As part of Pocket Gamer Connects #4, we held a panel discussion on have we reached the end of innovation with hybrid monetisation?

The panellists were ICO Partners CEO Thomas Bidaux, Tamalaki CEO Martine Spaans, GamesConsulting.net F2P product, live ops and monetisation consultant Nick Murray, AppLovin manager for business development Tony Deane, Fundamentally Games chief strategy officer Oscar Clark (moderator) and AdColony regional lead for client partnerships Lix Waldeck-Pinckert.

It is essential for developers and publishers to work well with ad firms to implement ads, and to test different placements across the game.

AdColony's rewarded ads have seen a great engagement; as such, the company works closely with publishers to ensure games make the most out of the monetisation.

Monetisation journey

"The question of the audience is an important one," said Murray.

Ads can perform multiple functions and can cause retention when it comes to certain games. However, according to Murray, there is one concern when it comes to hybrid casual, and that is value. The reason being that valuables can be given away in ads, which takes away the option of IAP. Perhaps a combination of the two can perform well.

It is important to figure out what you as a designer, consider to be high value, to help when it comes to selecting a monetisation method.

"Our biggest success in terms of monetisation is reward videos," said Spaans

For example, if players get given some gems with a video, they will become more acquainted with the in-game currency. As such, it can serve as a way to encourage the consumer to make their first purchase.

Innovation

"We're really interested in how users are just becoming more educated on ads as a whole," said Waldeck-Pinckert.

It is not just about the rewards for users anymore, but rather what the content of the advertising is. As such, it is important to work with developers to gather the relevant to create the best possible ads according to Waldeck Pinckert.

The placement and type of ads have proven to be important.

"I prefer to focus on IAPs, but I really do see the value of ads," said Murray.

According to Murray, IAPs see more of a return on investment. However, ads can work in tandem with the method.

The effect of monetisation evolves over time, according to Bidaux. More specifically, he explained that one game might use a method well, but it will be developed and adapted to be even better the next time around.

"It's all about small tweaks," said Spaans.

It is possible to look outside of the games industry to discover new and innovative ways to implement monetisation into a game.

All about value

The life stage of a player can be used to determine just what should be offered to a player and when.

"Value to the player is key and is so influenced by a bunch of different things, some of which you will have no control over," said Murray.

A value proposition is crucial and needs to be in place, particularly when creating a game with IAP-based monetisation.

PGC Digital #4 will run from November 9th to November 13th. To keep up to date with all of our coverage, check out the roundups here. There's still time to sign up - to find out more and book a ticket, head to the website.