Unlocking Telegram’s Gaming Potential with Daniil Shcherbakov from TonTon Games

I am thrilled to have Daniil Shcherbakov, CEO of TonTon Games, a Telegram gaming publisher welcomed into Binance Labs' incubation program. Daniil holds a MBA from Cambridge Business School In this episode, Daniil Shcherbakov, co-founder and CEO of TonTon Games, shares his journey from studying computer science to launching TonTon Games within Telegram's ecosystem. He delves into TonTon Games' unique strategy for long-term growth, the blue ocean opportunities within Telegram, and the company's commitment to genuine gaming experiences. Daniil offers valuable insights into user acquisition, sustainable monetization, and balancing creativity with data-driven decisions in gaming, and much more! Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on YouTube Subscribe on iTunes Learn * How does Daniil approach monetization in your games while maintaining a positive user experience? * What are the single biggest mistakes companies make with content today? * What trends does Daniil see emerging in the casual mobile gaming market? * What is your favourite business book? –Atomic Habits * What is your favourite online tool? –Use Bubbles * If you could go back to when you started working, what is the one thing you would have focused on? – Start company earlier Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction to Daniil, CEO of TonTon Games. 1:30 - Daniil shares his background, his shift from a family of doctors to pursuing computer science, and discovering his passion for tech. 5:45 - His experience of joining Fibrum, an early startup where he created the company’s name. 10:45 - Daniil describes the camaraderie he built with classmates and the benefits of Cambridge's smaller, diverse class. 13:00 - Founding of TonTon Games and the blend of his passion for gaming and startups. 14:45 - TonTon Games’ focus on Telegram as a gaming platform and the “blue ocean” opportunity in this space. 16:30 - Overview of how Telegram's ecosystem for games is similar to WeChat's in China. 18:15 - Daniil explains TonTon Games’ strategy of avoiding “pump and dump” schemes and instead focusing on long-term incentives. 20:45 - Discussion on acquiring users, including their approach to organic growth through influencers. 23:00 - Success of their flagship game, DFT, which reached top 10 grossing apps on Telegram. 24:30 - Daniil explains why they are not creating their own token and instead focus on sustainable mechanics. 27:00 - How they evaluate and collaborate with development teams before entering formal agreements. 28:30 - Explanation of the iterative approach to user acquisition and maintaining platform stability. 31:00 - Strategy for monetizing games while respecting user experience. 33:00 - Importance of data analysis in game development and Daniil’s insights on balancing gut feeling and metrics. 35:00 - Daniil’s thoughts on the future of mobile gaming, especially in emerging markets. 39:00 - Advice for budding game developers about the future of gaming demographics. 45:00 - Daniil’s perspective on AI, highlighting that it’s a helpful tool rather than a replacement. Daniil’s Links  LDN– https://www.linkedin.com/in/shcherbakovds/ Website - https://tonton.games/ My Links  Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal 5-day email course: www.enterprisesalesexpertise.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit partnergrow.substack.com