Game Development
How Much Does a Playable Ad Cost in 2026?
Playable ads cost from a few hundred dollars to $30,000+. What drives the price in 2026, network specs, timelines, and how to avoid paying twice.
Oct 29, 2026
Ali Raza
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Practical articles on game development, interactive products, WebGL, software engineering, AI, and the lessons behind building and shipping real work.
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Case Study
How I Reduced a 1.2GB Unity WebGL Build to 68MB and Made It Deployment-Ready in 1 Week
Reduced a 1.2GB Unity WebGL build to 68MB (94.3%) by restructuring media architecture, moving video assets to Cloudflare R2, and implementing runtime streaming with failure-safe logic. Delivered a production-ready research deployment in one week.
Ali RazaJun 9, 2026Game Development
How Much Does a Playable Ad Cost in 2026?
Playable ads cost from a few hundred dollars to $30,000+. What drives the price in 2026, network specs, timelines, and how to avoid paying twice.
Ali RazaOct 29, 2026
Game Development
What Becomes Valuable When AI Makes Game Prototyping Cheap?
AI can make game prototypes faster and cheaper. After 10K+ Reddit views, I looked at what developers think becomes more valuable as that happens.
Originally published on thealiraza.com
Ali RazaOct 20, 2026
Game Development
Finish Small: The Founder Discipline That Builds Momentum (Not Burnout)
Founders don’t fail because of lack of ideas, they fail because they try to ship too big. This blog explains why small, consistent finishes outperform big launches, and how you can rebuild momentum with a simple shipping discipline that compounds every week.
Originally published on thealiraza.com
Ali RazaJun 9, 2026
Game Development
From Hyper-Casual to Web3: Lessons Learned in 9 Years of Game Development
Nine years ago, my first game project was nothing glamorous — a flying simulator where an F-86 jet dropped bombs on tanks. It was my university FYP, but it planted a seed. I realized game development wasn’t just about code, it was about building worlds and experiences.
Originally published on thealiraza.com
Ali RazaJun 9, 2026
Game Development
Systems‑First Prototyping: The 3 Rules That Save Sprints
Most prototypes die from scope fog, not lack of talent. Ship faster by designing systems first: define inputs & state, prove loops in isolation, and log deterministically. You’ll cut risk, surface truths early, and be able to hand off work without myth.
Originally published on thealiraza.com
Ali RazaJun 9, 2026
Game Development
From Chaos to Clockwork: The Journey to Building TickForge
TickForge started as a late-night obsession. I wanted to build RPG combat that was cinematic, skill-based, and 100% reproducible. No random quirks. No “it worked on my machine.” Just pure, deterministic simulation.
Originally published on thealiraza.com
Ali RazaJun 9, 2026
Web & Software
Systems Thinking, AI, Gamification: The Future Formula for Modern Software
How my journey from game development to large-scale software systems led me to a simple formula: strong architecture, intelligent automation, and engaging user experience.
Originally published on thealiraza.com
Ali RazaFeb 5, 2026