Europe’s leading B2B conference for the global mobile games industry, Pocket Gamer Connects London, begins in mere days and we could not be more excited to share with you the fantastic speakers gracing us with their knowledge and expertise on February 14-15!
You can view the entire speaker line-up here to get a full scope of the talent that will be speaking this February. To give you a glimpse of what you can expect, we are spotlighting some of the most highly anticipated speakers to showcase the incredible talent and top-tier businesses that will be sharing their insights with us.
Bidstack’s Head of Supply Antoine Jullemier is joined by Turborilla’s CMO Bryan Stealey to discuss integration, campaign highlights, key lessons learned and some of the success stories from their partnership so far, which has included non-intrusive in-game campaigns from Samsung, Disney+, and Subway that blend into natural spaces within games.
PocketGamer.biz: If you could give other mobile games companies one piece of advice, what would it be?
Antoine Jullemier: Looking at mobile games, and specifically free-to-play titles, my advice would be to understand that every player is different and will react to a game’s experience in their own way so it’s important to explore different ways to monetise your titles.
It’s all about harmony when it comes to monetisation, I think that in-app purchases and in-game advertising can coexist within a game and be complementary solutions. When done the right way, advertising can not only be an effective solution that delivers strong revenues, but it can also add to the gaming experience by adding authenticity and improving user retention. There are so many innovative formats in the market now that game developers have a real opportunity to support the development of their games whilst enhancing the experience for players.
What is the single biggest challenge facing the mobile games industry today?
The mobile games industry is constantly evolving and I suppose the biggest challenge publishers are facing today is keeping up with the new innovations that are driving value.
I've been a big mobile gamer myself for many years now, and although I respect advertising in free-to-play games, the more I play, the more I look for a deeper connection with the ads that are displayed on my screen. When I see a higher-quality ad from brands that are relevant to me, the whole experience feels higher quality and it’s something that engages me and keeps me playing. If you take that one step further and show me an in-game ad that blends seamlessly into the gameplay rather than appearing around the game, you have my full attention.
To stay ahead of the game, I think you have to build trust with your players and show them respect by leveraging quality ads in formats that are designed to enhance their playing experience.
What is the most overhyped trend from the last 12 months – and why?
The race is on to cash in on the metaverse hype without any doubt.
What is interesting about the buzz around the metaverse is that everyone claims to be building it, but in reality, many people still don’t know what it will be or what it should look like.
The metaverse isn’t a new concept but Roblox’s IPO, Facebook rebranding into Meta, and the numerous metaverse projects that have emerged recently have built on a trend that will define the next decade of digital life. The market is driving efforts to create an open metaverse based on the Web3 movement, with the decentralisation of digital identities, transactions, and the digitisation of property.
It’s an exciting area of development and the array of opportunities that will emerge in both our professional and personal lives are incredible. But, in my view, it won’t be an immersive reality for years to come.
The seeds planted by these companies will only begin to sprout in 2022 and only a small group of first movers and innovators will come out on top, as is often the case. They will be the ones that go beyond the simple creation of digital universes and build sustainable and evolving ecosystems that engage a community for the long term with meaningful experiences as the world is starting to snap back into pre-pandemic normality.
Bidstack’s technology and its capabilities for creators of the metaverse will become increasingly in demand as this market evolves.
What role do NFTs play in the future of games?
Whilst some people believe NFTs are destructive and are just tools for speculation, I believe that they can offer the foundations of a new system that could provide players with better value than some of the current monetisation solutions.
It’s all about giving players the opportunity to resell their items once they’re finished with them, or their time played when they’re finished playing the game itself. The best scenario to illustrate this would be for example a rare in-game skin offered as an NFT, the lucky player that grabs this skin gets ownership of it. They can play with it and stand out from the crowd, but they can also resell it to the highest bidder once they are done with it – the game studio could, in theory, take a cut of each transaction.
What do you enjoy most about working in the mobile games industry?
I love the industry and I think one of the main reasons is that I am surrounded by so much creativity, ingenuity and passion – all of those things leave an imprint on you and I feel so excited to be a part of it.
In my day to day life, I get to play new astonishing games, meet incredible game studios, work with innovative technology and discuss major trends with so many talented people.
Mobile gaming is continuing its meteoric rise in the entertainment industry and we know more people are playing games than ever before as they look for social interactions and fun ways to spend their free time. There is a real connection here and I’m fundamentally excited about all of this.
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Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet with Antoine Jullemier and other industry leaders at Europe’s #1 B2B games industry conference on February 14-15. Make sure you secure your spot today!
