Today we’re speaking with Kenny Rosenblatt, who alongside co-founder Jessica Rovello, has spent the last 23 years building Arkadium, the world’s favorite site for free online casual games. Since their beginnings as a small Flash game studio, they’ve grown Arkadium into the world’s favorite game site with over 150 million game starts every month, and a syndication network that includes USA Today and The Washington Post. In this interview, he shares how marketing is evolving in the casual gaming industry.
First Page Sage: Arkadium has been in the casual gaming space for over two decades. How has marketing evolved in that time?
Kenny Rosenblatt: The biggest shift is that marketing no longer just promotes games—it defines them. In the early 2000s, word-of-mouth and portals drove growth. Today, discoverability is engineered through performance marketing, brand strategy, and partnerships. Marketing is now part of the development process. You have to think about your core audience, viral potential, monetization messaging, and retention funnels before you write a line of code.
First Page Sage: Which recent trends in casual gaming have impacted Arkadium’s marketing strategy, and how?
Rosenblatt: We’re seeing a move away from app-store dependency. Instead, smart marketing means meeting players where they are. For us, that’s embedding games directly on trusted media sites like USA Today or The Washington Post. It’s seamless, contextual, and marketing-driven at its core: our games serve as both product and promotion. That shift—from push marketing to embedded brand experiences—is changing how casual games grow.
First Page Sage: Casual games used to be seen as disposable time-killers. How has marketing helped reframe that?
Rosenblatt: Smart marketing has redefined casual games as tools for wellness, focus, and even community. We’re no longer just selling games—we’re selling experiences. By framing gameplay as part of a daily mental escape or cognitive break, we’re tapping into lifestyle marketing. That’s why we see more engagement from adults and older demographics now—it’s no longer just about fun, it’s about value.
First Page Sage: You’ve built multiple revenue streams—from subscriptions to developer partnerships. How is marketing shaping those models?
Rosenblatt: Marketing drives personalization. Different users respond to different models—some prefer ad-supported play, others want subscriptions for a cleaner experience. Marketing helps us segment, message, and design for those preferences. It’s no longer just about acquiring users—it’s about offering the right value at the right time. And the same goes for developers: we market to them too, showing how partnering with Arkadium helps their games grow.
First Page Sage: Last year, Arkadium launched a developer publishing fund. How has that impacted your marketing strategy?
Rosenblatt: It’s marketing as matchmaking. We invest in developers not just to publish their games, but to co-create the narrative and audience strategy. We’re not just buying inventory—we’re building brands together. In this new era, publishing is 50% marketing. You can’t succeed without a plan for how to reach, engage, and retain players from day one.
First Page Sage: Is there a broader lesson here for how marketing has changed when it comes to the casual gaming industry?
Rosenblatt: Yes—marketing is no longer a cost center. It’s the core growth engine. Marketing informs product decisions, UX, monetization, partnerships, and even talent recruitment. The companies winning in casual games today are the ones treating marketing as a strategic layer across the entire business.
