The Path to Sustainable Revenue in Gaming

AdInMo recently participated in an industry roundtable in Berlin, here’s the key takeaways on the burning topics revolutionizing monetization

Hosted by Roberto Louback from Appsflyer during HIT Games Conference in Berlin, our very own Kevin Walsh, Customer Success Manager took part in a fun Friday afternoon debate alongside industry experts from Kwalee, Burny Games, Metica, Fingersoft and Crackletech, to explore how we can better align monetization strategies with player experience.

Here are some of the key themes that emerged during the conversation:

Ad Quality and Length

What is the ideal ad length for rewarded videos and interstitials? While there’s a general industry push towards shorter creatives, the group agreed that quality matters far more than duration. Players are willing to engage with longer ads — if they are entertaining, relevant, and non-disruptive. eCPMs remain relatively stable regardless of small variations in ad length, emphasizing again that player experience, not just the time, matters most.

Driving Conversions Through Relevance

Another strong theme was the importance of ad relevance. Serving ads that genuinely align with a player’s interests dramatically increases conversion rates and builds brand trust. It’s not enough to simply optimize reach anymore; success lies in showing the right player the right ad at the right time — creating a value exchange that feels organic, not forced.

Staying Ahead in Fraud Detection

As advertising formats evolve, so too must fraud detection techniques. Traditional tools are not optimized to support new formats like in-game, rewarded ads and playables. It’s important that the industry constantly upskills to recognize and protect against emerging threats — ensuring that innovations in monetization don’t open new doors to bad actors.

Combating Misleading Ads

Misleading ad creatives is another challenge publishers need to tackle to sustain long-term revenue growth -especially ads that trick players with fake “X” buttons in interstitials. While these tactics might deliver short-term KPIs, they undermine player trust and could attract stricter regulatory attention. 

Respecting Player Trust

The timing and design of GDPR consent popups can have a huge impact on both player experience and opt-in rates. Delivering transparent, easy-to-understand consent flows — that don’t feel like barriers — is key to balancing monetization with regulatory compliance and building trust for the long term.

Summary

Monetization isn’t about chasing the next big trick — it’s about putting the player first. High-quality, personalized and respectful monetization are the bedrock of  sustainable monetization strategies.It was great to exchange ideas with industry experts and see the pivotal position in-game placements can play in the monetization mix by putting the player first and  helping publishers and developers overcome some of the barriers to sustainable growth.

Contact the team to see how AdInMo’s Hybrid Monetization solutions can champion better player experiences and revenue.

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