Real Talk?: Does Anyone Make a Decent amount of ? Money through AD Revenue??

[Nygaming]

All I hear is how no body ever gets their money or reaches the payment threshold, calling the revenue option a scam; giving your games away for free. So I want to know, if anyone pulls in a couple hundred bucks a month through it.

 

Thanks

[b10b]

A couple hundred bucks a month?  For sure.  That revenue represents a couple hundred thousand plays (which is quite viable with a small collection of quality games).  Yes, we achieve that, and more.

Worth it?  Not so sure.  In 2019 ~$1 eCPM seems to be the web-game normal these days (and trending downwards?) which likely demonstrates that in-game ads are becoming worthless to an advertiser.  It's important to take a moment and pause ... perhaps even say this aloud to let the reality hit ... "I've created and shipped a game that has been played one thousand times.  I have earned $1.  With luck on my side I will collect that $1 within the next ninety days.".  Cool!?

Also let's follow the money and consider the other side of the coin.  From an advertiser's perspective $1 eCPM isn't a bargain, it's probably junk - possibly needing millions of impressions to create a meaningful engagement (i.e a sale).  The only consistent winner is the broker, they can trade low eCPM and make their rake at volume.  Fortunately advertisers are quickly wise to weak inventory and can move their placements to new supply very quickly (often automatically).  Unfortunately games cannot attract new demand so fast (the proposition is narrower), so end up outbidding one another over a tiny pool of all online advertising channels (again often automatically).

[Nygaming]

So I'm guessing the reason, many portals only have a revenue option is to get your games for free.?

[b10b]

2 hours ago, Nygaming said:

So I'm guessing the reason, many portals only have a revenue option is to get your games for free.?

Free might seem best to some, but I wouldn't presume any unfair intent?  Ultimately the portals are in the same boat as the gamedevs: limited revenue from a diminishing eCPM.  They have the slight advantage in that they aren't producing the games so have more options from where they source them.  But if their imagination for sourcing only extends to syndication services containing "free" revenue-split-in-game-ad-based-games then it's fair to assume that the Player experience will be unremarkable on that portal.  Instead look to publishers with more imaginative revenue streams and player experience goals ... or adopt that commercial role for yourself.