Anzu has announced that it is partnering up with developer Amelore to bring immersive in-game ads in their game Slappyball. The integration is already complete, and ads are currently being served in Slappyball via Anzu’s advanced in-game advertisement platform. With the platform integration complete, the game is now ready for advertisers to programmatically run non-disruptive in-game banners and video ads in the game.
Slappyball is a volleyball game where each player is represented by a giant animated and comically anthropomorphic hand. Players are able to join teams, negotiate salaries, move up the ranking boards and even create their very own unique characters with cosmetic skins. Since the game takes place inside a stadium, it provides ample spaces to place ads in places that are easily visible yet non-invasive for the gamers.
Rather, it delivers ads in a matter which appears to be completely normal with ads appearing on large billboards around the stadium which is normally the case with real-world events as well. With Anzu’s platform, instead of fake, made-up ads, you get to see real ads in these places without any issues. Mackenzie Denker, Amelore’s Lead Programmer and Designer commented:
Although we have some in-game micro-transactions, we wanted a way to make our games sustainable and keep them free-to-play, but it goes against our ethos to take a predatory approach to monetization and user engagement. In-game ads in a stadium-based game made sense to us.
Anzu’s ads respect users and their privacy and aren’t distracting, which is paramount to us. We have had great feedback from players so far, and Anzu’s close partnerships with third-party AdTech vendors provide full confidence in their measurement and reporting capabilities.
Alex Yerukhimovich, VP Games at Anzu also added:
We deeply respect game developers like Amelore who offer free-to-play content and are pleased that our platform can be used to help them monetize their games and diversify their revenue streams. Slappyball’s gameplay keeps players coming back and our ad placements which surround the stadium are great in helping advertisers reach an engaged and diverse audience of players in a non-intrusive manner.
Apart from just placing ads inside games, Anzu works with third-party vendors such as Nielsen, Kantar, and HUMAN to provide detailed metrics to advertisers that they can use for making sure that they are getting the most out of their in-game ad campaigns. This includes but is not limited to metrics such as fraud detection, audience verification, and brand lift measurement.
Anzu also recently announced its first-to-market visibility measurement for in-game ads with Oracle Moat. Anzu is also the first in-game ad company to join Unity’s Verified Solutions Partner Program. Other in-game integrations include Dakar Desert Rally, Roblox, Eden Falling, World Cricket Championship, and Poster Sticker. Anzu recently raised $9 million in funding for expanding its in-game ad platform.
What are your thoughts on Anzu and Amelore teaming up for in-game ads in Slappyball? Let us know in the comments section below.
