Game Monetization

[keblack]

Hi, I have a couple of free android games at GooglePlay Store. I have ADMOB on them. Is that the best way to monetize free games ?

 

[Gnar Gnar]

good luck

 

[epicpixel]

Indie game dev here. While banner ads are the easiest way to monetize, they aren't the most effective.

IAPs with compelling content is really the way to go. But it really depends on the game. If your game is a quick arcade game like flappy bird, its really hard to have any compelling IAPs and ads are probably going to get you the most money. Of course you can also create an IAP to remove the ads, which is always a good idea as some people really hate ads.

Besides banner you can also try full screen interstitial ads in between levels.

 

[CaffeineBomb]

Are you using Admob to serve video ads or just static ones? Video ads tend to pay a lot better per view and are more likely to generate installs, but you have to be aware of how likely they are to annoy players if they're non-skippable. As epicpixel says, always have an IAP to remove ads as well.

We use both full screen interstitials and rarer video adverts for our newest free game and so far we've had little complaint about frequency so fingers crossed it stays that way. It's very easy to lean too far towards not annoying the player. In retrospect our first mobile game was nowhere near frequent enough with adverts and our players almost all expressed that the ones we did use would have been ok displayed more frequently.

 

[PerPero]

Most of games are appropriate to use more monetization tehniques than just banner ads...

 

[mikevalty]

Try fullscreen Ads beside banner ads for best result

 

[b-funny]

the best way are in-App solutions

 

[High Pixel Games]

IAP is good, and try APPODEAL is kind of better in ads, it works with admob together, but to make real money, you have to make a good game with a good IAP!

 

[Eageron]

The best monetization strategy depends on a lot of factors. First of all on the Store you are going to submit your game. Android users tend to want everything for free so monetizing a game for Android is easier throughout Ads, even more if you are an unknown developer without a certain user base. Apple users in contrast are a lot more willing to pay for good content.

What kind of game is your game? What genre? This is also an important question because this will definitely decide about your monetization strategy. If you tell me that I can give you more information. By the way Video Ads are a good way but only work if you offer great content!

 

[Eageron]

Indie game dev here. While banner ads are the easiest way to monetize, they aren't the most effective.

IAPs with compelling content is really the way to go. But it really depends on the game. If your game is a quick arcade game like flappy bird, its really hard to have any compelling IAPs and ads are probably going to get you the most money. Of course you can also create an IAP to remove the ads, which is always a good idea as some people really hate ads.

Besides banner you can also try full screen interstitial ads in between levels.

Hi Epicpixel,

I have talked with a lot of game developers about the famous IAP (Remove ADS) on Android. Most say they haven't ever made a buck of it. Do you have personal experience on that?

 

[BR Top]

As a beginner game developer, I researched a lot about game monetization. One thing I learned is that you should be very careful about advertising in your game. Too many adds will drive away your players. I particularly don't use AdMob, first because they don't pay much and second because ads like interstitial adds annoy the gamer. As I'm using Unity to create my games, I use their service UnityAds to monetize my game. It offers only video ads that I use in my game to give rewards to the player. You should also promote your game to bring more players to it. Hope it helps.

 

[Clickky]

You may try the self-serve platforms for mobile monetization. The payouts there are usually higher.

Try different formats and you should also try video format.

 

[guedellas91]

for me the best it is ChartBoost and in app purchases but it depends on each app. Video ads weren't very seccessful though. You really need a lot a lot of them for being profitable