Crossy Road as examplar, plus the increasing value of YouTube, Twitch and video ads
Providing insight into the hot topics of the mobile games industry, these are the five stories that over the past week were our most read.
Video is becoming an ever more important part of the content mix, something reflected in YouTube, Twitch and incentivised video advertising all featuring as topics in this week's most read list.
Indeed, Hipster Whale's Crossy Road has extensively monetised using the latter, which lead our Stateside columnist Carter Dotson to consider if other indie games could follow its lead.
So, counting down from five to one, check out what made the news last week and which trends will likely be re-appearing on our Hot Five list in future.
#5: Mobile game devs need to take advantage of Twitch, says EEDAR's Patrick Walker
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Mobile game devs need to take advantage of Twitch, says EEDAR's Patrick Walker »Everyone knows a lot of gamers watch Twitch feeds, but that's only for PC games, right?
Well, to some degree yes. The likes of League of Legends and Dota 2 dominate viewing figures. But according to EEDAR's Patrick Walker that doesn't mean mobile game developers shouldn't be considering the platform.
For example, Clash of Clans was number 43 in the Q4 2014 rankings.
"Mobile developers need to match their content to user experience that is ideal for Twitch," Walker advises.
#4: Are CPI costs really rising?
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Are CPI costs really rising? »Looking at a graph of CPI costs during 2014, you could be forgiven for thinking that the 'rising CPI costs story' is overblown.
Sure, the price to generate a download on iOS and Android rose during Q2, but the latter half of the year saw a steady decline resulting in the same price at January and December.
However, a 2013-2014 graph from UA company Fiksu provided a more longterm view on the underlying trend, which despite monthly peaks and troughs, is firmly on the up.
#3: 35% of game devs are now using video ads
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35% of game devs are now using video ads »2014 was the year in which incentivised video ads really took off; something that's reflected in Millennial Media's 2015 State of the Apps report.
It found that 82 percent of developers use advertising, which is up from 73 percent in 2013.
And game developers are ahead of the pack as 89 percent of them are using adverts to monetise their products, of which 35 percent use video ads.
#2: What can you learn from Crossy Road's smart monetization layers?
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What can you learn from Crossy Road's smart monetization layers? »The new year is only 3 weeks old but already we have a new posterchild in the shape of indie game Crossy Road.
Developed by Australian indie Hipster Whale, the Frogger-inspired F2P game has proved successfully in terms of its low-level IAP economy and smart integration of incentivised video ads. It's already generated over $1 million from Unity Ads on iOS.
Our Stateside columnist Carter Dotson considers why the game has been successful and how it provides a template for other indies.
"Find a way to get the users, then don't be afraid to make money off them, but do it fairly and with different options for different types of players," he argues.
#1: How Seriously worked with PewDiePie to fire Best Fiends up the charts
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How Seriously worked with PewDiePie to fire Best Fiends up the charts »Everyone knows that YouTube is an important communications channel, but how can you get it to work as a user acquisition channel?
One example is provided by Finnish developer Seriously, which has worked directly and indirectly with YouTubers including PewDiePie to promote its match-3 game Best Fiends.
Talking to the company's veep of marketing & communication Phil Hickey, Pascal Clarysse found out more about the company organised its campaigns, and how it quantified the results - it claimed over 30,000 downloads from YouTube views across the game's launch weekend.
