Key Points

  • An SDK, or software development kit, is a piece of code that allows mobile publishers to monetize their gaming app.
  • SDKs allow developers to track user behavior, and target ads more effectively, as well as a variety of additional technical tasks.
  • While many SDKs used for mobile game monetization are either complex and confusing or lacking key features, Playwire's all-in-one platform provides a streamlined, effective, and transparent way to monetize your game.

If there's one thing the tech world loves, it's an acronym. And as the developers of a leading mobile ads SDK we know that SDK is one acronym that has the power to make or break your revenue.

For publishers in the mobile gaming industry, a mobile advertising SDK, or software development kit, is an essential tool for turning your game into an effective, player-friendly, money-making machine. Here's everything you should know about ad monetization SDKs and how Playwire has created the ultimate SDK for mobile game monetization.

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Game Monetization Pillar

Game Monetization Guide: Monetizing with In-Game Advertising

 

What is an Ad Monetization SDK?

Ad monetization SDKs are necessary for enabling mobile publishers to monetize their app. For game developers, this means control over how exactly their game is monetized.

Mobile SDKs for game monetization allow developers to track player behavior, customize ad placements, and manage in-game app purchases. They also provide an easy way for publishers to integrate with third-party ad networks and analytics platforms. 

Ad monetization SDKs are an essential part of the mobile game development process, and they can make a big difference regarding whether or not a game is financially successful.

How SDKs for Mobile Advertising Work

There are three key elements to Playwire's mobile app monetization SDK- header bidders, mediation partners, and consent management. While you'll find versions of these dependencies in other SDKs, they will likely lack the functionality and efficiency of our RAMP platform.

Multiple header bidding partners are essential for filling calls for bids. Our SDK offers three: Prebid, Amazon Transparent Ad Marketplace (TAM), and Google Ad Manager. Then we have multiple bidders configured within each of these partners, ensuring that every call for bids we send is more likely to be filled.

But what if we don't get a strong bid from one of these bidders? That's where our mediation partners come into play. We like to say, "No impression goes unfilled." Sure, it's not the catchiest saying. But it represents the power of working with big-name mediation partners like AppLovin, Fyber, and Vungle to fill the majority of ad requests. 

Most requests will be filled by this stage. But what if they don't?

Just like in the movie Inception, we go one layer deeper. As a last resort, we'll capture demand from Google's AdMob SDK whenever possible.

Finally, we can't leave out our consent management platform, or CMP. This ensures that every privacy law, security setting, and opt-in or opt-out is properly managed and tracked so that legal problems are never part of your mobile advertising experience.

To summarize, here's what happens when we complete the (incredibly simple) SDK setup for a publisher.

  • A user in your app triggers a bid request
  • That request runs an auction between our three header bidders and demand from our direct sales team
  • We receive a bid and compare it to bids from our mediation partners, starting at the most important and moving down the line
  • If we get no bids, we go to Google mobile ad demand
  • At every step of the way, our consent management platform ensures you stay compliant with any and all privacy laws

The Status Quo of SDKs for Mobile Game Monetization

Unfortunately, many existing SDKs for mobile game monetization don't meet Playwire's high standard. The capabilities of a mobile ads SDK are often wasted when trying to integrate with and use them for the purpose of mobile game monetization. This really comes down to three key limitations you'll find with most SDKs for game monetization.

Complex

SDKs for mobile game monetization are often complicated and difficult to use. They can be time-consuming to integrate and require a lot of custom code. This poses a big problem for publishers who want to quickly add an ad monetization strategy to their games. 

Mobile-App_1_An-Industry-Built-for-advertisers

The complexity that often comes with SDKs can also create a problem for players who just want to play the game and don't want to be bombarded with poorly designed, poorly targeted, and poorly placed ads. 

Opaque

SDKs for mobile game monetization are often anything but transparent, making it difficult to understand how your revenue is generated, where it comes from, and where it goes. 

Many monetization platforms and their SDKs amount to paying you whatever they want and reselling your inventory at a huge profit. This isn't 'just bad for your bottom line, but it makes it difficult to see the relationship between what buyers are paying and what you're earning in revenue.

At Playwire, we agree upon a percentage of revenue we earn from your inventory, which incentivizes us to get you the highest possible bid on every possible impression.

Limited

Imagine being at an in-person auction. The bidders take their seats, the auctioneer takes the stand. Then he notices a wealthy individual in the front row who spent a lot of money at the last auction, so he cancels the bidding and tells the wealthy individual the item is his for whatever price he wants to pay. 

That's the way things are historically done in mobile game ad auctions.

Most SDKs for mobile game monetization are missing unified auction technology. The result is less competition for your impressions, which means lower bids and lower CPMs that add up to paltry revenue.

The problem comes down to assumptions that are built into historical SDK auction processes. Many SDKs prioritize bidders who have completed high bids in the past because they're considered more likely to spend big again. The problem is that in a given instance, another bidder might be the best bet- but most SDKs don't check down the line. Once they get a bid from the first bidder in line, the auction is over.

A unified auction shares bids from ad buyers in order to determine the best possible bid for this auction. That may seem obvious, but it's not the way auctions are historically managed.  

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Game Monetization Resource Center

The Complete Game Monetization Resource Center

RAMP: Playwire's Superpowered SDK

Let's talk about a mobile ads SDK that does everything right. Oh, and would you imagine that - it's ours! 

RAMP gives publishers a full suite of monetization sources in a single SDK It allows game publishers to monetize their games through advertising.

With RAMP, developers can choose from various ad formats, including full-screen interstitial ads, rewarded video ads, playable ads, or banner ads. They can also choose how often app ads are shown, as well as what type of users will see them. By this, we mean developers can choose to show ads only to users who have already made app purchases, or who have reached a certain level in the game. 

Meanwhile, our Revenue Intelligence (RI) technology constantly refines and improves your monetization strategy and ad targeting. That means your ads become more effective and generate higher CPMs every day.

Simple and seamless to integrate with existing codebases, RAMP is designed to help every publisher monetize their site or app. For mobile game publishers, this means an uncompromised mobile gaming experience and maximized revenue. 

With RAMP, publishers can focus on creating and growing great games while we focus on making them profitable.

Here are some of the specific ways RAMP outshines other mobile SDKs for game monetization.

Straightforward Revenue Share

RAMP provides clear and easy-to-understand revenue share terms for all our partners. In order to monetize their games, developers simply integrate RAMP's SDK into their game and display RAMP-provided ad units. When users interact with these ad formats, game publishers earn revenue. 

In-App-Header-Bidding_Transparent-Revenue-Share

Streamlined Integration

RAMP is designed to provide a streamlined integration process for developers, with a focus on providing higher CPMs and fill rates. We handle all mediation integrations for you, and with our architecture, we can release new SDK updates without you having to lift a finger or relaunch in the app store.

App-Mediation-Partners_In-App-Header-Bidding (1)

RAMP is also constantly being updated with new features and improvements to make our technology smarter yet the integration process simpler than ever before. 

Full-Service Partner Management

In addition to providing SDK support, RAMP also offers full-service partner management. We have long standing relationships with major ad networks and mediation partners, and our team is constantly expanding our network to provide the most opportunities and best possible results for publishers. 

We help our game publishers get past traditionally insurmountable obstacles without a hitch. 

The Power of Revenue Intelligence {RI}

Revenue Intelligence {RI} is our proprietary algorithm, designed to amplify ad revenue and earn more from every impression. This approach combines human and machine intelligence to increase your yield through testing and iterative improvements to your ad experience.

How many data points does RI track and refine? Thousands, from click rates and bounce rates to session duration and interests. Revenue Intelligence captures the effects of these variables, adjusts settings accordingly, then repeats the process, again and again, to constantly improve your yield.

Revenue-Intelligence_RI

You Make a Great Game, Playwire Will Handle the Rest

All these features, capabilities, and benefits really amount to one thing: Playwire allows publishers like you to focus on doing what you do best while we help you earn revenue from it. 

Creating mobile games is a creative experience driven by passion and the desire to give players a truly great user experience. At Playwire, we ensure that you can earn serious revenue without ever compromising that experience.

If you're ready to learn more, contact us online today.

 

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