<p>Roguelites have dominated mobile and Steam for three years — Survivor IO, Vampire Survivors, Habi’s new games, and a wave of Steam hits. But the genre is hitting a wall: every run resets too much, and long-term progression is stuck in 2018.</p><p><br></p><p>In this solo episode, Jakub breaks down the next evolution of the roguelite genre: the imprint system — a mechanic where each run becomes a permanent resource.</p><p><br></p><p>What you’ll learn</p><p>• Why traditional roguelites suffer from harsh resets</p><p>• How Uma Musume solved the progression problem with “run → character” imprints</p><p>• How Chaos Zero Nightmare created a more accessible imprint system</p><p>• Why deckbuilders (Slay the Spire-style) handle imprints perfectly</p><p>• Why MegaBong, Bonk roguelites, and Ball X-Pit are missing the key feature</p><p>• How imprint systems increase retention, investment, and buildcraft</p><p>• Why the next Western roguelite hit will use this mechanic</p><p>• Why Habi, Supercell, and 4X devs will adopt it in 2026</p><p><br></p><p>Key takeaway</p><p>The future of roguelites is simple: your best run should never die — it should become your next strongest asset.</p><p><br></p><p>Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let&#39;s not take it too seriously.</p><p>Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠</p><p>Podcast: </p><p><br></p><p>Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters</p><p>00:00 — The core problem with roguelites (resets ruin progression)</p><p>03:10 — Uma Musume: the first full-feature imprint system</p><p>08:20 — Chaos Zero Nightmare: the streamlined imprint evolution</p><p>13:10 — Steam roguelites (MegaBong, Ball X-Pit): deep innovation but missing imprint save</p><p>18:00 — The future: imprint systems will redefine mobile roguelites</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>Matej Lancaric</p><p>User Acquisition &amp; Creatives Consultant</p><p>⁠https://lancaric.me</p><p>Felix Braberg</p><p>Ad monetization consultant</p><p>⁠https://www.felixbraberg.com</p><p>Jakub Remiar</p><p>Game design consultant</p><p>⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs &amp; cats. Especially cats! They love it!</p><p>Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!</p><p>Please share feedback and comments - [email protected]</p><p>---------------------------------------</p><p>If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &amp; sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric</p><p>Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai</p>