With a young mobile-first population, strong developer ecosystem, and rapidly evolving monetization strategies, Türkiye offers valuable insights into how games, commerce, and social platforms are converging.
In this interview, Adjust Sales Director META Başak Zerman shares her perspective on AI-first gaming experiences, hybrid monetization models, social gaming trends, and why Türkiye is increasingly viewed as a critical laboratory for the global gaming ecosystem.
Türkiye’s mobile commerce market is expected to reach tens of billions of dollars by 2029. How will gaming and e-commerce shape their share of this growth?
The rapid growth of mobile commerce in Türkiye is actually not surprising; the infrastructure was already in place. A young, mobile-first population, high smartphone penetration, and a strong gaming culture are the key elements supporting this ecosystem. What is particularly striking is that gaming and e-commerce are no longer separate worlds; they have become a cycle that feeds each other.
On the gaming side, Türkiye has a significant user base on a global scale. The most important transformation we will see by 2029 is the evolution of games into marketplaces. In-game commerce, digital product economies, and social commerce will transform games from pure entertainment into spaces of economic activity. Platforms like Trendyol or Hepsiburada may not be gaming companies, but they will compete for the same users’ attention and spending behavior.
In e-commerce, Türkiye’s key advantage comes from the strong development of its logistics and payment infrastructure. When this is combined with AI-driven personalization and mobile attribution technologies, we will see a major leap in marketing efficiency. At Adjust, we are right at the center of this transformation, focusing on technologies that shape the future of mobile commerce and help marketers operate more efficiently and effectively.
What will separate winners from losers in mobile gaming in 2026?
In 2026, the most critical factor determining success in the mobile gaming industry will be the speed at which data is turned into action. It will no longer be about who builds the best game, but who understands their users the best.
User behavior is changing rapidly. Players are becoming more impatient, more selective, and more conscious. In markets like Türkiye, economic pressures are pushing users to ask the question “Is this worth paying for?” much earlier. This means that the fate of a game is increasingly determined during the first 72 hours of the initial user experience.
The winning studios will be those that optimize this critical window through AI-powered personalization. Here, AI is no longer just a cost-reduction tool; it becomes a real-time decision engine. It allows developers to know which offer to present to which user and when—and even predict which players are likely to churn up to 48 hours in advance. Adjust data shows that these high-quality signals translate directly into improved LTV.
Hybrid monetization models have now become the clear standard. However, the right balance is crucial: studios that fail to manage the subscription + in-app purchase + rewarded ads triangle effectively will exhaust their users and ultimately lose them. The winning model in 2026 will not punish users for their unwillingness to pay, but instead make them feel valued through multiple engagement channels.
Türkiye is one of the most striking examples of this trend. High inflation and currency pressure have fundamentally reshaped monetization strategies: 77% of gaming revenue in Türkiye is now ad-based rather than IAP-driven.
Users are not avoiding spending—they are simply changing how they spend. Interestingly, despite these economic pressures, Türkiye recorded 28% growth in mobile gaming consumer spending in 2024, leading emerging markets ahead of Mexico (21%) and India (17%). In other words, Turkish users are both highly price-sensitive and extremely active. Studios that can manage both dynamics simultaneously will gain a significant competitive advantage and emerge as the winners of 2026.
How are AI-first gaming experiences impacting players?
By AI-first gaming experiences, we mean that artificial intelligence is no longer just a background algorithm but a layer of intelligence embedded into the DNA of the game itself. This fundamentally changes the user experience.
The most visible impact is personalization. AI algorithms can now shape the gameplay experience in real time according to each player’s behavior, dynamically adjusting difficulty levels and offering personalized missions and rewards. This creates a powerful feeling for players that “this game understands me,” which has become one of the strongest drivers of user retention.
Another major impact is churn management. With AI-powered predictive modeling, it becomes possible to detect when a player is likely to abandon a game up to 48 hours in advance and intervene with personalized content, offers, or rewards. This creates a proactive player relationship model rather than a reactive one.
However, there is an important nuance here: while an AI-first approach can be fascinating when used correctly, it can also become off-putting if implemented poorly. The industry is already seeing the emergence of “AI fatigue,” where excessive synthetic content can trigger negative reactions from users. The winners will be those who implement AI effectively without making the technology feel intrusive.
At Adjust, we clearly observe this transformation at the data layer. AI-powered audience targeting and real-time bidding allow studios to acquire significantly higher-quality users despite IDFA limitations.
By 2026, AI will become a fundamental infrastructure tool—similar to Excel. Those who use it will gain a clear advantage, while those still debating it will fall behind.
What are the new monetization strategies?
In 2026, relying on a single monetization model will no longer be enough. Games that rely solely on advertising struggle to generate long-term value, while those relying only on in-app purchases become dependent on a small group of paying users. As a result, the hybrid model has shifted from being a strategy choice to becoming a necessary infrastructure.
However, the real success lies in how the hybrid model is structured. Each user must be approached with their own “payment currency”: some spend money, some spend time, and others offer attention. The combination of subscriptions, in-app purchases, and rewarded ads addresses these three user profiles.
Rewarded ads are becoming increasingly strategic within this equation. While 82% of players prefer free ad-supported games over paid ones, 46% say ads are their biggest frustration. Studios that solve this paradox win: when delivered at the right time, in the right format, and aligned with player choice, ads become part of the gameplay loop rather than a disruption.
Social integrations are also emerging as a powerful revenue engine. According to BCG, Roblox and Fortnite paid 1.5 billion dollars to their creator economies in 2025, while 40% of players consumed more user-generated content compared to the previous year. Social mechanics are no longer just retention tools—they are becoming direct revenue channels.
Another surprising winner for 2026 will be direct-to-consumer web stores. To avoid the 30% commission charged by Apple and Google, studios are increasingly shifting toward direct sales channels. Some are already moving 25–30% of their revenue to this model. In price-sensitive markets like Türkiye, this is particularly important, as offering lower prices can directly improve conversion rates.
From Adjust’s perspective, measuring and optimizing these multiple revenue streams is becoming increasingly complex. The winning studios will not only choose the right monetization model but also continuously monitor and optimize the performance of every channel in real time.
How are social gaming and content integrations changing player behavior?
The answer is simple: players no longer just play—they also watch, share, and buy, often doing all three at the same time. This behavioral shift is fundamentally redefining the gaming economy.
Social integrations have a measurable impact on player behavior. Features such as guild chat, leaderboards, and cooperative missions can increase user lifetime value by 40–60%. This is not a coincidence—it directly appeals to two fundamental human needs: belonging and status. In markets like Türkiye, where community culture is particularly strong, this effect becomes even more pronounced.
On the video and social commerce side, the transformation is equally striking. The convergence of content and commerce is generating creator economy revenues that go far beyond one-time purchases. Streamers can now generate donations and sponsorship income without players ever leaving the game environment, creating a new revenue stream for developers as well.
TikTok is perhaps the clearest reflection of this transformation. U.S. social commerce sales reached 87 billion dollars in 2025 and are expected to surpass 100 billion dollars in 2026 according to eMarketer. Much of this growth comes from the “shoppertainment” model, where users arrive for entertainment but end up making purchases through content. In fact, 67% of TikTok users say they have been encouraged to buy something by content even when they initially had no intention to shop.
The gaming industry is rapidly adopting this model through streamer-driven in-game events, creator-led launch campaigns, and in-game product integrations. The boundary is no longer between gaming and commerce, but between entertainment and purchasing—and that boundary is becoming increasingly blurred.
From Adjust’s perspective, this transformation significantly complicates attribution. A user might watch a streamer on TikTok, hear about the game from a friend on Discord, and then find it through organic search. Studios that can accurately measure this journey can optimize their UA budgets and generate real ROI from social channels.
Why is the Turkish market considered a critical laboratory for the global gaming ecosystem?
I get this question often, and my answer is always the same: Türkiye is a unique stress-test environment for the global gaming ecosystem.
Everything happens here simultaneously and in extreme forms: a young population, high inflation, intense competition, bandwidth limitations, and a remarkably dynamic developer ecosystem.
Demographics clearly explain this “laboratory” effect. Approximately 45% of Türkiye’s population is under 30. This generation is mobile-first—while economic pressure may limit access to consoles, smartphones remain widely accessible. This creates a natural mass testing ground for mobile gaming.
The numbers support this thesis. Mobile game installs in Türkiye grew 12 times faster than the global average in 2024. While the global market grew by just 1%, Türkiye grew by 12%. In the first half of 2025, session times increased by 12%, compared to only 2% globally. This gap is not accidental—it reflects a structural advantage.
The Turkish gaming sector surpassed 1 billion dollars in revenue in 2025, growing by 25%. But the most striking fact is that 95% of that revenue comes from abroad. Every dollar earned is essentially foreign currency entering the Turkish economy, turning gaming into a strategic export industry.
The ecosystem’s depth is also undeniable. Istanbul has become Europe’s second-largest game development hub after London, with 844 active studios, 13 gaming-focused venture capital funds, and government reimbursement programs covering 50–60% of approved advertising expenditures.
Major success stories reinforce this momentum: Peak Games’ 1.8 billion dollar acquisition by Zynga in 2020, Dream Games reaching a 5 billion dollar valuation, and more recently Pixel Flow achieving a 1 billion dollar valuation.
Adjust clearly observes this dynamic: a UA strategy, retention model, or monetization balance that works in Türkiye can often be adapted to other emerging markets. Testing in Türkiye can produce global insights. This makes the country not just a target market but a strategic R&D environment.
How will the “super-app” approach reshape mobile gaming experiences in 2026?
While the concept of super apps is still being debated in the West, it has already matured in Asia thanks to WeChat and Douyin. By 2026, the mobile gaming world will adopt this model, but with its own unique interpretation.
Traditionally, a super app meant doing everything within a single platform: messaging, shopping, payments, and content. In gaming, the equivalent is different. Mobile games are evolving from isolated applications into always-on, socially driven ecosystems. The question is no longer just how players play, but how they participate. Games are becoming platforms rather than standalone products.
This transformation appears in three main areas.
The first is ecosystem integration. Apple is attempting to unify Arcade, social features, friend lists, and leaderboards under its new Games application, creating a console-like experience with the convenience of mobile.
The second is creator integration. The live streaming culture from TikTok and Twitch is increasingly embedded directly into gameplay, with studios designing tools for shareable moments and community challenges.
The third is commerce integration. In-game stores, D2C platforms, and social commerce are merging into a single revenue ecosystem.
The real power of the super-app approach lies in user data. A player who plays, watches, shops, and socializes within one ecosystem generates far more valuable behavioral insights than a user spread across multiple apps. Gaming, e-commerce, advertising, social media, and entertainment are all converging—and companies that can manage these domains within one ecosystem will gain a new level of competitive advantage.
Türkiye is a particularly interesting testing ground for this trend. A young mobile-first population and strong social gaming culture suggest that the super-app model could be adopted much faster here. Trendyol’s increasing focus on gaming and entertainment integrations is a clear sign of this momentum.
From Adjust’s perspective, this transformation is both exciting and challenging, especially on the measurement side. As users operate within a single ecosystem, attribution becomes increasingly complex. But studios that solve this challenge will gain not only better data but also a genuine competitive advantage.
Adjust Sales Director META
