We’ve talked with our users for some time that we’re planning on introducing ad monetization features to the GameRefinery service to compliment our IAP features. That day is finally here!
We are happy to introduce 13 new ad monetization features that are accessible throughout the GameRefinery service. Ad monetization features are broken down into three categories: four ad types, four Incentivized videos, and five other variables.
What you can do with the newly tracked ad monetization features
To name a few, the added ad monetization features allow you to see and do the following actions:
Market Explorer: See ad type, rewards & number of placements per segment! If you have access to demographic data, you can even see which ads individual demographic segments prefer!
Implementation Examples: See how direct competitors & reference points implement ads in their games.
Game overview pages: See which ad monetization features the games you’re interested in utilize the most.
Compare games: See which ad monetization features games have in common or lack. A good way to, for example, compare your own game to top-performing games out there.
Game Analyzer: See how your concepts or liveops games’ milestones would look like with ad monetization features implemented!
How to access and browse through ad monetization features utilizing our feature groups
Ad monetization feature popularities in hypercasual games in US games.
Implementation examples of how few arcade-genre games implement ad rewards in their games.
Ad monetization features offer tremendous insight to every professional out there interested in ad monetization – feature popularity, their position, rewards, and even UI elements to speed up research and development.
If you have any questions regarding ad monetization features, different use cases, or you want to learn more, don’t hesitate to send us a message!
Definitions
Here’s a quick rundown of all of the new tracked features.
Ad Type
Banner
Explanation
Games that utilize banner ads at least in certain parts in user interface design. Banner ads are embedded advertisements that link to content outside the game.
What it means
Battle Cats
Battle Cats has a banner ad at the bottom of the menu design that links to content outside the game.
Offer Wall
Explanation
Games that have implemented so-called “Offer wall”, i.e. a monetization solution that lets users earn free in-game currency/other rewards by completing certain actions outside the game itself.
Offer wall usually showcases several possible options for the player to earn rewards (e.g. participating in a survey or installing certain game/app rewards for 10 gems).
What it means
Dragon City Mobile
Dragon City Mobile has a typical offer wall where players can earn premium currency by completing tasks i.e. installing and playing other games or participating in surveys.
Forced Video
Explanation
Games that have forced videos appearing at least in certain parts of the game. As opposed to incentivized videos, players don’t have control over whether a forced ad video will be displayed. Instead, forced ads appear randomly, or they are triggered by certain player actions or time periods.
What it means
Bouncemasters
Bouncemasters has forced video ads appearing randomly from time to time.
Incentivized Video
Explanation
Games that have incentivized videos in them. As the name implies, incentivized videos encourage players to watch ad videos by rewarding players with various kinds of benefits.
These include:
- A) Temporary Boosts
- B) Free Continue/Revive
- C) Tangible Rewards
- D) Timer Skips
What it means
Archero
Every day you have the opportunity to watch an ad for rewards – in this case rewards include in-game currency, ingredient items for leveling up heroes and energy.
Incentivized Video Types
Temporary boost
Explanation
A reward type for incentivized videos. Temporary boosts give a limited/one-time boost for players that choose to watch a video ad.
NOTE that only temporary/one-time boosts are included here. A tangible item that you can choose to use whenever you like is not included here (even if it is a boost item).
What it means
Archero – Attack/health boost for one run
Occasionally during a dungeon run, players are can watch an ad to get a health/attack boost for that ongoing run. This is only temporary boost, as the effect lasts for that particular dungeon run only.
What it doesn’t mean
Archero
In Archero, players can once a day claim a “Supply Pack” that gives them various kinds of tangible rewards, such as, in-game currencies and energy. These rewards are not temporary/one-time boosts.
Revive / Continue
Explanation
A reward type for incentivized videos. Games that use incentivized ads to help players to pick themselves up and continue playing the game. Examples include getting more lives in match3 games or reviving your character in an RPG.
What it means
Archero – Reviving your hero
When your hero is slain, you’re sometimes given the chance to revive him/her to full health and continue playing by watching an ad.
What it doesn’t mean
Subway Surfers
In this instance in Subway Surfers, players can continue playing if they make an in-game currency payment. This is not, however, counted here as the mechanic has nothing to do with incentivized ads. This mechanic is counted in the feature “Continue/retry can be purchased” instead.
Tangible Reward
Explanation
A reward type for incentivized videos. Games that give tangible (e.g. items, characters, gacha chests, currencies, resources) rewards for watching ads.
What it means
Archero – Daily supply pack
Every day you have the opportunity to watch an ad in exchange for some tangible rewards (e.g. in-game currency, ingredient items needed for leveling up heroes and energy).
What it doesn’t mean
Archero – Attack/health boost for only one run
When you’re doing a dungeon run, you’re occasionally given the chance to get a temporary one-time attack/health boost for that run only. As this is only a temporary boost and not a tangible item, this is not counted here, but taken into account under another feature (please see feature “Incentivized Ad – Temporary Boost”)
Skip Time
Explanation
A reward type for incentivized videos. Games that utilize incentivized ads that help players reduce waiting times or skip them altogether (e.g. watch an ad to speed up your town hall construction time by 1 hour).
What it means
CSR Racing 2
In CSR Racing 2, players can speed up the timer for “upgrade delivery” by watching an ad.
Progression Mechanic in Incentivized Video
Explanation
Indicates a game has a progression mechanic in incentivized ads, encouraging players to watch multiple ads. E.g. a player might get +100% resource generation boost for 2 hours by watching a single ad, but two ads would get him/her +250% boost for 5 hours.
What it means
Monster Legends
Monster Legends has a progression element in its incentivized ad system. If a player manages to watch a total of 5 ads he/she gets a special reward.
Gacha Mechanic in Incentivized Video
Explanation
Indicates a game has a gacha mechanic in incetivized ads. This can mean e.g. a separate ad-gacha that can be spun by watching an ad video.
Gacha is a randomized mechanic (e.g. a chest, box or other gadget) used in games, so players never know exactly what they’ll get when the gacha is triggered (i.e. “opened”). Gachas can usually be purchased, but can sometimes be also received as free gifts or rewards.
What separates a gacha from an ordinary randomized reward or gift is that a gacha can reward players with items or characters that have a major role in gameplay and usually have different rarity classes/are collected. Ordinary randomized rewards can be acquired easily through other means as well and they are mundane resources, currency or other things with only minor gameplay effect.
What it means
The Seven Deadly Sins
This gacha in The Seven Deadly Sins can be spun by watching a video ad.
Remove Ads: One-time Payment
Explanation
Means that there’s a possibility to make a one-time payment to get rid of all (usually forced) ads in the game once and for all.
What it means
Bricks n Balls
Bricks n Balls has a one time purchase option to remove all the ads in the game.
Remove Ads: Subscription
Explanation
Indicates that there’s a possibility to pay a subscription fee to get rid of all (usually forced) ads in the game as long as you’re subscribing. Often this ad-removal is bundled to a subscription that gives other in-game benefits as well.
What it means
Merge Plane
Merge Plane offers a subscription that along other perks also removes all the ads in the game.
