In 2008, Gameloft became the first mobile game publisher to offer six games with the launch of the Apple App Store, and was even invited on stage with Steve Jobs to showcase their games library with the launch of the iPad. Today, Gameloft has over 98 million monthly unique users accessing their original content, delivering 10,000+ advertising campaigns across 40 countries.
SpotX recently sat down with head of programmatic in North America, Corentin Leydis, to discuss the programmatic video ad strategy across their library of games.
Q> Who is Gameloft, and what type of content does Gameloft offer its users?
Corentin: The content is 100% gaming and all original content, meaning all of the games are written and produced in-house. We have all types of content, from racing games to Disney theme park games. All games are ad-supported and free for users through their device’s app store.
What’s really interesting is how and when the audiences are accessing their preferred games. Our users are playing on smartphones and tablets, while commuting or at home. We also see a huge spike in viewership early in the morning and late at night, with the average user spending 39 minutes per day within the game.
Q> What are the two most popular games?
Corentin: All of our games are written and designed in-house, and that’s something we’re really proud of. Two of our games have been listed in the top 10 most downloaded games in the App Store; Asphalt 8 from our racing category and our Despicable Me Minion game in the casual/kid category. We also see a lot of praise coming from the device maker. For example, Apple used our game Asphalt 9: Legends during its keynote to showcase the new iPhone XS, and likewise for Samsung when they introduced their latest Galaxy Fold. This is important to us because it says that not only the users like our game but the device manufacturers are proud of it too.
Q> What made Gameloft decide to partner with SpotX?
Corentin: We started exploring programmatic back in 2015, and when we began looking for partners, it was clear that SpotX was the best place to monetise our video inventory. Since the integration four years ago, SpotX has proven to be an efficient SSP platform to partner with, especially for the private marketplace business. Not only is the UX great and easy to use, but also the technology behind it is reliable. When we’re setting up a private marketplace (PMP) deal, it’s important to have access to near real-time data.
Q> What’s on the horizon for Gameloft in the coming year?
Corentin: For Gameloft, this year we’re really excited about taking gamification one step further for advertisers with the introduction of interactive video ads. This will allow users to interact with the advertisement while the video is playing, driving better engagement and retention, and all of this will be running programmatically via SpotX.
This year, we also have a lot of interesting content coming, starting with two new Disney games, a new Lego game in the Team Battle category, and much more. We are also expanding our horizons with the release of some of our games on console like Asphalt 9 and Modern Combat as well as the release of some of our most popular games across desktop.
Learn more about how Gameloft works with SpotX to provide free, ad-supported games to millions of viewers across the globe in the video below.
Original interview appeared on spotx.tv