We continue to wrap up the year 2025 with teams from the gaming and gaming industry-related sectors. Up next is an interview with Konstantin Ivanov, Brand Director at AdQuantum.
How was the year 2025 for your company, and which sectors saw the most significant growth?
Different and unpredictable. Search arbitrage experienced the most substantial growth. We initially knew it would be profitable but would require significant time investment and risk management. However, even in such a turbulent year for the market, we managed to successfully develop this area.
Additionally, we significantly advanced our AI applications vertical. This is no coincidence, as the income from such applications has been consistently growing for quite some time, mainly due to ChatGPT. In October 2025, the "big five" AI applications reached a new historical maximum. Grok, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity continued to gain momentum, and the overall revenue from the top five applications in this vertical rose to $206 million after taxes, with $187 million attributed to ChatGPT.
Our creative package direction also developed further. Throughout the year, Blinkist and others have worked successfully with us.
How has the mobile UA market changed in terms of channels, tools, and strategies?
Let me outline a few key trends.
In 2025, many companies found it crucial to move from "mass" user acquisition to targeted personalization + retention + monetization.
Marketplaces compiled their advertising inventory, now targeting buyers at the most sensitive moments, such as during the consideration stage of a purchase. Considering the circumstances, this is a good move — loyal brand audiences have a higher chance of installing an app. Most importantly, marketplaces have first-party data, which is a killer feature in a fully anonymized context.
With increasing competition and the rising cost of acquisition, ROI has become more dependent on the quality of creative content: emotional, storytelling videos, UGC formats, etc., are more effective. Mediocre AI can be recognized by similar AI moderation, leading to higher CPMs.
It is essential to test new channels and diversify the media mix to reduce dependence on individual sources. Developers should invest in ASO, onboarding, and retention, not just chase subscriptions. In response to subscription fatigue and rising prices, many apps are experimenting with micro-subscriptions, pay-per-use models, and time-limited access to make monetization more accessible and appealing. This helps lower the entry barrier, especially in markets with sensitive purchasing power.
Note that Facebook* still has old interface bugs, and new ones have emerged. However, there are still campaigns where old setups work — mainly older accounts.
AI is now widely used in targeting creatives to audiences. The traditional empirical approach in advertising creatives has become outdated, and the lifespan of particular creatives has decreased significantly. At AdQuantum, we are completely changing our approach to creating advertising content.
How has the nature of work with gaming studios changed? What new trends have emerged in requests, budgets, and formats of interaction?
There has been a significant increase in demand for Playable Ads. We had to allocate the production of such ads into a separate direction with a dedicated producer.
Which user acquisition approaches proved most effective in 2025? Which, conversely, stopped working?
Mislids have finally stopped working. Web-to-Web funnels solidified their success in user acquisition, spurring growth horizontally. Another trend is the use of multiple funnels within a single product, showcasing one product to different target audiences.
What insights from 2025 could be useful for studios preparing marketing campaigns for 2026?
The advertising budget will never be enough. And the cost of acquisition always grows faster than LTV, so think ahead.
What trends in mobile advertising, creatives, and UA optimization do you expect in 2026?
Search arbitrage and Playable Ads will maintain their strong momentum.
Which areas does the company plan to develop in 2026?
AdQuantum continues to shift away from positioning itself as an agency. Stay tuned for news in 2026. Moreover, we will reinvent our creative strategy based on market realities.
*Owned by Meta, banned in Russia and recognized as an extremist organization.