Indie developer Oddshot Games has announced a long-term collaboration with in-game ad advertisement platform Anzu for its ice hockey game Slapshot: Rebound. Oddshot Games has announced that the studio saw a massive increase in its revenue generation after Anzu.io’s patented in-game advertisement platform went live in the game for ad serving and because of this, the developer is now signing a long-term contract with the ad platform for increased revenue production and better player retention.
Slapshot: Rebound was released in Early Access back in 2020 and since then, it has managed to attract over 1 million players from around the world. At this point, the game is enjoying a dedicated community with the developer pushing out regular community initiatives and updates to keep the player base entertained and coming back to the game. With the help of Anzu, Oddshot Games can deliver ads in Slapshot: Rebound just like they are served in real-life games. They add to the immersion of players and allow the developers to continue to focus on player retention and acquisition.
Since Slapshot: Rebound is a free-to-play game, all revenue is generated through in-game ads so having an ad system that is not too intruding but is immersive at the same time is pretty difficult but thanks to Anzu, Oddshot Games has managed to get very good results both in terms of player count and monetization. The ads in Slapshot: Rebound are shown in different ad slots surrounding the ice rinks and within the stadium where players normally expect to see advertisements in sports events.
At first, Slapshot: Rebound went for the non-intrusive display ad placements and then later proceeded to add intrinsic in-game video ads into the game as well which resulted in a 20% increase in revenue. In Q3 2022, the developer reported Slapshot: Rebound’s ARPU nearly doubled with the developer associating 40% of the revenue generated by the game to Anzu’s in-game ad platform. From the beginning of the partnership in August 2021, the developer is reporting a 62% total increase in revenue which is a massive increase.
With the new ad placements, players from around the world shared their thoughts on the introduction of intrinsic in-game ads with one saying: ‘The advertisements I’ve seen in Slapshot: Rebound are a good mix of brands I know of and don’t know of. I’m glad the ads are not distracting and don’t take away from the gameplay’. So far, some of the world’s largest brands have placed their ads in Slapshot: Rebound such as Samsung, Levi’s, and Papa John’s. Gilles Duplouy, Director at Oddshot Games comments:
Working with Anzu has been a delight. Our success is their success, and it shows in our partnership. They make every effort to ensure that our placements are performing as strong as possible. We weren’t looking for just a company that would serve advertisements within our title, but a partner that we could collaborate with on campaigns and improve our placements while keeping the user experience front and center. It’s safe to say we have found that with Anzu. We’ve received enormous praise from the Slapshot: Rebound community who also see Anzu’s ads as a great way to support the game’s content.
Jascha Maijer, Head of Business Development, EMEA at Anzu also added:
PC games are becoming more and more receptive to the ad-supported business model in today’s gaming landscape, so it’s great to see an example of intrinsic in-game ads successfully supporting an indie studio and helping them focus on providing a fantastic, non-disruptive gameplay experience. We’re really excited to be able to contribute to Oddshot Games’ success and help them to continue growing their studio and Slapshot: Rebound.
Previously Anzu announced that it was granted a patent for advanced ad tracking tech and last year, the company appointed video games veteran Jurgen Goeldner as Strategic Advisor. Previous partnerships with Anzu include different video game companies like Amelore, Istanbul Grand Airport, Saber Interactive, and more.
What are your thoughts on the latest collaboration between Anzu and Oddshot Games? Let us know in the comments section below.
