CTalk
“The pie may get bigger, but it’s harder than ever to take a bite,” says HOOP-O Studios
Matan Fettman, CEO of HOOP-O Studios, speaks to CTech at Calcalist’s Gaming Conference 2025.
Matan Fettmen
(Orel Cohen)
“The pie may get bigger, but now it’s harder than ever to take a bite out of it,” says HOOP-O Studios CEO Matan Fettman. Speaking with CTech at Calcalist’s Gaming Conference 2025, Fettman described the current state of the mobile-gaming market and how the company is building a new genre that combines “mid-core gameplay” with a “casual meta.”
In discussing today’s mobile-gaming landscape, Fettman said there is “an exhaustion and burnout of common meta and monetization mechanics,” citing visible “battle pass fatigue” among players. He also noted a widening gap between user attention and spending: “There is a great revenue spike… but on the other hand, the users spend less time in the games, and the session times are getting much shorter,” he says. User-acquisition costs remain “very, very high,” he adds, pushing studios toward IP licensing and brand collaborations.
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While Fettman says many midcore titles (games built around more complex, skill-based action) rely on a “broken core loop” with limited long-term attachment, the company sees an opportunity in adding accessible meta layers to that heavier gameplay. Meta layers being mechanics that sit outside the main action like upgrades or base-building features. “We think this combination can not only lead to great games but also to games that can be profitable and sustainable under the not easy market conditions that we are currently in,” he says.
You can watch the entire exchange in the video above.
