In a post–Epic v. Apple world, the rise of alternative app stores is signaling a huge shift towards a more fair ecosystem. AMILOVA is leaning into that change, rejecting the traditional walled gardens of Apple, Google, and Steam for a cross-platform ecosystem where comics, games, and UGC intertwine. 

As detailed in this article, AMILOVA’s Founder, Adrien Bacchi, talks about how the company's strategy centres on full-funnel attribution, IP-driven engagement, and community-led growth - offering a fresh, sustainable model for UA in an increasingly fragmented landscape, a signal to developers and publishers that the time to diversify beyond legacy platforms is now.

If you're looking to break out of the old app store playbook - or just want a fresh take on how to do it - this one’s worth a read.

 

AMILOVA tackles UA challenges in a closed platform world

The biggest challenge is standing out in ecosystems that are both saturated and opaque. Platforms like Apple, Google, and Steam are algorithm-driven, with rising UA costs and limited access to user-level data. With Apple’s ATT, Google’s Privacy Sandbox, and Steam’s lack of tracking tools, attribution is increasingly fragmented.

AMILOVA takes a different path - we're a cross-platform hub reaching users via web, mobile, and social, free from those closed ecosystems. This lets us offer something rare today: transparent, first-party user attribution. AMILOVA isn’t just about games - it’s also comics, UGC, and community, allowing us to acquire users in less crowded, more engaging spaces.

For UA partners and developers, this means clear insight into user sources, more reliable LTV modeling, and tracking across formats; from comic readers to gamers.

How AMILOVA converts its comic audience into gamers

We’re building AMILOVA as a fully interconnected ecosystem where comics, games, and UGC feed into one another. Our engaged comic and manga audience will transition naturally into gaming through fun, creative cross-media experiences.

We’re developing UGC tools and cross-media APIs so content flows seamlessly between formats. Stories can start in comics and continue in games, unlock new chapters or arcs through gameplay, and evolve into fan-made spin-offs, mods, or visual novels.

We’re giving the community tools to build true transmedia worlds, where a universe can begin as a game, then grow into a webcomic, fanfic, or interactive narrative.

This structure deepens emotional connection, encourages exploration across formats, and turns every user into a potential creator.

Our goal isn’t just to acquire users but activate them. That’s how AMILOVA will grow: organically, virally, and with real community ownership.

Prioritising community over paid UA - for now

Our strategy is primarily focused on organic growth, powered by community, UGC, and IP-driven engagement. AMILOVA thrives on quality content and passionate fanbases, creating cost-efficient UA loops that scale naturally.

That said, we’ll invest in paid UA where it makes sense especially for our own games like MangaRPG and AmourAgent, which have high retention and strong LTVs. Since we fully own them, we capture 100% of the ROAS, making these campaigns efficient and sustainable.

For third-party games, paid UA will likely come after the first two years, once we’ve built a strong foundation and can clearly measure performance.

Meanwhile, we’ll focus on organic growth from community and UGC, curation to spotlight standout content and strategic IP partnerships to reach engaged audiences

Our goal isn’t just user acquisition, it’s acquiring the right users who engage, create, and stay. Paid campaigns are a lever. Community and content are the engine.

Equipping developers with real UA tools and transparency

We have big ambitions for AMILOVA: to become the most UA-friendly platform for developers and publishers. It will take time and funding, but we’re already building what most platforms lack; transparency, control, and real marketing tools.

With 20+ years of experience in UA, media buying, and affiliation, we know what professionals really need:

1.  Full-funnel attribution, with granular tracking from comic reader to gamer
2.  Affiliate-ready tools and SEO-optimized pages to drive traffic and scale
3. Cross-content activations that tie gameplay to stories and fan engagement
4. Performance dashboards showing real metrics like LTV, ROAS, and retention

We're not copying the app stores; we're fixing their blind spots. 

Early UA success will be measured in conversion and retention

In the beginning, success isn’t about scale—it’s about quality and conversion. We’ll focus on SEO driven organic traffic growth through the conversion rates of readers to gamers, session depth across content types, community engagement and UGC activity, and LTV and retention by acquisition source.

Because we control the full funnel (comics, games, community),we’ll have clear, granular attribution and can quickly see what works. We're taking cues from smart platforms like QooApp, GOG, and Webtoon; focusing on niche content, strong SEO, and community-led growth rather than brute-force paid UA.

AMILOVA’s content-led approach to surfacing games

Discovery is broken in most storefronts—buried listings, generic carousels, no context. At AMILOVA, we’re solving this through smart, content-driven systems that guide users organically through the funnel:

Our first approach is through narrative-driven discovery. Games are promoted through stories, creator content, and recommendations like Webtoon or Netflix so users discover gameplay naturally through what they already love.

We’ll also use personalized Feeds inspired by TikTok and the Epic Games Store, where every user sees a homepage tailored to their behavior across games, comics, and community engagement.

Cross-Media Incentives will also be key: reading a comic can unlock game content, and game progression can reveal bonus chapters, creating natural, rewarding user journeys.

And finally community-signal boosting. Just like on YouTube or Twitch, we surface content that users like, share, or create around, putting the most engaging content in front of the right audiences.

Transmedia in action: UA techniques blend storytelling and gameplay

YES, transmedia is at the core of our UA strategy. We're building experiences that connect stories and gameplay in ways that drive deep engagement and organic growth. We’ll use interactive story events like Fortnite’s Marvel and Star Wars arcs, linking comic storylines to in-game missions or events, and creating seamless narrative bridges.

Another approach is through fan-created extensions. With Amilova, users will create comics, visual novels, or mods based on known IPs, turning fans into active promoters.

Taking inspiration from Genshin Impact, we’ll also introduce rewarded cross-media progression. Users will unlock game content through comics and vice versa, boosting funnel movement. And finally, we’re drawing inspiration from Roblox and Stranger Things' collaboration campaigns. We’ll let creators build exclusive side stories or prequels that draw their communities into the platform.

1. Fan-Created Extensions – Inspired by DreamSMP and Wattpad

2. Creator Collab Campaigns – Similar to Roblox x Stranger Things

Turning users into long-term community builders

Retention is all about connection and participation. At AMILOVA, we’ll keep users engaged across comics, games, and community with four key strategies. The first is persistent progression. Like Fortnite or Genshin, users will build their profile by reading, playing, and creating; unlocking rewards across the ecosystem. Community recognition is also key; inspired by Twitch and Webtoon, we’ll showcase top contributors and creators through rankings, badges, and exclusive perks. We’ll also use cross-media events with limited-time drops, story-driven missions, and collabs to reward loyalty and give fans reasons to come back.

And finally, creating social and creative loops will be key. Like Wattpad and Roblox, we’ll empower fans to remix, comment, and co-create, turning them from users into active community members.