Exploring Life & Business with Max Albert of AppStop.io

Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Albert. 

Hi Max, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hilariously, I once had an old girlfriend describe my interests as “eclectic”. I’m a curious man, who develops intense yet short lived passions for all areas of life. Whether it be tech, poetry, nutrition, athletics, etc. the only consistent area that’s kept me coming back is gaming. 

My earliest memories were playing Mario Kart tournaments at my local library when I was 12. I came in 1st or 2nd every month and won $50-$100 every time. To a 12 year old, $100 makes you richer than a king. 

When all my friends left for soccer camp, I begged my mom to send me to programming boot camps run through the University of Michigan called “Camp CEAN” so I could learn how to develop my own games. It wasn’t easy. In fact, I was often the least gifted in class. But I had time on my side, because I started so young I was able to hone my skills all throughout middle school, high school, and college. 

After college I got a job as a software developer at Ford Motor Company, but I left in April of 2022 to pursue my passion of starting my own game studio. Our last game Deep Pass Jam, landed in the iOS top 100 free games list. 

As you know, we’re big fans of AppStop.io. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
AppStop.io creates mobile advergames (advertisement + games) for brands. Advergames are videogames but the whole point of them is to market a particular product. It may sound rather dull to some–but I’m confident they’ll be the gold standard for the mobile appstore by 2025. 

They seem to offer a better experience to the player than “freemium” games on the appstore today because advergame developers are not beholden to sketchy monetization practices such as Interstitial ads and in-app purchases. 

Also advertisers tend to benefit from a more curated approach to advertising

within the game. For instance look at Candy Crush and Prada. Their collaboration saw Prada’s site traffic increase by 1800% and a sell-out of 40,000 units of their new perfume “Candy” in 24 hours. 

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Optimistic persistence is paramount in life and in entrepreneurship. 

While building this company, I loved building the games and talking with potential players to get their take on the experience. I’m quite good at developing hit games as evidenced by Deep Pass Jam’s 4.9 star rating and viral appeal. 

What didn’t come so naturally to me was sales. Networking with ad agencies, brand managers, and even influencers is tough work. I’ve been rejected more times than you could count. It’s made me develop thick skin and approach every opportunity with more gratitude. 

I’m excited to keep on building. We have some exciting mobile games coming down the pipeline. Such as an addictive racing game we named “One Tap Victory Lap.” This time we are aiming for the top 10. 

Pricing: 

• Play DeepPassJam.com! There’s a free-to-play mode. 

Contact Info: 

• Website: https://AppStop.io 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max.albert1/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/maxvwalbert 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO5SS3aI8N4&feature=emb_title