Topic 1: Traffic

Traffic sources expected to show growth
SEO, PPC, and Facebook are expected to retain their status as key traffic sources driving the main volumes, despite the fact that there are still unresolved questions surrounding the performance of Facebook’s Andromeda algorithm.

ASO stands out as a particularly promising traffic source this year. Despite its volatility and strong dependence on team expertise, more and more market players are looking to implement and scale this channel. This is driven by advertisers’ willingness to pay higher rates for ASO compared to Facebook and in-app traffic, as well as by the higher quality of acquired users, which enables products to confidently attract and retain significant volumes.

PPC remains challenging: launches are difficult, resulting in limited traffic supply, while high competition continues to push bids upward. Against this backdrop, in-app traffic is steadily increasing its share by volume and is gradually becoming one of the key traffic sources.

Traffic KPIs: which ones to revisit and where to focus
In February, the priority shifts toward profitability rather than volume: smaller but predictable traffic with a clear payback is valued more than large volumes without a return on investment. In the current environment, teams that succeed are those who understand their unit economics and manage risks consciously, rather than simply scaling traffic for the sake of numbers.

Traffic sources with a focus on quality, not volume
The optimization trend will be relevant across all sources – volume for the sake of volume is becoming less attractive to advertisers, leaving little room for leniency. Every channel has its own pitfalls, and cases of low-quality traffic can be found anywhere, making a quality-first approach essential.

“Facebook will continue to remain in the spotlight, especially for crash game offers,” comments Bogdan Solodushchenko, Affiliate Team Lead at N1 Partners.

Testing hypotheses for February
More and more new slots and approaches are entering the market, making it especially important to closely monitor fresh releases from InOut and overall market trends, as well as to start looking for a replacement for “Chicken Road” now. Those who do this earlier than others are likely to gain the greatest advantage.

At the same time, there is a clear and steady trend toward deeper audience analysis from partners. Requests for more detailed audience segmentation, analysis of player prime time, top payment methods, and key gaming days of the week are becoming increasingly common. In this environment, it makes sense to collect as much relevant information as possible from partners and regularly update data on slots and games that have been delivering consistently strong results in recent periods.

Topic 2: New Sources and Formats

New or previously underestimated traffic sources to test in February
For teams that specialize exclusively in Facebook, it makes sense to take a closer look at Moloco. For teams with experience in PWA and SmartLink flows, a strong designer becomes a key success factor – someone capable of creating high-quality creatives and adapting them effectively to Moloco’s formats.

Overall, the focus should shift away from simply choosing a traffic source and toward developing approaches. It is unlikely that fundamentally new sources will emerge, while approaches themselves continue to evolve at a rapid pace. There are no universal recommendations here – everything depends on current goals and specific needs. At the same time, regularly updating information from advertisers on slots and games that are gaining popularity, along with testing new and fast-growing solutions, remains a justified and effective strategy.

Perfect formats for getting started (including small budgets and test launches)
This year, we expect to see a growing number of cases involving cooperation under the agency model. This format is especially suitable for teams without their own budgets or with limited turnover, while still remaining attractive to larger players, as it provides a steady flow of working capital and a stable percentage of monthly profit. For advertisers, the agency model offers greater influence over launches, more flexibility in testing relevant approaches and hypotheses, and faster adaptation to changing market conditions. Notably, the N1 Partners team also operates under this model.

Topic 3: GEOs

Most promising Tier-1 GEOs in terms of demand, competition, and traffic cost balance
In February, Canada, Australia, and Germany remain highly relevant. These GEOs are well balanced in terms of unit economics and traffic quality, while their large audience sizes allow for more flexible control over acquisition costs in certain scenarios. Competition in Tier-1 markets is undoubtedly high, but the scale of the audience helps partially offset this pressure and enables more stable and sustainable traffic strategies.

Tier-1 GEOs expected to see local growth in February

“Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, and Ireland. These markets remain popular and, thanks to a more flexible regulatory environment, can deliver solid growth with the right strategy,” notes Vlad Chernov, Deputy Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners.

GEOs where regulatory changes or platform updates may impact campaigns in February
It is worth paying closer attention to two GEOs:

• Australia: Due to changes in local regulations, Facebook may more actively block creatives and accounts that are not linked to a verified Australian company.

• Germany: New regulatory requirements restrict the promotion of brands without a GGL license in search engines, significantly complicating the launch and scaling of Google Ads in this GEO.

Topic 4: Creatives

Creative approaches that will stop working (or deliver below-average results)
In February, aggressive bonus-driven creatives, materials promising “easy” money, and any gray formats involving influencers or media personalities are expected to perform the worst. Such approaches are more likely to face strict moderation and tend to burn out much faster. Simply copying creatives from spy tools is no longer effective: recent Facebook updates require a more comprehensive and thoughtful creative process, including the involvement of a strong motion designer to produce unique, high-quality assets.

Approaches that will require adaptation or adjustments
Crash funnels have already started to change in Tier-3 markets, and this trend is expected to reach Tier-1 GEOs in the near future.

Crash games themselves are not going anywhere – classic formats like “Plinko” or “Chicken Road” will continue to generate traffic. However, it is already clear that creatives need to be refreshed and approaches adapted to new crash games that are rapidly gaining popularity and shaping fresh demand in the market.

Top recommendations for communication tone in gambling creatives in February
In the current environment, it makes sense to minimize aggressive messaging and shift the focus toward the product itself and the game slots.

“Moving away from an emphasis on quick earnings and instead focusing on player emotions – especially in Tier-1 GEOs – helps build more sustainable communication and attract higher-quality traffic,” shares Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners.

How to transform creatives for successful scaling
Testing new actors or characters, color palettes, and copy within creatives can deliver a noticeable performance uplift. At the same time, making creatives unique has become an industry standard: for horizontal scaling, simply duplicating existing creatives is no longer sufficient – each asset requires deliberate adaptation and regular refreshes.

Topic 5: Regulations

Changes in advertising platform policies already affecting launches in February
Throughout the past year, we have seen a consistent tightening of advertising platform policies toward gambling, and there is little reason to expect any easing this year. On the contrary, regulatory influence over platforms continues to grow. As early as February, pressure on key traffic sources is clearly visible: Meta is stepping up license verification, Google has tightened operator certification requirements and expanded its interpretation of gambling advertising, TikTok is almost completely blocking gambling promotions, and YouTube along with other platforms has strengthened age and content restrictions.

Taken together, these factors slow down the moderation process and increase the risk of creative rejections, even in the absence of officially announced policy updates.

Top advice for teams looking to get through February without bans or rollbacks

“It’s crucial to closely monitor creatives and maximize their uniqueness, while also choosing partners with high-quality accounts – this significantly reduces the risk of bans and helps ensure stable operations,” explains Bogdan Solodushchenko, Affiliate Team Lead at N1 Partners.

Overall, launches should be approached thoughtfully: pay close attention to accounts, creatives, and copy, remove unnecessary triggers, and avoid questionable wording. In practice, only testing will show what truly works, but excessive aggression in creatives is more likely to hurt than help. And, of course, choosing a reliable offer is critical – and that’s where we are always ready to assist.

These were the forecasts and insights from N1 Partners experts, which we are confident will help you achieve productive launches in February. The teams that win will be those that invest in creatives, work more deeply with their audience, test new approaches, and build long-term strategies rather than chasing short-term results.

The N1 Partners team is always one step ahead of market changes and trends, and our experts are ready to support you at every stage – from testing to scaling – to help your project take a leading position and become number one in its niche.