Technical

Mobile Games University - Monetisation Design: The different monetisation types in games

Learn about IAPs, ads, subscriptions, premium, gachas and more

Mobile Games University - Monetisation Design: The different monetisation types in games

Mobile games don’t simply have to use in-app purchases or a payment up-front price point, there are a multitude of ways to make money from your title.

There are ads, which vary in type from simple banners to videos and rewarded ads, and then there’s pay monthly subscriptions, which Apple and Google have both opened up to the game space.

And then of course, there are the different design techniques that can be used to make these monetisation options more successful.

Below you’ll find articles to help you get to grips with the different types of monetisation available to you and the benefits of using them.

Let’s go whaling: A guide to monetisation through in-app purchases

Tribeflame CEO Torulf Jernström discusses the tricks of monetisation in free-to-play, taking a look at the various mechanics available to developers and the psychology behind their effectiveness.

You can also watch a video version of this article:

In-App Purchase Tutorial: Getting Started

Independent iOS developer Ed Sasena breaks down exactly what in-app purchases are, and how to to implement them into your app or game.

40 Secrets to Making Money with In-App Purchases

Riccardo D'Antoni analyses how to effectively implement in-app purchases that people will want to pay money for.

Serkan Toto: Primer for gacha overview

One very popular method of monetising is through gacha mechanics, a technique that is detailed here by Japan games industry expert and consultant Serkan Toto.

Best practices for mobile game ad monetisation

Tamalaki Owner Martine Spaans speaking at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2016 on the lessons learned from publishing games on mobile and how to best use ads in your game.

A game developer’s guide to mobile video ads

Chirag Leuva breaks down the different types of video ads, how marketers can use them effectively, and how developers can integrate them into their games.

Interstitial ads a major factor in digital advertising

DMACC Marketing & Management provide an introduction to the basics of interstitial ads and their impact on mobile apps.

Game developers: Best practices for banner ads

This documentation on Firebase discusses the best practices for integrating banner and interstitial ads into games using the Google Ads SDK.

The power of rewarded ads within your monetisation mix

Adam Salamon, Co-Founder and COO at Perk.com and Appsaholic, explains rewarded ads and how they could help you meet your monetisation goals while preserving, or even enhancing, your user experience.

Maximising ad revenue through the next generation of mobile advertising

At Pocket Gamer Connects Vancouver 2016, Magmic's Mohammad Agha discusses how advertisers are looking for innovative ways to engage mobile game players beyond watching an interstitial ad or video ad.

Why you should consider Rewarded Surveys for your game monetisation strategy

TapResearch's Michael Sprague on why rewarded surveys as a form of monetisation in mobile games is becoming more popular.

Billing better games: What App Store subscriptions mean for devs

SuperData offers an introduction to the subscription options open to developers and why this business model could work in games.

Making your mobile game a success part two: The premium option

Unity speaks to developers from behind games like Threes and Monument Valley to discuss how you can success with premium games.

Help us improve this course with new links or suggest a new course you'd like to see to mgu@pocketgamer.biz.

Image credit: Tap Tycoon


Head of Content

Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.