A lot of resources on the internet which on to use to advertise your game/product and comparison between the two.
But no resources whatsoever on another question - comparison between the two approaches from a game dev/game publisher perspective as means for monetization.
It is clear that:
Non-incentivized ads are more likely to lead to a user engagement with the ad (click/install) than incentivized ads (therefore more beneficial for the developer). However they disrupt the UX, and in some cases this may lead to player loss.
Incentivized ads are initiated by the user and with the userâs permission - however they are usually used to obtain some resource (coins/keys) or to continue the current run, etc. They do not disrupt the UX as much as the non-incentivized ads. They also lead to much less engagement by the user with the ad.
From my personal perspective it looks ridiculous looking at statements such as âWatch ad to continueâ, or âWatch ad to get 1 keyâ. Well, ok, I will watch the ad but surely will not engage with it. My sole purpose will be to wait for 30 seconds and get the promised reward. And that is all. As far as I know ads are monetized in CPC/CPI manner and not CPM (cost per views), so it wouldnât matter for the developer if Iâve seen the ad or not.
Are really incentivized ads UX-friendly enough/beneficial enough to replace the non-incentivized ads in most games?
So what are your thoughts/experience on the subject? Do incentivized ads work, do they bring any revenue, or it is negligible enough to skip this monetization source, or rather look at non-incentivized?
HmâŚcomplex answer. Normally Iâd tend to say incentivized ads are bad, but there are applications that could count as fitting for it. Depends on the game.
Itâs a touchy subject. I predict a majority of people would be inclined to say against it, myself included, without realizing that itâs actually in a lot of games we play and we never even take note of it. Iâm not sure, didnât Pokemon Go have a âwatch video and receive coinâ feature? Widely popular game for its time, and still I had to really think about the games Iâve played before it popped into my head.
Edit: Sorry I didnât answer your question. Thatâs one of the game types Iâd presuppose to be inclined to go with it well, infinite runner games. Others of course, but that comes to mind right now. No matter what it is, the same rule always applies as applies in every other aspect of online commerce like this. Think in 1% conversion rates, itâs eventually going to tie down to; can you pull in enough eyeballs to get a satisfactory 1% conversion rate, or do you need to rethink your model?
Edit 2: Casual and Hyper Casual games tend to work better for incentivizing, in my humble opinion.
The game I am working on I would compare more to something like Brawl Stars, MOBA-like genre.
The option to put incentivized ads would be to get âkeysâ to unlock loot boxes.
Recently I saw a similar approach in a featured game on the App Store, called âSuper Spell Heoresâ
Hm, also a suiting genre. If youâre charging for keys, Iâd put a cap on how many times you can do it so there is still incentive to spend money. Unless of course, thereâs a higher tier item thatâs in play. A lot of people will give coins for viewing ads while they keep their higher tier virtual items on the cash only list. However, supply would also need to equate to a demand, so it could also be the best idea. I recommend trial and error.