Playable Ads - A New trend in Mobile App Advertising

Usually, when we want to take a break and clear the mind during our day, we retreat into our mobile phones. Whether if to play a game that we like or just scroll down our social media feed. Either way, you have probably come across with different types of ads. One of them is the Playable ad which is considered a new way to attract people to play mobile games.

The playable ad allows users to experience your game before they decide whether to install the app. The format of the ad is a short interactive mini-game aimed to provide a preview to the actual game, showcase the game’s main gameplay and to prompt users to play it.

Recently, Facebook launched its version of playable ads and opened the opportunity for all game developers to showcase their games. Ilyon that was ready in advance for this moment was able to increase exposure for its iOS games and reach the most relevant audience. I sat down with Avi Shor (VP R&D) and Uri Pearl (Product Marketing Manager) to talk about how Ilyon approached this new technology and what factors contributed to this success.

A Successful Pre-Planning and Development

“Ilyon was ready for the playable ads trend in terms of development from day one, as we were aiming to build games on several platforms, beginning with,” Shor relates. The in-house infrastructure that we have developed enabled us to meet the different requirements of the different platforms (Facebook, Google, etc.) and to have our playable ads ready within a rather short time-to-market, after applying a few adjustments. Moreover, we have implemented an actual code from our games in the ads and used our original gameplay and elements.

“It is not self-evident that a company would use an original game code, as many companies often use outsourcing,” Shor points out. “The process was not always easy, and we have encountered some technical difficulties while trying to align to the strict format demands. We had to create our own development tool to translate the different graphical assets that we use in our games into a code. Moreover, we have successfully managed to reduce the playable ad file size, and it is significantly smaller than the maximum size required by the different networks. “So besides the fact that our ads load very fast, it also allowed us to broaden our market outreach and to get to users who are using old mobile devices.”

The development team successfully collaborated with the Game Design, Art and Animation teams and together they were able to create a fun and smooth user experience that engages our users within seconds.

Defining Goals and Implementing a Winning Marketing Strategy

Based on our previous and continuing success with Google UAC platform (Universal App Campaigns) in entering the iOS market, it was merely natural to use it for testing and publishing our playable ads. “We were able to turn our playable ads into success by constantly iterating ad versions and adapting learnings,” says Pearl. “The key to success using playable ads was simple and fast gameplay that got users engaged within the first seconds. By immersing the user with smooth user experience, we found an extremely valuable creative asset in our mix”.

In terms of our playable ads’ visibility rate, we outnumber our competitors with one of the highest penetration rates into the iOS ads-inventory on Google’s platform. “Our playable ads enabled us to unlock high-quality inventory of users with 70% higher ARPU vs. the users we have reached before adding playable ads to our asset mix,” according to Pearl. “Using playable ads, we have managed to scale up our in-app revenues, to increase our user base and to combine an IAP strategy along with our already successful ad-based strategy.”

Future Plans

Concerning the development, “our next step is to implement a lot of cool elements and features from our Bubble Shooter gameplay into our playable ads,” Shor discloses. “We are using the most up-to-date code, and our goal is to reduce the assets further and to implement gameplay elements from our Match 3 and Tap 2 games as well.”

“As for our marketing future goals, we will continue to test new ad versions, optimize best practices and adjust our infrastructure to all the other ad networks requirements,” Pearl sums up.

Games hold the ability to take our minds off daily problems and to create a fantasy world where we can relax and drift between reality and imagination. When people play games, they live a particular experience, and this is what game designers are interested in - in creating not only an entertaining but also a meaningful experience that players would want to repeat.

Game designers bring life to games by implementing creative ideas together with an organized set of rules into a final product, which is the game itself. Similar to a good novel or a movie plot, games have many different elements and parts that have to work well together to keep the structure balanced. Making games is a creative process which involves constant decision making that ultimately defines the player’s gaming experience.

Here at Ilyon, we have a talented and creative team of Product and Game Designers who continuously work on new and exciting games for our users. They cleared some time from their busy schedule (working on exciting new projects of course) to discuss certain aspects of the rich and diverse world of Game Design. Guy Zaidenband (Product Manager at Ilyon) told me all about the psychology behind Game Design and Avi Kaisermann (Head of Game Design at Ilyon), discussed the core elements of Game Design and about how those rules apply when it comes to the mobile world.

So What is Game Design?

When we talk about game design, the first thing that comes to mind is the visual appearance of the game. When in fact, game design is the idea behind a game, it’s about figuring out how the game is constructed regarding the rules and the content. Each game has its own “recipe,” outlining all the core elements you must take into account when working on a game; storyline, mechanics, game economy, monetization, psychology, rewards, look and feel, etc. Considering these factors, according to Kaisermann, a game designer’s main concern is to keep the game balanced by defining every aspect of it. “The way we approach balancing the complexity of levels in our games is a mixture of learning our player's behavior through BI reports and testing new gameplay elements,” Kaisermann explains.

A game designer has to see the “big picture.” Their primary focus is to build the overall structure of the game and to ensure that all the different aspects of the game connect. Their goal is to realize how to take all the various features, boosters, challenges, and events, and combine them to enrich players' experience, and how to develop levels with a logical, natural flow that make sense to players without them having to think about it.

When developing a game’s concept and gameplay, the game designer always balances their audience's motivations with innovation. New features, levels, and boosters are pointless if players won't enjoy using them. “Usually, we will try different level layouts and combinations of old and new gameplay elements to see how our players react. We then follow our BI reports thoroughly to see in what way the update changed their behavior," Kaisermann clarifies. "For example, we can test the many effects new items have on a level and compare the overall gratification and performance users get from interacting with them before and after having added the new items.”

The Psychology Behind Game Design

When you work on a game, you have to think about all the little details that ultimately shape the player’s gaming experience. Players build a particular relationship with the game based on an emotional connection. Zaidenband points out that even the smallest detail as a likable character or a catchy music tune can capture the heart of the player. If the game gives players something they can relate to, it enhances the chances that they will keep playing it.

The role of a product manager is to examine players’ behavior and to understand what motivates them, and how players interact with the game rules. “As a Product Manager, I can observe different groups of users (as paying vs. non-paying), measure their progress, daily engagement and amount of coins spent, and adjust the game accordingly so it will meet the needs of each group,” Zaidenband explains. We research our users according to a certain goal we have set or according to similar attributes. For example, we define a specific goal we want to reach as increasing the number of our games a user plays each day and then start our research. If we are looking to find a group of users who for instance play 10 games a day, the next step will be to gather all the common attributes of this group, such as how many times they play per day and whether or not they conduct in-game purchases. Once we have established the common characteristics of each group of users, we think of ways to improve their experience and to increase revenues.

One of the fundamental principles of game design is that the more specific the game rules are, the better chances that users will try to find ways to get around those rules. However, if a game has no rules, users will create their patterns like using only a specific booster to complete levels just because it proved helpful in defeating prior challenges (for example, in some of our Bubble games, we found our users prefer the Fireball). Mostly, each player creates his psychological patterns, and each one is experiencing the game differently. Grouping similar user behaviors help us to slowly and carefully uncover their patterns.

Game Design in the Mobile World

Video games often revolve around exploring fantasy worlds with a unique storyline, characters, and rules, and as such, they take players' time, energy and investment. Playing a video game is more likely to be a decision that you make, something you plan and anticipate. However, it is not the case when it comes to mobile games.

People play mobile games when they are looking for some fun and casual activity to do to pass the time, and mobile games offer precisely that immediate experience.

Mobile games are a whole new area for game designers. Smartphones have become a commodity and the touchscreen technology wholly altered the gaming experience. You play those games on the go- when you have an extra few minutes while waiting for a bus or at a doctor’s office. Besides, we have to remember that mobile users make decisions very fast. If they like the game, they will continue playing and if not they will delete it and move on to the next one.

Some users are looking for challenges, and some users are looking for entertainment, some players like to complete levels and move on, and some want to challenge themselves. So how does a game designer, baring all these variables in mind, can catch the attention of the mobile user? Kaisermann and Zaidenband both agree that the primary goal is to figure out how to maximize user's’ gaming experience- to keep users challenged and engaged with new content, in a short amount of time and to meet the needs of the different types of players.

Their advice for beginner game designers is to do your research and always stay updated with the latest trends, continually thinking about new ideas and elements to add to the game that will encourage the most interest and engagement with the game. Most importantly, remember to monitor these ideas once implemented and to examine the effects of the changes through player behavior or feedback.

And there is something to look forward to in Ilyon’s near future. We have a great lineup of new exciting games and special projects that will keep you entertained so stay tuned!

Roy Tzayag, Ilyon’s Head of Monetization, has been leading our Ad Monetization strategy and team for the past year. He has recently participated in the Israel Mobile Summit 2018 discussing how to unlock the monetization potential of casual games. Roy shared with me his impressions from the summit and the most interesting moments.

What Was the Summit About?

The Israel Mobile Summit is a leading annual event for mobile games and apps featuring the hot mobile topics in a variety of panels and lectures. The Summit was very interesting and very successful in my opinion. Over 50% of the participants came from all over the world (US, Europe, Asia) to take part in the different panels and to introduce new products. It seems that Israel is slowly becoming a real hub for mobile innovation and this is really exciting to be a part of this.

On a personal note, you took part in the summit as a keynote speaker. What was your lecture about?

I had the pleasure to collaborate with Smaato, a leading global advertising platform for publishers and app developers, in a joint keynote presentation in which each side delivered his current and future business and monetization strategies.

Freddy Friedman, Smaato’s CPO, discussed their company’s technology and plans, while I focused on Ilyon’s past, current and future KPI’s. I drilled down and elaborated on how Ilyon creates successful games and monetizes them without harming the organic growth and user experience. I discussed Ilyon’s extensive test-oriented approach on the monetization front and explained how everything is being tested in order to achieve the best results.

In addition, I introduced the most exciting trends for this and next year, for example, mobile real-time bidding which allows getting the highest payout by receiving the most updated deal in real time. Up to now, ads were selected according to past assumptions, and from now on ads will be displayed according to real-time data and predictive metrics.

What Are Some other Interesting Trends?

There are new types of ads, especially native advertisements that blend naturally inside the gaming experience, new partners from tier 3 countries and new collaborations with interesting brands. Overall, it looks like the Israeli mobile industry in on the right path to success.

Want to read more? Check out Libring’s article about Roy’s lecture for more interesting information!

Our team attended the Casual Connect 2018 conference last May, explored the casual gaming industry and its latest trends and gained some interesting insights. I had a chat with Yonatan Zvik, Ilyon’s Head of Casual Games, who shared the hot topics and tips for mobile game developers.

Building a Supportive Community

One of the main topics discussed at Casual Connect was publishers’ relationship with their users and the importance of building a supportive community around your game, that will grow organically. Many companies have realized that communication with their users is crucial and they often conduct different tests, before starting to work on a big project (surveys, video tests, etc.).

As game developers, it is also important to reach out to all type of players, both paying and non-paying users, and figure out how to maximize their gaming experience. The most important tip I received, was to be attentive to your users and to treat them as part of your family, your community. Be transparent with your users and invest in customer support. Listen to their feedback and implement good ideas suggested by them to strengthen users’ sense of connection with the game further. This way, game developers will be able to build a supportive and engaged community for their game.

Women in Gaming

The mobile market continues to grow, as well as the number of female players. More and more women show interest in gaming, not only as players but also as part of the gaming industry. Women prefer mobile over PC or consoles, as it is a more accessible platform, which enables playing anytime and wherever. Major companies realize that they have to focus on building more inclusive games that will appeal to a diverse audience and to adapt their games for both male and female audience to enjoy. Last but not least, the industry seems to be taking a significant step to support women developers and to incorporate women in key positions in the industry, to broaden their market outreach.

Breaking Into the Asian Market

Many western developers who have tried to enter the Asian market have failed. Although Asian users are now starting to open up to western games and apps, there are certain things developers have to do to ensure a higher chance of success. They need to study the different market and cultural preferences, localize the game so that players can understand the in-game text and build optimal marketing and monetization strategies. Launching a game abroad is undoubtedly a challenge, so in many cases, it can be helpful to cooperate with local companies to better understand the market and learn its requirements and demands.

Facebook Instant Games

Besides the fun element that draws people to mobile games, many players enjoy the social aspect of playing against others, participating in different contests and sending each other lives, invitations, and cool in-game items. Instant Games, Facebook’s new platform that allows people to play games without having to download them from the app stores, provide this extra social element. It is a helpful tool for publishers to build an organic audience and to add a PVP (player vs. player) experience to their games. People can share their scores, play with friends and compete in different contests and challenges. It helps improve user retention and to reach a broader audience on social media platforms.

LiveOps

Live game operations are ways to introduce new content and updates to players. Developers can add time-based challenges,  weekly quests, in-game events and sales to keep users engaged and to reach a wider audience. What’s great about it, is that after every update, developers can track all the actions made in the game, analyze the behavior of users and decide how to implement the results and what to improve next.

Our team at the Europe Casual Connect

 

A key part of creating a new mobile game is designing the interface and making it accessible to players. The UI (User Interface) design is an integral part that affects the gameplay, game theme, and user experience. But what is UI? How can you get the best out of it, and what should you pay attention to? We’ve put together some tips to keep in mind.

When talking about UI design, there is a tendency to parallel it to a similar term: UX – User Experience. Although the terms do overlap and even complement one another to a certain extent, each serves a different purpose. UX defines the user’s experience: Is there a logical sequence between the levels, whether it is easy to navigate from place to place, what problems the user can encounter, and how to solve them.

In contrast, UI is the design of the visual interface that you use to interact with the application. UI designers are responsible for designing elements and screens while making sure that the UI design communicates the planned UX design. UI designers are also responsible for creating a consistent design language across the game.

What is the difference between mobile UI design and WEB UI design?
The goal of UI design for mobile is the same as for the web- the design has to convey the look and feel of the game and to provide a sense of progress and accomplishment. A good UI facilitates the user’s interaction with the app making it as efficient and straightforward as possible. The UI has to provide the relevant information quickly and clearly and then to get out of the user’s way.

We had a chat with Ori Naor, our Marketing Creative Director, that helped us put together  8 tips for UI design in Mobile:

1. The UI must be intuitive to the player. A successful UI is one that is clear to the user and works the way the user expects it to work. Buttons, for example, are a vital element in creating a smooth flow in the game. Designing the buttons’ size, shape and position, emphasizing the play button and reducing the exit button, are all vital tools that help to navigate players to the right place.  Another helpful tool is adding animations and special visual effects to highlight important events in the game or different sales. With that said, you have to use these effects to the right extent as the excess of animations can cause performance slowdown that will frustrate the user and ultimately impair the UI’s intuitive flow.

2. A good UI communicates the necessary information clearly and quickly. Using icons on the game buttons instead of text will give a cleaner and tighter appearance. Also, using an icon instead of text will prevent problems caused by translating the game into different languages. For example, when a text is translated into another language, it may exceed the boundaries of the button and disrupt the formatting. It is also important to use commonly agreed symbols. For example, if you choose to use a circular arrow to indicate replay of a level, you can’t use this symbol for any other purpose or else you will confuse players.

3. Screen Resolution. Items that are rich in details that look great at a computer resolution will not necessarily look good on mobile. Try not to overburden the design with details and use the Navigator in Photoshop to compare how the item looks in different sizes.

4. Importing a game from computer to mobile. When importing games from one platform to another, it is important to remember that in mobile, the player’s finger replaces the game tools on the computer or the console (mouse/keyboard/joystick). Try to design the game to match the new format. Design large buttons and arrows with large, clear icons that will allow the player to click on them easily. Pressing a wrong or too small button can frustrate the player.

5. Use the right colors. It is important to use the right colors not only as an aesthetic design element but as a logical tool. Using red or green colors on the buttons adds a commonly accepted meaning to the action that the designer must be aware of.

6. Continuity. There is more than one acceptable way to present different functions. For example, an exit button can be an X or an exit arrow or a door icon to exit the level. Using different symbols for the same function in the same game will confuse the player. It is important to consistently maintain the same way to display the same function throughout the game.

7. Font. In UI design the font must be readable in any screen size. Thick fonts will work better in different sizes because it is easier to read and understand them. Thinner fonts are less readable at different resolutions.

8. Maps. The purpose of the map is to contribute to the player’s sense of progress in the game and to be a navigational intersection for the game’s various features. It is better to use a simple looking trail that will give the player a sense of progress. The map should continue the design language of the game and correlate with the UI design. Therefore, when designing the game map, you need to take into account the buttons and their placing. The buttons on the map will usually appear in agreed-upon locations – for example, the sales will appear on the map on the top left corner of the screen, and not all the four corners of the screen will be filled in, so the player will not have to work hard to find what he needs.

We hope that the tips given to you will help you design UI in mobile games. Our most important advice? Let the design blend naturally with the game, make it simple, clear and colorful, and try to ensure that your players will get the most entertaining and pleasant gaming experience.

Ilyon is celebrating another important milestone! We are happy to announce that our flagship Bubble Shooter™ game has surpassed the 50 million downloads mark. This is the result of a joint effort of Ilyon’s different departments that work together to ensure that Ilyon’s global users always receive the best gaming experience.

“The popularity of Bubble Shooter has been so exciting for our team to see and we are extremely grateful to all of our fans,” said Yonatan Erez CEO of Ilyon. “While we will celebrate reaching 50 million downloads, our focus continues to remain on creating engaging, fun and exciting games for our users.”

Read the Full Article Here

Roy Tzayag, Ilyon’s Head of Monetization, has been leading our Ad Monetization strategy and team for the past year. He has recently participated in the Madrid Mobile Summit 2017, sharing his knowledge and expertise on app and gaming monetization. I caught up with Roy to learn more about the art of Ad Monetization in mobile games.

So what is Mobile Game Monetization?

Mobile Game Monetization is the art of making money from mobile app games. Today, as the number of free mobile applications keeps growing, developers must find ways to generate revenues from both paying (in-game) and non-paying users.

What are the Popular Monetization Methods?

There are many different ways to monetize mobile games. The most popular method is advertising (displaying ads in-game). Based on my experience, mobile ads have a vast reach and impact on the user experience. Most people are familiar with ads, and will not be surprised to see them pop up on their smartphones. Another well-known strategy is in-app purchases when users have the option to purchase virtual items in the game. Users that buy in-app usually make up a very small percentage of the users that visit your game. But the revenue per purchase is much higher than from ads. Many publishers are using both methods (a “hybrid strategy”).

What are the Biggest Ad Monetization Trends in Mobile Games?

The gaming industry is moving from “push-strategy” to “pull-strategy”. Many advertisers and publishers understand that the “old” ad units, as Banners and Interstitial Ads (full-screen ads), can be annoying as they are being pushed to the users. You have to think that ultimately your goal is to have satisfied users and to increase the company’s revenues. That’s why game advertisers prefer the “newer” ad units as the Rewarded Video Ads and Native Mobile Ads that are less disruptive to the user experience. Native ads are dynamic and can be assimilated into the game to appear as part of the design. And rewarded video ads are optional and more engaging, as opposed to the pop-up video ads that start playing automatically. Users choose to watch video ads while playing, and they watch them in full to get in-app rewards.

What are the Biggest Challenges Ad Monetization Managers Face and What Tips Can You Give Them?

One of the biggest challenges is differentiating the users according to their type, not only according to historical data but also in predictive models (paying vs. non-paying users). In the past years, as marketing became more complex and data-driven, the importance of tracking and pinpointing ads is very important. Advertisers are willing to pay more money in order to show ads to quality users and to audiences that are more relevant to their offer. Another big challenge for game monetization today is to find the right ways of showing more ads per user without harming the engagement and retention metrics. My advice is to always experiment. Experiment with different networks, placements, ad frequencies and all related, because every game has its own behavior. Things that might perform better in one app, will not necessarily perform the same in the other, and vice versa.

Roy Tzayag, Ilyon’s Head of Monetization

Hard Rock International, in collaboration with mobile gaming company Ilyon, announces the launch of “Hard Rock Puzzle Match” game. Together, they have created a really exciting game which perfectly captures the unique spirit and experience of Hard Rock.

Read the Full Article Here 

Ilyon is part of the gaming industry in Israel which is gaining worldwide momentum with many leading game developers and successful exits.

Israel is on the map of the global gaming industry and Ilyon is one of the prominent companies from Israel.

From the article: The last two years have been good for Israeli companies in the field of mobile games and social networks. The local industry generates 43 billion dollars a year, of which about 2 billion dollars go to companies from Israel.

Read the Full Article Here

Ilyon was a proud sponsor at the 10th annual GameIS​ event taking place last Thursday. Our team had a great time at our booth, giving a sneak peek of our upcoming new projects and surprises and handing out cool gifts.

As part of the Business Track covered by Ilyon, our talented Product Manager Guy Zaidi gave a lecture about the new F2P (Free to Play) Games in 2017.

We enjoyed meeting young people who are taking their steps into a career in the gaming industry as we are always looking for talented individuals to join our growing team. Maybe you can be the next one?

Check out our Careers Page and apply today.