the Product team to find qualified, high-conversion users for our games. The teams work together to analyze game metrics and ensure their health, in addition to enhancing user retention. Meanwhile, our work with the Design team consists of ensuring app-store optimization and effective in-game promotions that increase organic traffic and convert non-spenders to spenders.” 

The Marketing team’s collaboration with different departments across Tamatem’s ecosystem is testament to the importance of enabling teams to capitalize on each others’ strengths. Our philosophy is rooted in growing stronger and moving farther, together. 

Systems For Success & Best Practices

A key ingredient to the Marketing team’s secret sauce is systemized processes, both in the day-to-day and on the macro-level. In order to ensure that the team works at its optimum level, Lamia places overarching priority on making sure that the team is happy and motivated. As Marketing Manager at Tamatem, her systems for success include: 

• Daily morning meetings with the team to kickstart the day.
• Weekly 1-on-1 meetings to check in with team members individually. 
• A bi-weekly “game of the week” sync where the team plays, discusses and analyzes a trending mobile game in its entirety.
• Monthly brainstorming sessions where the team shares unfiltered new thoughts and ideas.
• Strategic monthly meetings to assess user acquisition campaigns and explore room for more scalability.
• Quarterly marketing strategy meetings that emphasize OKRs and touch on what can be done to optimize the team’s performance.
• Regularly-conducted surveys to gather constructive feedback from the team.

In order to make sure that the team is always on the same page, each task is documented and every project is tracked from start to finish. The team uses a handful of tools that make this possible, specifically Slack, Asana, Zoom, and Miro. 

Lamia gives us insight on what each tool is used for as follows:

• Slack: sharing quick updates, questions, concerns, new ideas and recaps of articles/webinars/reports/courses that are happening.
• Asana: organizing tasks, highlighting deadlines, outlining project progress and keeping track of what other team members are working on.
• Zoom: conducting meetings – it’s the tool that has brought everyone together during work-from-home.
• Miro: the gate-keeper that aligns all ideas gathered during brainstorming and retrospective meetings.

Managerial Insight 

As manager of Tamatem’s Marketing team, Lamia continuously hacks the challenges of a fast-paced environment while remaining empathetic and people-oriented in her role. “I strive to facilitate a dynamic and creative work environment that encourages the team to continuously engage in learning and development”. 

To outline the foundation behind Lamia’s managerial style, we asked for her non-negotiable team leadership elements that ensure success: 

• Building team trust: “I believe in trusting my team so that they are able to have trust in me too. This creates synergy that empowers each member of the team to make effective decisions, backed by confidence and courage.” 
• Clear communication: “‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ is our motto, and clear communication is a key aspect in achieving true teamwork. Being transparent and honest creates a productive and genuine work environment.”
• A collective team vision: “We focus on our values and objectives, on identifying our strengths and weaknesses while assessing potential opportunities and threats that could arise. Having a collective team vision rooted in our values and objectives is key to driving our growth in the right direction.” 
• Valuing individuality: “I am a firm believer that growth is achieved only when everyone around you is growing. With that said, facilitating an environment that celebrates creativity and individuality allows each team member to be open towards testing new, sometimes risky but rewarding ideas.”

Joining The Tamatem Team: Insider Tips

To wrap up, Lamia shares her insight on working at Tamatem, as well as what it takes to join the Tamatem team. 

“I enjoy everything about my role – from my job, to the company culture, to the overall company strategy. I’m so happy to have embarked on such a journey that combines the field of gaming with the field of marketing. Years on, I still continue to grow and develop every single day at Tamatem.”

Lamia gives her honest outlook when it comes to hiring at Tamatem and what attributes are valued most:

“I can honestly say that the interview stage tells me a lot about a candidate. Having passion for the position, for Tamatem, and for the industry as a whole, is key. Other than experience and skills, positive energy and being a team player are attributes we value here at Tamatem. Creativity and analytical skills are very important to us as well. My tip for anyone looking to join us in the future is to show us that you have passion.” 

The Tamatem family is always growing – we’re constantly on the lookout for passionate, talented individuals to join our team and take part in our growth as the biggest mobile game publisher in the MENA. Check out our Careers page to learn more about open positions!