Passing the cost of a mobile game onto a third party in order to increase end-user downloads isn't a new idea, but it's one that's constantly evolving...
There are plenty of trailblazers in the adver-gaming niche - Greystripe, Hovr, 123 Play, Cellufun, Digistores, Mobango and Inneractive to name but a few.
Spain's Unkasoft is another. It has worked with the likes of Sony Pictures and Pepsi, and is about to push its services into the US and UK this year.
In the fifth and final part of our Game Developer Special, Unkasoft CEO Juan Antonio Munoz details his quest for critical mass...
What’s the logic behind advergaming?
The aim is to move the cost of the game from the user to the supplier. There are two options.
We build a branded advergame from scratch for a client, or we take an existing game with the option of 'advergaming on the fly' in which the brand can inject ads at the point of download or during an online gaming session.
How much does it cost to create?
It costs anywhere between 2,000 and 40,000 euros to make an advergame.
What progress have you made so far in the sector?
We've done 65 campaigns, with clients including Sony Films, Pepsi and Cosmo. Most have been in Latin America, Spain and France, but we're launching into the US and UK this year.
We recently launched a game with Renault around its Twingo car. We used our system to take an existing game, and change the background to Renault's specifications.
Then the client created BlueTooth points and a shortcode for users to download it. In the first week it did 4,000 downloads.
Are the players themselves accepting of advergames?
Users are still wary of free games offers, so I'm not sure if you could say we're reached a critical mass yet.
I’m sure that in two to three years, there'll be an explosion. We have 100 campaigns lined up for next year.
To read Part Four of our Game Developer Special, click here.
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