Monetizing offline gameplay is a challenging yet untapped opportunity in the mobile gaming industry, and Playgap is on a mission to bridge this gap. By developing innovative tools for offline ad delivery and fail-safe monetization strategies, Playgap enables developers to unlock new revenue streams from connectivity-challenged players. With a focus on seamless user experiences, tailored monetization solutions, and forward-thinking technology, Playgap is reshaping how casual and hybrid-casual game developers approach monetization. We caught up with Playgap's Co-founder, Dima Raznouski to learn more about how the team is revolutionizing offline monetization, their plans to support developers with innovative tools, and their vision for the future of ad-tech in gaming.

Playgap is focused on helping game developers monetize offline gameplay, a significant yet untapped segment. What are the biggest hurdles developers face in monetizing offline gameplay, and how is Playgap bridging this gap?

Mariam, thank you for the opportunity to share how developers use Playgap and who we are! We are a team with a background in game tech & ad tech on a mission to help game developers close their monetisation gaps. As a starting point, we focus on building tools for monetisation of offline gameplay and recovery of online ad fails.

The main hurdle in monetising offline gameplay is that traditional revenue streams like install-based performance advertising and in-app purchases (IAP) don't function without an internet connection. Players can't install new apps or make purchases offline, rendering these monetization methods ineffective, creating a sizable segment of undermonetised players. Additionally, many players purposefully limit their connectivity to reduce digital distractions, further complicating monetisation efforts. We develop technologies that ensure seamless ad delivery across all connectivity states.

It’s worth noting that connectivity isn't just a binary state; it’s a wide spectrum influenced by factors like mobility, VPNs, and fluctuating network quality. Playgap identifies, predicts, and adapts to these varying connectivity states to deliver monetisation solutions that benefit both players and developers. Connectivity-challenged gameplay is a sizable problem. In many hypercasual and casual games it represents 10% - 30% of all gameplay sessions.

Developers struggle to monetize offline gameplay due to a lack of effective solutions. How is Playgap addressing this challenge, and what unique technologies or strategies are you offering to unlock this revenue potential?

To address this challenge, we monetise the offline segment by showing ads offline and driving the player [and the click] back online through the reward mechanic of the game. It’s a bridging solution where players watch ads offline and cross back online to collect their rewards. Developers like it because they earn incremental revenue and drive their players back online, where they are further monetised by their online monetisation stack. To give you an example, a notable casual developer APPS sees 29% of their ad inventory return online with the help of Playgap. Everybody wins.

Our uniqueness lies in our connection-independent technology, which delivers positive outcomes regardless of the player's connectivity state. We specialise in handling the full connectivity spectrum as well as low-end devices. Our product adjusts seamlessly to all connectivity states, including zero, low and intermittent connectivity, making it ideal for scenarios like train journeys with spotty connections or players who go offline to avoid interstitial ads. We serve ads smoothly in these circumstances, ensuring consistent user experience and monetisation flow.

To fully cover offline monetisation, we are also adding an “offline IAP” solution to our product suite early next year. If you are a game developer and want early access, please hit me up on Linkedin, sign up on our website, or send us an email to [email protected]

With a team that brings expertise from companies like Unity Ads, Game Analytics, MoPub and Tapjoy, how has this diverse background shaped Playgap’s approach to both online and offline ad monetization?

Great question. We are lucky with team Playgap, although I believe luck follows hard work. We assembled an exceptionally talented and experienced team with a history of success in gaming and ad tech which allows us to innovate and deliver solutions quickly. We understand the nuances of game development and advertising, which helps us make things people actually use.

One of the key factors shaping our work culture is that many of us are immigrants. Moving to a new country often builds resilience and improves problem-solving skills. I’d say we excel in these qualities, with everyone highly motivated and accountable. These traits provide us with the ideal foundation for developing specialised technology and thriving as a fully remote team.

How does Playgap ensure a smooth user experience while monetizing offline players, especially in casual and hybrid casual games where gameplay flow is critical?

We prioritise user experience on multiple levels. Fundamentally, we integrate through existing ad placements and formats like video and banner ads, aligning with the game's existing reward systems and economy. We make it easy for developers to use Playgap.

Our monetization product is reward-based, which is simple and well-understood by players - they like earning rewards, and it enhances their gaming experience. We ensure our user interface is clean and friendly, and all ad content is hand-moderated to maintain quality. Our SDK is stable with a low footprint (we only add 1MB to the build size on Android), ensuring we don't impact game performance. These factors contribute to a seamless player experience.

Can you elaborate on any innovative offline monetization techniques Playgap has developed or plans to roll out? How do these strategies cater specifically to the needs of casual and hybrid casual game developers?

Beyond pioneering offline monetization, we're working on an IAP marketing product set to trial early next year. Growing IAP revenue is a top priority for many hyper-casual, hybrid, and casual games. Our goal is to help developers educate their players, guide them toward in-game purchases and expand their paying user base.

If you are a game developer and want early access, please hit me up on Linkedin, sign up on our website, or send us an email to [email protected]

Casual games often face high user churn. How does Playgap’s approach to monetization—especially offline monetization—help mitigate this churn while driving sustainable revenue?

Playgap’s reward-based user experience aligns with the player’s interest and therefore by providing valuable rewards developers enhance user experience. Additionally, for games that currently block offline gameplay, enabling offline with Playgap may reduce churn. When an ad-driven game isn’t playable offline, players may churn sooner or leave bad reviews. You may have seen how “offline games” have climbed the top charts recently. This illustrates there is high demand for offline gameplay among players.

We also offer offline cross-promotion to developers who want to move their players across games within their own portfolio reducing overall churn.

Given your team's background with companies like GameAnalytics and MoPub, how does Playgap leverage data to optimize both online and offline ad targeting for game developers?

On a high level, our data strategy is to invest in tools that enable contextual and personalised ad experiences. We prioritise player trust through compliant data practices and on-device processing.

While much of our data originates offline, we utilise it effectively once it's synced online. We have a deep understanding of device connectivity states and player behaviours across different environments. 

We are also developing advanced targeting capabilities to identify users more likely to engage with IAP or move across the developer’s own portfolio, enabling us to promote these opportunities effectively. 

As a company with roots in major ad-tech and gaming firms, what trends do you foresee shaping the future of ad monetization, particularly in offline gameplay? How does Playgap intend to stay at the forefront of these trends?

We think the future of ad monetization is being shaped by a few key trends, and we are investing in each of them to stay at the forefront of these trends.

Firstly, it’s the increased importance of offline monetization. Users are increasingly managing their connectivity to reduce distractions, such as switching to flight mode, and this player segment needs to be addressed differently, both through monetization and tailored gameplay experience.

Secondly, many ad-reliant game developers want to reduce reliance on ads and rebalance their economies toward IAP. There is a need for effective solutions to educate and engage players with IAP and we want to help here.

Related to that, there is a growing recognition that ad space can be used not just for monetization but also to educate players about game features and strategies. By providing valuable content within ads, developers can incite further gameplay and enhance player engagement.

Thirdly, in the context of tightening player privacy regulations, we're committed to solutions that respect user data and offer transparency. Our technologies operate effectively with minimal personal data.

Lastly, we anticipate that generative AI will help developers personalise gameplay experience on a rather granular level and ad experiences will need to catch up. We are exploring some ideas how we can complement this development.