Google Game Developers Conference 2019 – Updates And New Tools For Android Game Apps

Google has decided to hold the Game Developers Conference 2019 once again in San Francisco.  For that reason, some exciting updates and announcements are awaiting us. Some updates are related to the latest advertising features and some are beneficial for the entirety of the gaming community and market.

This conference centers the newest advertising campaigns and relevant features that would, in turn, work for mobile game developers and allow them to expand their business outreach. As for the tools, the main target of the conference is to focus on the topic of pre-launch registration campaigns for games so let’s see how well it works out after being released.

These updates will be out in the conference held in San Francisco but the recent updates have given us more clues about what the conference is all about.

Pre-registration ad campaigns

The concept of introducing the feature of pre-registration ad campaigns is to allow users to register for an app prior to its release. It will serve as an ad product and would be available through Android apps on the Google Play Store. The apps will be then displayed on YouTube or the Play Store. The inventory of apps in the app store has exceeded millions so you can imagine how lucrative this feature would become for developers.

As for the testing of this feature, Line Games has already tested it out by displaying ads for the release of their latest game Destiny Child. Once the game was launched, it already had 10,000 users so you can imagine how successful these ad campaigns would become in the near future.

Google Play Instant gaining adoption 

Google Play Instant has gained visible growth in a span of a few months. The growth has been accumulated to be 3x and that is not a small number. The concept of adding an instant experience is to let players access the “Try Now” option in the app store and then preview the app demo before actually installing it. The demo would be more than a preview instead; it would be a mini-experience of how the game is going to be.

Revamping Universal App Campaigns

The feature of Universal App Campaigns has been updated and now Google calls it solely App Campaigns. This feature has been introduced only to keep the users who have installed a certain app engaged with that app. Users tend to download apps that they never use again and Google is working to remove this factor. Google Inventory is going to run these app campaigns and these would serve to enhance user engagement and target potential users simultaneously.

Monetizing apps for non-paying players

If you are an app user that does not prefer paying for an app then this update should not worry you, as it will not change your mobile app experience and usability. Google has decided to analyze those users that mainly play free games and do not spend on the in-app purchases. The data analysis showed that not more than four percent of app gamers spend extra money on free-to-play apps or game apps in general. Google has worked to improve it and is intending to monetize such apps entirely through ads.

Maximum Conversions Bidding

Google has aimed to acquire maximum installs for a given app budget. This update depends on the concept of maximum conversions bidding as it lets you utilize your budget smartly for the right amount of app installs. Your budget for the ad could be of any amount but your sole goal should be to maximize the output of the said budget and meet maximum app installs.

This feature works by setting your goals for the app campaign beforehand. Through the assistance of ML, it would become possible to find when the perfect time for placing an ad is and when it is not. This feature is still in beta mode and will be released for the public soon.

The outcome

The reason why this should matter to developers is that mobile apps and game app are turning into a profitable business for individuals and companies alike. By introducing these monetization features, Google will surely benefit from it as well. The notion of monetization proved to be challenging for both app developers and Google at first but with time, Google has worked to improve it gradually.

We are waiting to see what else will be announced in the Game Developers Conference and avid Google fans are hoping there will be more updates and announcements for the further advancements in game apps. The aforementioned updates, features, and tools will surely bring a significant and make a difference in the Android platform so let’s observe what awaits the Google and Android community.