This article was originally published on the TapNation’s blog.

Mobile gaming has become a thriving industry, with a multitude of games vying for the attention of players. In this competitive landscape, mobile game publishers bridge the gap between game developers and their target audience. They are the ultimate pirates that will launch your games and scale them to new heights.

Mobile game publishers serve as a vital link in the gaming ecosystem. They offer assistance in various areas, such as financing, scaling, distribution, and monetization. Their expertise and resources can significantly impact a game’s success in the market, whether domestic or international.

Benefits of Working with a Publisher

Partnering with a mobile game publisher brings a multitude of benefits to developers. Publishers provide access to industry expertise and market knowledge, offering invaluable insights that can shape the trajectory of a game. Moreover, their vast network of industry contacts facilitates effective promotion and marketing, increasing the visibility of the game among the target audience. Additionally, publishers offer resources for quality assurance, user acquisition, and localization, enabling developers to navigate these crucial aspects with ease. Furthermore, publishers provide technical support, helping developers overcome complex development challenges and ensuring the smooth performance of their games.

1. Game Development

The development phase of a game is where publishers play a pivotal role. They assist developers in refining game concepts and identifying market opportunities, leveraging their experience and market insights to enhance the game’s potential for success. Throughout the development process, publishers provide ongoing support and feedback, acting as a guiding hand to ensure that the game meets industry standards and resonates with the target audience. Moreover, publishers offer assistance with localization for international markets, enabling games to cater to a global audience. Additionally, their technical support can help overcome any development challenges to ensure the game functions hassle-free.

2. Monetization Strategies

Effective monetization is essential for the success of a mobile game, and publishers come in very handy in this aspect. They assist developers in choosing the right monetization model, whether it’s freemium, ad-supported, or others, based on the game’s unique characteristics and target audience. Furthermore, publishers help optimize IAP (in-app purchase) pricing and placement, maximizing the game’s revenue potential. Integrating ad networks and implementing rewarded video ads are also part of the strategies publishers employ to enhance the game’s monetization. Moreover, publishers explore partnerships, licensing deals, and IP exploitation to further bolster the game’s financial prospects.

3. Marketing & Promotion

Marketing and promotion are vital components of a game’s success, and publishers excel in this area. They create captivating trailers and gameplay videos that entice potential players, along with designing eye-catching app store assets such as icons, creatives, screenshots, and banners to make the game stand out. Moreover, publishers leverage social media platforms to generate buzz and excitement around the game, engaging with the gaming community to build anticipation. Additionally, they can also forge influencer partnerships for sponsored content promotion, leveraging the reach and influence of popular gaming personalities. Furthermore, publishers organize press events and participate in gaming conventions to garner media coverage and increase the game’s visibility.

Tips on How to Approach a Mobile Game Publisher

When seeking to partner with a mobile game publisher, developers should conduct thorough research to identify publishers aligned with their game’s genre and target audience. It’s essential to prepare a compelling pitch that highlights the USP’s (unique selling point) of the game. This helps to effectively convey its value proposition. If feasible, developers should develop a playable prototype to provide publishers with a tangible experience of the game. Networking and attending industry events are also valuable, as they allow developers to build relationships with potential publishing partners. Lastly, outlining a comprehensive business plan encompassing the development timeline and revenue projections is crucial for presenting a clear vision of the game’s potential.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mobile game publishers are key to making your game successful. Their range of services, expertise, industry connections, and support throughout the development process contribute significantly to a game’s potential to be a hit amongst players. By partnering with a mobile game publisher, developers can make use of these resources and capabilities to monetize and market their games. They also aid in increasing their visibility, appeal, and ultimately, their success in the competitive mobile gaming market.

TapNation is one such mobile gaming publisher that has released 100+ games and generated more than 1 billion downloads! Our ambition is to lead the way in a high-growth market that helps developers take their games to the next level.

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Statista forecasts that the global mobile game market will produce revenues of US $98.74 billion in 2024, with anticipated growth in subsequent years. The growing revenue signifies more competition and higher stakes than ever before. That’s why it’s important to allocate your marketing budget effectively. Selecting the adequate mobile measurement partner (MMP) can help you invest every dollar wisely with powerful data-driven insights to optimize your return on investment (ROI).

In this post, we’ll explore why choosing the right MMP is crucial for your game’s growth and how to select the best MMP to maximize your success. Airbridge is here to guide you through this process.

Why you should use an MMP

In today’s fast-evolving mobile marketing landscape, relying solely on a handful of advertising platforms is no longer sufficient. A diverse game market demands an all-encompassing strategy to identify the most effective ones among a wide range of channels within a limited timeframe.

MMPs simplify this process by integrating multiple advertising networks through a single Software Development Kit (SDK). This integration allows for centralized management of all ad campaigns, eases monitoring of various publishers, and facilitates quick marketing performance analysis through an MMP dashboard.

Moreover, MMPs act as fair intermediaries between advertisers and publishers, providing transparent and verifiable data that reflects the true value of each marketing channel. Such impartiality is necessary for accurate measurement and optimization of ad spend.

Considering the challenges and resources required to implement MMPs, it is pivotal to make an informed choice. The MMP checklist provided below will help you select the MMP that best aligns with your company’s needs.

Checklist: Evaluating an MMP for games

1. Unified cross-platform user journey tracking

The shift towards cross-platform gaming has significantly accelerated in the industry. ‘Cross-platform’ gaming enables players to seamlessly switch between various devices, such as PCs, gaming consoles, and mobile devices. This flexibility greatly enhances the appeal of your game, allowing players to enjoy their favorite titles anytime, anywhere. An MMP that offers extensive tracking capabilities is essential for understanding user engagement across all platforms, providing a holistic view of player interactions.

When choosing an MMP, it’s critical to ensure it can effectively track performance across all the platforms your game is available on, including iOS, Android, and the Web. Airbridge distinguishes itself in this area by providing cross-platform marketing measurement tools for mobile, web, and PC, facilitating a comprehensive insight into your game’s growth trajectory.

Airbridge’s integration of both Web SDK and App SDK enables the collection of data across different platforms, streamlining the process of monitoring app and web attribution performance through a unified Airbridge ID. This capability is invaluable for marketers looking to accurately measure the success of their games and understand the user experience at every touchpoint.

2. Convenient and complete data pipeline with raw data

MMPs play a pivotal role in tracking user interactions and conversions, a foundational aspect of successful mobile advertising campaigns. One key feature of an effective MMP is the ability to not only collect but also provide easy access to raw data through the MMP dashboard. This raw data is invaluable for advertisers seeking to conduct in-depth analyses or integrate this information with their existing databases for a thorough view of their marketing efforts. It’s crucial to partner with an MMP like Airbridge that offers flexible, user-friendly options for exporting this raw data, ensuring marketers can leverage their insights to the fullest extent.

Furthermore, in the competitive realm of mobile gaming, retargeting campaigns based on precise audience segmentation can significantly boost engagement rates. Effective segmentation allows marketers to categorize users based on specific actions or traits, facilitating the delivery of highly relevant ads. Airbridge enhances this process by enabling marketers to seamlessly create cohorts and execute targeted campaigns that resonate with users’ behaviors and preferences, thereby increasing the likelihood of desired actions. This strategic approach not only optimizes ad spend but also elevates the overall user experience.

Airbridge’s complete data pipeline and robust segmentation capabilities provide a solid foundation for advertisers aiming to maximize their impact. By offering convenient access to raw data and sophisticated audience segmentation tools, Airbridge empowers marketers to unlock new levels of precision and effectiveness in their campaigns.

3. Optimizing marketing through metric monitoring

Game marketers have the opportunity to significantly refine their user acquisition and retention efforts by harnessing the power of data-driven insights available through MMPs. It’s essential to partner with an MMP that not only gathers comprehensive data but also presents detailed analytics and reports tailored for campaign optimization.

Immediate access to critical metrics via the MMP’s dashboard can greatly streamline the evaluation of marketing performance, offering a considerable advantage in time efficiency. Airbridge distinguishes itself by providing calculated metrics directly on its dashboard, including Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), Return On Ad Spend (ROAS), Cost Per Click (CPC), Cost Per Install (CPI), and notably, Predictive Lifetime Value (pLTV). These metrics are pivotal for understanding different facets of marketing effectiveness, from immediate campaign costs to long-term revenue forecasts.

Ensuring your MMP provides a full suite of metrics is crucial for a well-rounded analysis of your marketing activities. A broad spectrum of metrics allows for an integrated assessment, empowering marketers to pinpoint areas of success and opportunities for optimization.

4. Fraud prevention

Ad fraud still represents a major challenge in mobile marketing, costing advertisers billions of dollars annually. As mobile ad spending continues to rise, the urgency of addressing ad fraud intensifies.

It is vital for MMPs to possess robust capabilities to combat ad fraud effectively. Airbridge stands out by proactively identifying and mitigating fraudulent activities, including sophisticated schemes like click injection and spamming, through real-time detection and the generation of detailed fraud analysis reports. On the Airbridge dashboard, marketers have the flexibility to establish specific fraud validation rules, adjust the prevention levels for each rule, and determine how to handle fraudulent conversions and engagements. These features allow for the creation of detailed reports and the customization of fraud prevention measures, empowering marketers to accurately assess the performance of their publishers, ensuring that only legitimate conversions are rewarded, and uncovering true growth opportunities.

5. Privacy policies

In today’s digital marketing ecosystem, adhering to a myriad of data protection laws and navigating platform-specific privacy policies is paramount. The landscape is dominated by stringent regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the U.S., and the emerging Digital Markets Act (DMA). These regulations set the foundation for user data protection, requiring businesses to handle personal information with the highest degree of transparency and security. Moreover, platform-specific policies, such as Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature and Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, introduce additional layers of compliance, particularly around user tracking and ad targeting.

In this complex environment, selecting an MMP that not only keeps pace with but also anticipates changes in privacy regulation is critical. Airbridge stands out by offering cutting-edge tracking and attribution solutions that fully comply with the latest privacy laws and platform regulations. For instance, Airbridge’s approach to data collection and processing is designed to respect user consent preferences, a core tenet of GDPR and CCPA. Additionally, Airbridge’s technology is prepared to adapt to the evolving requirements of platform-specific policies ensuring that marketers can continue to reach their audience effectively without compromising on privacy.

If you’re in search of the best MMP that meets all five checklist points mentioned above, the team of marketing experts at Airbridge is ready to assist you, elevate your game marketing strategy and enhance performance.

As games move more towards a hybrid-casual model, the potential for new avenues of revenue opens up. As your retention rises, so too do the opportunities. Let’s look at six ways you can increase your profits.

1. Incorporate native advertising

Native advertising is where adverts are embedded in the very fabric of the game. They’re far less intrusive than traditional advertising, allowing you to place ads in your game that don’t disrupt how the gameplay flows. They feel natural; in places where players would expect to see them in the real world.

For example, a native advert might be on an in-game billboard, the banners alongside race tracks, superimposed over the field of a tennis match, posters on the wall, or holograms in the street.

These adverts can either be static sponsored content or dynamic ad space that brands can purchase in real time. The key is that you don’t pause the game to show the ad.

2. Add audio adverts to your game

Did you know, 73% of mobile players have their volume at or above 10%? It might not be loud, but it’s enough to catch people’s attention. This makes them a useful addition to your monetization strategy.

They also have similar benefits to native advertising. Audio adverts are far less disruptive than traditional methods: they play in the background, allowing the gameplay to continue unhindered.

Due to the nature of audio, it’s a relatively simple approach to insert into your game. Pause the music, play the ad, and return to normal once it’s finished. They are also suitable for rewarded ads, allowing players to gain power-ups or in-game currency far quicker than needing to watch a video. Which makes them an effective method to increase your advertising revenue without hurting your retention.

3. Make IP deals with brands

Partner up with a brand to offer in-game cosmetics or extra content using their brand assets. These could be characters, items, or even entire levels. Not only does this give you additional content to keep your game active, but it can also bring in new fans.

Another method is to wrap your game entirely in the brand’s IP. For example, you could approach a brand with your match-3 game and use the same mechanics and gameplay loop, while using their characters and universe.

4. Sell merchandise using your own brand

Once your hybrid-casual game has a following and community, it’s inevitable that certain characters or phrases will become popular. These are perfect for turning into merchandise. T-shirts, mugs, plushies – these can all feature your game’s art. Manufacturers like Alibaba make this even easier. You can buy products and have your own logo and designs printed on them.

You can even create unlockable content for your players, which they only gain access to by achieving certain milestones in your game. For example, every achievement in your game could have its own baseball cap. Players would need to unlock the achievement before they could purchase the cap in real life.

This gives your achievements more value and encourages players to seek out the hardest ones for the prestige of owning the real-world item.

5. Encourage fan-made content

Reach out to your community and run competitions to have their creations enter the game, such as levels, items, or cosmetics. This fan-created content can keep your game active and fresh while also giving you an opportunity to engage with your community.

Ideally, you would also offer an incentive to the creators, such as a cut of the purchase price. This makes it worth the player’s time and makes it far more likely you’ll get quality submissions. It also encourages the player to spread the word about their creations, which could bring even more players to your game.

6. Port your game to another platform

Expanding onto PC or console can help you open your game up to a new market, extends your game’s life, increases your return on investment, and leads to longer session lengths.

It’s a useful way of making the most out of your most successful games. You can read more about the process in our article on porting.

Data is key to any new approach

Whatever route you choose, make sure you keep track of which avenues are successful and bring in the most revenue. You want to make sure that you’re spending your time efficiently. The most effective way to do that is to bring data in from multiple sources and study the trends together. That’s where DataSuite comes in – it allows you to create your own player warehouse and track trends across platforms and different data sources.