The Power of Q5 and Retention: Lessons from SciPlay

We sat down once again with SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson to unpack what keeps the company ahead in social casino and beyond. In our last conversation, we covered the key drivers behind their growth—data-driven decisions, infrastructure improvements, strategic acquisitions, and a stronger direct-to-consumer focus (read more in 6 x Operative Changes That Kept SciPlay Growing Despite the Market Headwinds).

This time, we go deeper into how SciPlay is adapting, innovating, and setting the stage for the future of gaming.

The Extended Power of Q5

Mishka kicks off the conversation by diving into the topic of the fifth quarter (Q5), a time of the year that presents a significant opportunity for game makers due to a surge in new device gifting, resulting in a spike in user downloads.

Josh clarifies the notion. For him, Q5 is no longer just the period after December 25th when new devices enter the market and user acquisition costs drop, creating a rare window for aggressive user acquisition. For games, Q5 actually begins a week before Thanksgiving and runs all the way until mid-February. The extended timeframe comes from a combination of factors—people taking time off, higher engagement, and a unique window where player behavior shifts, making it the perfect moment to introduce fresh content, optimize Live Ops, and drive long-term retention.

"If you don't have the best game, you missed out. If you didn't drive it correctly on the other side, you missed out because there's just no making up for it the rest of the year."

To fully take advantage of Q5, developers must supercharge their Live Ops, release content faster, and ensure their game is optimized for the influx of new users post-Christmas. With Apple’s privacy changes, this window has only become more important—some studios straight-up depend on Q5 returns to carry them through the year. Nail it, and it’s not just a seasonal boost—it’s momentum that lasts.

Stalled Growth in the Gaming Industry

SciPlay has been on a consistent growth path. The company has been unhindered by market evolution, changes in the company ownership going from private to public to being acquired by another public company.

The podcast transitioned to discussing the challenges posed by privacy changes, which have disrupted traditional growth strategies. Josh reflected on the industry's shift in 2021—from a revenue-growth-driven mindset to a margin-focused approach. In response, SciPlay pivoted to prioritize customer retention, effectively adopting a player-first philosophy (also read more about this in our previous blog where Josh talks about how they are “more of a CRM company than we are a mobile video game company”).

"If we can't buy growth, how do we grow? The only way to grow in this world is to never lose a customer you own. And we became a customer retention company."

Instead of chasing user acquisition at unsustainable costs, SciPlay doubled down on player experience, engagement, and longevity. The results speak for themselves—rather than relying on a single hit game, they have methodically grown multiple titles year over year.

"When you're the first, everyone else follows. And while they're trying to catch up, we're already pivoting to the next thing."

This philosophy has allowed SciPlay to navigate industry-wide stagnation while maintaining sustainable growth.

From Social Casino to Hybridcasual?!?

SciPlay is not the only one to jump on the hybridcasual bandwagon.

SciPlay ventured into hybridcasual games, a move that might have seemed surprising given its foundation in social casino games. Josh explained that the initial focus on hypercasual games was to tap into their vast install base. 

However, after Apple’s IDFA changes led to a collapse in the hypercasual market, SciPlay pivoted to creating a network of interconnected games. This approach aimed to enhance player retention by encouraging users to move between games and identify high-LTV players for their core business.

A significant takeaway from this transition was understanding the limitations of ad monetization, which has a built-in LTV cap. Players started off valuable, but their worth decreased over time, making it crucial to shift them from ad-supported models to in-app purchases.

When the conversation shifts toward comparing hybridcasual and social casino, Josh acknowledges the obvious differences—session length, engagement patterns, and core mechanics. But at their core, he argues, the two genres are remarkably similar (you can hear the full breakdown in the podcast).

Looking ahead, Josh believes hybrid casual is the natural evolution of casual gaming. With Match Hotel launched under SciPlay Turkey, the team is focused on fine-tuning engagement, optimizing retention, and applying their expertise in player longevity to this new space.

AI at SciPlay: Incremental Gains, Future Potential

The last main topic discussed on the podcast was AI and its influence on gaming and our day-to-day life.

While AI is not yet revolutionary at SciPlay, Josh Wilson believes its impact is inevitable. Right now, it’s focused on efficiency—eliminating repetitive tasks, improving decision-making, and giving time back to teams. But it still lacks emotional intelligence, creativity, and true problem-solving abilities. It can optimize, but it can’t innovate: 

"AI can solve a problem because it has seen it before, but it won’t be the next Isaac Newton."

Mishka, however, offers a slightly different perspective—arguing that AI is already quite effective at problem-solving, but its true strength lies in supporting creative thinking rather than replacing it. It provides a starting point, a template answer, although the real breakthroughs still come from human ingenuity.

As AI continues to evolve, the nature of teamwork and skill sets will shift. With AI handling more of the routine tasks, Josh believes team structures will become smaller and more integrated, requiring stronger collaboration, emotional intelligence, and communication. 

Mishka, on the other hand, notes a counter-trend: AI is also empowering individual creators to produce more with fewer dependencies, raising the question of whether collaboration will become less necessary.

Josh acknowledges this but believes that soft skills like teamwork, social influence, and empathy will become more valuable as the workplace shifts. "It’s going to be harder to hide behind being emotionally distant. In smaller teams, if you're not collaborative, you’ll be left behind."

To sum it up, while AI will replace many routine and mid-level tasks, Josh believes that the most valuable people in the industry will be those who think differently, challenge the norm, and create entirely new solutions—things AI simply can’t do (yet).