UNBOUND FOUNDERS 🎙️ w Tal Co-Founder of Lineup Games | Bringing Millions to Web3 Gaming 🔥

The Spaces featured an in‑depth conversation with Tal Friedman, co‑founder of Lineup Games and former senior leader at Playtika, alongside hosts Mike and Capo and community member David. Tal traced his path from managing large mobile game studios to founding Lineup with his brother Raz and third co‑founder Shahaf (ex‑COTI), driven by a vision to fix the broken mobile gaming funnel with web3 technologies. He shared personal insights on working with family, lessons from his father’s robotics entrepreneurship, and the importance of emotional control and relationship‑first leadership. From Playtika, Tal emphasized profit discipline, data‑driven iteration, VIP customer success, and listening to users. He outlined Lineup’s model: transparent onboarding of web2 gamers, a network loyalty/reputation token across multiple mobile titles, and reduced user acquisition costs via a shared ecosystem. Lineup’s current games, Gold Striker (near-term monetization) and Striker League (mid‑core, higher LTV), run on a reusable tech platform. The team chose Sui for its aligned tech stack (e.g., ZK Login), community support, and fit for a closed‑loop token. Tal closed with founder advice: choose strong complementary co‑founders, set a clear business plan, and commit for years.

Summary: Lineup Games x Sui Twitter Spaces

Participants and Roles

• Mike (Host, Unbound Founders): Led the conversation, community-focused, facilitated Q&A and giveaways.
• Capo (Co-host): Managed Space logistics, introduced the guest, discussed community alignment.
• Diego (Community/BD): Assisted with Space setup, chimed in on audio troubleshooting; part of Lineup’s BD/community team.
• Tal Friedman (Guest; Co-founder & CEO, Lineup Games): Former Playtika product lead and studio GM; shared background, vision, product and network strategy.
• Raz Friedman (Co-founder, Lineup Games; Tal’s older brother): Product/development lead; former early Playtika leader and CPO. Mentioned by Tal.
• Shahaf (Third Co-founder, Lineup Games): Deep crypto background; previously managed COTI. Mentioned by Tal.
• David/Davy (Listener, builder on Sui): Offered supportive remarks and alignment on Roblox-like vision on Sui.
• Daryl (Lineup BD/community): Credited for organizing; did not speak on-record.

Flow of the Space

• Opening: Significant mic issues; suggestions to adjust Mac audio, switch devices; Tal eventually joined with clear audio.
• Personal/Founders Story: Tal’s career at Playtika; working with brother Raz; family influences and relationship management.
• Playtika Lessons: Business-first discipline, data orientation, VIP/customer success rigor, early genre innovation.
• Lineup Games Vision: Web3 as enabling tech for mobile gaming loyalty/ownership, frictionless onboarding of Web2 gamers.
• Product Strategy: Network of games and a single cross-game tokenized loyalty/reputation system; current titles Striker League and Golf Striker.
• Go-to-Market & UA: Broken UA economics; network-driven solution akin to Roblox; open ecosystem vision on Sui.
• Chain Choice: Moved from Solana to Sui for alignment of technology (e.g., ZK Login), community support, and gaming focus.
• Community & Closing: Emphasis on listening, feedback loops, founder advice; optimism about rapid change (AI), Sui as a home for mobile gaming.
• Housekeeping: Whitelist giveaway for Potato Finance “Hero Mint” (Nov 1); DM wallet to Mike.

Tal’s Background and Team Dynamics

• Career: Over a decade in mobile game development; started as an entrepreneur; joined Playtika, led its biggest title; later GM of a major studio (350+ people). Observes AI has drastically reduced needed team scale versus past operations.
• Founding Lineup: Left Playtika ~4 years ago with his brother Raz (early Playtika leader/CPO) and co-founded Lineup with Shahaf (crypto veteran; ex-COTI). Built Lineup to address systemic problems in mobile gaming, leveraging Web3 technologies.
• Working With Family:
  • Pros: Deep trust, transparent/direct communication, complementary strengths.
  • Roles: Tal focuses on business, marketing, UA, monetization; Raz leads product, dev, UI/UX, and creative.
  • Realism: Conflicts happen; resolve with perspective, timing, and apologies; avoid crossing irreversible lines.
• Personal Influences:
  • Father’s entrepreneurship in industrial robotics instilled confidence to tackle difficult challenges and pioneer.
  • Father’s advice emphasized doing what you love (path selection by passion), learning by observation, and self-belief.
  • Lifestyle: Tal and Raz share hobbies (surfing, snowboarding); Raz is a pilot.

Key Lessons from Playtika (and Why They Matter Now)

• Market Innovation: Playtika mainstreamed “social casino” without cash-out—demonstrates finding the “crack in the wall” in crowded markets.
• Business Discipline: “Count dollars daily”—focus on profitability early; prioritize business outcomes over merely building “cool products.”
• Data Orientation:
  • Across funnel: UA performance, upper funnel, and product telemetry.
  • With users: Weekly conversations with VIPs, qualitative insights to inform product and targeting.
• VIP/Customer Success: Building, retaining, and supporting whales is critical; cheaper to retain than to acquire. This principle underpins Lineup’s loyalty and reputation system.
• Why Web3: Enable players to own a stake in the game’s economy (not just consume). Tal’s realization from Clash of Clans and observing “black market” account sales: players invest time/money but historically leave with zero transferable value.

Lineup Games Vision: Web3 as Enabling Infrastructure

• Philosophy: Web3 is the tech layer; don’t force crypto complexity on users. Prioritize fun and frictionless mobile experiences; bring Web2 gamers in transparently.
• Core Model: A single, cross-game tokenized loyalty and reputation system across a network of games.
  • Players accrue “reputation” by engaging (playtime, progression) and spending (IAP). Higher reputation yields more rewards.
  • Closed-loop token economy: In-game currencies (e.g., “diamonds”) map to network token utility; over time, benefits can be realized and, where appropriate, cashed out.
  • Analogy: Functionally similar to robust loyalty programs but architected with crypto for portability, transparency, and extended utility.
• Community Integration: Web3 enables early community participation and feedback; founders must balance rapid iteration with realistic expectations.

UA Economics and the “Broken” Funnel (Tal’s Diagnosis and Remedy)

• Problem: UA costs have surged (Meta, TikTok, AppLovin), driven by public-company revenue demands while user growth plateaus; startups are crowded out, top-grossing charts dominated by big studios.
• Network Remedy: A Roblox-like model (without locking developers into a single walled garden):
  • Build a network where traffic is recycled across many titles; players stay inside the ecosystem, effecting a massive UA cost reduction.
  • Open to external developers: As long as they honor the network’s loyalty/reputation and token standards, they can access traffic cheaply or free.
  • Single network token: Carries reputation and rewards across titles; aligns incentives for developers and players.
  • Outcome: Win-win—developers gain reachable audiences and lower UA costs, players gain persistent recognition and rewards, the network gains compounding value.

Making Mobile Games That Actually Win (Tal’s Practical Playbook)

• Perfection Across Multiple Functions:
  • Product: Hook within the first 1–5 minutes; tight onboarding, day-1 retention; clear progression.
  • Monetization: Conversion, repeat purchases; sustained engagement and value.
  • UA: Testable, data-driven acquisition that turns profitable over time.
  • CS/VIP: Responsive support and lifecycle management.
• Long Optimization Cycle: Expect 1–2 years of production iteration to reach profitability. Many teams fail because they underestimate this journey or fall in love with the wrong product.
• Ruthless Pivoting: Tal’s team killed their first game at Lineup when data showed it would never hit necessary metrics—experience and discipline enabled a hard reset.
• Belief + Data: Friends who sold to Playtika spent ~18 months in optimization despite criticism—success requires persistence and a data-first mindset.

Current Products and Strategy at Lineup Games

• Network Tech: Built base technology to spin up and operate multiple connected titles rapidly; second and future titles can be shipped faster.
• Striker League:
  • Audience: Mid-core; slower early monetization; higher long-term LTV potential.
  • Status: “Slow-cook” approach; ongoing optimization expected to pay off but takes longer to mature.
• Golf Striker (transcribed at times as “Gold Striker”):
  • Audience/Model: Faster path to monetization; currently ahead in business metrics.
  • Strategy: Resource allocation prioritized to accelerate monetization; goal to reach strong monetization by year-end.
• Portfolio Strategy: Dynamic allocation based on data; balance near-term revenue (Golf Striker) with longer-term upside (Striker League).

Why Sui

• Re-evaluation Post-Pivots: After early work on Solana, the team reconsidered chain selection during strategic shifts.
• Fit and Support: Sui’s team, community, and tech aligned with Lineup’s needs (e.g., closed-loop token architecture, ZK Login for low-friction onboarding).
• Vision: Sui as the “home for mobile gaming,” enabling a Roblox-like ecosystem on-chain; ambition to onboard numerous developers and games.

Community Notes

• Giveaway: Potato Finance “Hero Mint” whitelist (Nov 1)—listeners instructed to reply and DM wallets to Mike.
• Listener Engagement: David/Davy echoed the importance of Sui’s onboarding experience and network vision; offered collaboration.

Tal’s Advice to Founders

• Team First: Choose cofounders who complement your strengths and with whom you can endure the journey; solo founding is possible but exceptionally challenging.
• Clear Business Plan: Have concrete goals—even if they evolve—to guide decisions and measure progress; be accountable to yourself and investors.
• Commit for the Long Haul: Expect at least four years of intense work; most ventures fail—start only if you’re willing to fully commit.

Notable Quotes and Ideas

• “Find the crack in the wall”—on identifying unique market openings.
• “Count the dollars every day”—Playtika’s business-first mindset.
• “Web3 is just technology”—don’t burden users with crypto complexity; deliver fun and value first.
• “Biggest success in life is choosing your own road and not sleeping through it”—on self-determination.

Highlights and Takeaways

• Strong Founder-Market Fit: Tal’s Playtika background directly informs Lineup’s data, retention, and monetization practices.
• Product + Network Strategy: Building a multi-game network with a unified loyalty/reputation token system to reduce UA costs and increase player value.
• Practical Execution: Killing underperforming products, prioritizing titles based on monetization readiness, and persisting through long optimization cycles.
• Chain Fit: Sui selected for tech (ZK Login, closed-loop token support), culture, and community alignment.
• Community-Centric: Continuous feedback and open communication are integral; Web3-style early community involvement is a feature, not a bug.

Bright Spots

• Golf Striker is ahead on monetization and targeted for strong performance by year-end.
• Striker League positioned for higher ultimate LTV; optimizing with patience.
• Sui community engagement is strong; Lineup’s vision resonates broadly.

Risks and Challenges (Acknowledged)

• High UA costs and crowded markets demand near-perfection across the stack.
• Long optimization cycles can be demoralizing and capital-intensive.
• Community expectations must be managed while iterating rapidly.

Next Steps to Watch

• Continued iteration on Striker League and Golf Striker release cadence and monetization.
• Formalization of the cross-game loyalty/reputation token mechanics and user experience.
• Developer onboarding frameworks for external titles into the Lineup network on Sui.
• Community touchpoints and progress updates as the network evolves.