Soft Launch Monetization Perspective for Non-Hyper Causal Mobile Games

Ad monetization perspective in mobile games involves balancing ad revenue and in-app purchases (IAP) to create a sustainable revenue model. For Ad monetization, game owners use rewarded ads to maximize eCPM while ensuring high completion rates and minimal user friction. The key to successful ad monetization is understanding that ad revenue is the product of fill rate and eCPM, where developers can optimize these variables during the soft launch by focusing on increasing impressions. Introducing ad mediation partners and involving multiple ad networks increases competition for ad inventory, further boosting ad revenue. It’s essential to avoid cannibalizing IAP revenue by carefully implementing ads that complement, rather than conflict with, high-LTV user behavior.

What is North Star Ad Metric During Soft Launch?

North Star Ad Metric During Soft Launch is Impressions/DAU (Imp/DAU).

While soft launching your game the north star metric you’re aiming for is Impressions/DAU (Imp/DAU). In order for your ads to have a significant impact on the magic number you need to exceed or hit is 5 imp/DAU. With a proper mediation setup here’s what you can expect in terms of bottom line:

• 5 Imp/DAU – $0.06 – 0.08 AdARPDAU
• 6 Imp/DAU – $0.08 – 0.11 AdARPDAU
• 7 imp/DAU – $0.12 – 0.14 AdARPDAU
• 8 imp/DAU – $0.15 – 0.20+ AdARPDAU

*The main caveat here is that I’ve seen some games reach as high as $0.23-0.52 AdARPDAU with just 5 Imp/DAU as their inventory converts super well with advertisers.

The AdARPDAU amounts might not look that big but if you retain a user for 10 days and they watch 7 impressions a day, ads will have added $1.2-1.14 to their LTV. Most mobile games today are built with Unity which makes your job as a game developer a bit easier from an ad monetization perspective. To make things easier during soft launch I recommend to use just Unity ads which will give you an easy way to measure your Imp/DAU during soft launch. Once you’ve maximized the Imp/DAU that’s when you’ll need to add a mediation platform.

How to Maximize AdARPDAU After Soft Launch?

To maximize your AdARPDAU you will need to add a mediation partner.

Congratulations you’ve finished soft launching your game. Your North Star ad metric is no longer Imp/DAU but should now shift to AdARPDAU. In order to maximize your AdARPDAU you will need to add a mediation partner. A mediation partner allows you to create competition for your ad inventory which drives up the cost for your inventory. A good rule of thumb here is that adding a mediation with just two networks will increase your ad revenue by 100% compared to having just one network partner. Currently the mediation space is a duopoly where you’ll get the highest AdAPRDAU by using either Applovin or ironSource. I’d recommend speaking to both companies to see which one will work best for you.

Once you’ve implemented a mediation platform you also need to add a few ad networks to ensure healthy competition for your inventory. These networks will be more than enough until your game starts to make $2k/day in Ad revenue and give you good coverage on both iOS and Android.

• Facebook
• Admob
• Unity
• ironSource
• Applovin

How to Setup Mediation for Soft Launch?

To Setup Your Mediation for Soft Launch, I’d recommend starting with the following setups:

When launching a new game I’d recommend starting with the following setups.

After first setting up I’d recommend leaving these for 8-10 days and then come back to make optimizations. When making optimizations what you should look at are the placements fill rates. The rule here is that if a placement fills at a higher level that 1% you can create a new placement with a higher price floor. In the end all “Ad optimizations” is you creating AB tests with higher placements or removing low fill placements.

What Is Waterfall Latency, and How Does It Affect Ad Revenue?

Waterfall Latency is the auction for your impressions from bid request to impression has to take less than 300 milliseconds. If you have too many placements in your waterfall this will cause the mediation platform to skip over some placements. This is what is known as “Latency” and you want to avoid this as it loses you money. On Applovin they advise you not to have more than 42 placements per waterfall. Ironsource the latency limit is around 52.

How is eCPM Calculated?

eCPM is calculated by ad networks using a form of this formula CTR*IR*CPI*1000=eCPM. The CTR, IR and CPI data is taken from the last 7 days.

Why Are First Impressions Important in Ad Bidding Models?

First Impressions are important because most networks run their bidding models on a recency model. This means that the first impression a user is shown during a gaming session is worth more than the subsequent ones. The assumption here is that users pay more attention to the first impression compared to the 10th impression. You start seeing a drop off in price after the 5th impression per session.

How Do Ad Networks Earn Revenue from In-Game Ads?

Ad networks earn money by taking a cut on the ads they show in your game. Generally, the split is 70% to the publisher and 30% to the network. You as a publisher have no way of checking on the network’s cut so adding numerous networks ensures they have to keep their cut to 30% to stay competitive.

What is the Difference Between Hyper Casual and Non-Hyper Casual Mobile Game Marketing?

The main difference between hyper-casual and non-hyper casual mobile game marketing lies in their target audience, monetization strategy, and user engagement goals. Hyper-casual games typically focus on a wide user base with low entry barriers, leveraging fast-paced gameplay that appeals to a broad, often casual audience. Hyper casual marketing for mobile games relies heavily on high-volume installs, quick ad monetization, and a broad reach, aiming to attract users who engage briefly but return frequently. In contrast, non-hyper casual games prioritize a more targeted and engaged user base, implementing strategies during the soft launch phase that test monetization through in-app purchases, longer play sessions, and premium features that encourage deeper player investment.

For non-hypercasual games, soft launch monetization strategies involve a focus on user retention and long-term engagement rather than solely ad-based revenue. These games rely on audience segmentation to understand player behavior, test engagement mechanics, and refine monetization elements that appeal to users willing to invest more time and money. The soft launch process allows developers to optimize features, in-app purchases, and rewarded ads, ensuring a seamless experience that drives monetization without overwhelming players. While hyper-casual games may aim for rapid acquisition and immediate ad returns, non-hyper casual mobile games use the soft launch phase to balance monetization with user satisfaction, ultimately targeting players who provide sustained value over time.

Here is a table that highlights the differences between Hyper Casual and Non-Hyper Casual mobile game marketing: