Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Ad blocking unity games

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by JakobWagner, Oct 12, 2015.

  1. JakobWagner

    JakobWagner

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2010
    Posts:
    19
    Hi all

    A lot of focus has recently been giving to the Unity Ad system and how you can monetize games from that.
    New ad blocking systems are starting to surface. Latest the "Been Choice" app for ios which can block ads not only in browsers but also other apps. (Been Choice have later been removed for other reasons, but will most likely be back soon)

    Will these ad blockers affect unity adds? Is there a chance they will in a near future? This would mean you would have to rethink your monetization plans.

    - Jakob
     
  2. 00christian00

    00christian00

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2012
    Posts:
    1,035
    Well, at most it will affect non incentivized video which are always less common in apps.
    This for Unity ads, for other platforms it will also block interstitial and all static ads in general.

    Regarding incentivized video, if you block ads you also block the chance to see ads on demand thus no sugar candy for you.
     
  3. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2013
    Posts:
    7,441
    Guess it was only a matter of time before ad blockers were on cell phones. Makes sense. I know of no person who likes ads. I run an ad blocker in my browser because I got so tired of seeing that junk. Videos auto starting complete with audio. Ads flickering and flashing. Just a bunch of crap.

    Of course then the sites started throwing up a text hey we notice you're using an ad blocker We know nobody likes ads they slow pages down and are generally annoying. Unfortunately they also keep this site running. Please consider donating. So if I like the site and plan to frequent it I donate. I think that is a much better model. The same as Wikipedia uses. I donate to that each year because I think it is incredibly useful.

    I wonder what app developers will do if the day comes when all ads on mobile apps can be easily blocked and are blocked 99% of the time?
     
  4. Ostwind

    Ostwind

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    Posts:
    2,804
    AFAIK the iOS 9 content blocking feature is only for Safari and webview it does not allow blocking data in any app so no problem there for Unity ads.

    For Android it's a different story.
     
  5. N1warhead

    N1warhead

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2014
    Posts:
    3,884
    I know exactly what they will do, they will have to quit the stupid ad &H1T and actually start selling their games for 99 cent or something.
    Which if you ask me 99 cent (they keep their 30 unless it went up), is much better than annoying customers and getting 2 cents for like every 100 people to see it lol.
     
    Teila and GarBenjamin like this.
  6. Teila

    Teila

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2013
    Posts:
    6,932
    I never install a mobile game on my phone or tablet that has ads. I either buy it or go without. Needless to say, I have only a few games on my tablet and none on my phone at this time (I really don't use it for games anyway).
     
    GarBenjamin likes this.
  7. N1warhead

    N1warhead

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2014
    Posts:
    3,884
    I'm the same way, I hate ads. I think it should be banned honestly.
    The only way any dev will make money and actually have a chance to at least pay off a powerbill every month (few hundred purchases obviously) is to charge 99 cent an stuff.

    At least then us devs would have a fair advantage compared to todays time. I freaking HATE ads.
     
  8. Ostwind

    Ostwind

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    Posts:
    2,804
    The fact is that the people who like or even can pay upfront is far smaller group than people who download for free and play with ads.
     
    Socrates likes this.
  9. N1warhead

    N1warhead

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2014
    Posts:
    3,884
    That may be true, but if it was forced, then either people would just have to give games away completely free (of ads at least). Or charge 99 cent or more for a game.

    People would either move on to a new market (E.G. - 60 dollars for Xbox games) or deal with 99 cents.
     
  10. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2013
    Posts:
    7,441
    I think that same way. They say ads are the way to go. Yet if the option was simply free with no ads or pay a dollar or a few dollars then of course people would do one or the other. If devs wanted to give all of their games away for free no ads or nothing then sure many people would likely choose those first. I don't see many devs doing that though because they nearly all want money. So in the end there would be more sales made because if people wanted a game they would buy it.

    I also sometimes wonder if people ever consider it is likely the people making money off ads (the ad service and IAP providers) who may be the ones who led things to this point and are continually pushing for free with ads and IAP.
     
    AndrewGrayGames and N1warhead like this.
  11. Ostwind

    Ostwind

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    Posts:
    2,804
    The common way is to have free app with ads and optional IAP to upgrade to no ads version with some other perks. Full upfront cost just does not work without massive PR machine helping or luck.
     
    theANMATOR2b and Kiwasi like this.
  12. N1warhead

    N1warhead

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2014
    Posts:
    3,884
    Not disputing that one because I know it's true lol.
    I'm just saying if Android forcefully made it required minimum 99 cent games. The market won't be so easy to get as saturated because of hesitation to make sure you buy something you really want. Then the overnight wanna be devs will be out the game realizing nobody is buying there stuff - killed dream(s) of overnight success.
     
  13. Samuel411

    Samuel411

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2012
    Posts:
    646
    Sounds like a terrible idea. The game devs into it only for the cash will still add their game to the stores and hope for people to buy it. With or without ads they won't make much money at least with ads they are learning how to integrate plugins ;)

    A 99 cent min app price is bad because there are some apps that don't even have ads or charge money, retired devs who just wanna have fun or devs looking for feedback and such. My watch sends me my walk count to my phone by Bluetooth and their app reads that info and puts it into charts for me. I don't wanna pay 99 cents after buying the watch.

    While ads do suck its actually IMO amazing. I am able to play cool games for free while still helping support the developers.
     
  14. N1warhead

    N1warhead

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2014
    Posts:
    3,884
    @Samuel411 - I'm more so on a rant about how Ads and IAP's ruined everything as a legitimate business (Small Business) and ruined the dream for everybody except for the select few. Which boils down to a Monopoly. Which isn't fair or right to do so.

    Yeah may be good for the consumer, I mean heck free is nice.
    But we have kids, we have college tuition, we have bills, and I'm sorry to say. Freaking 2 pennies isn't doing a darn thing
    to bring back even a modest small but comfortable living that can at least pay off a bill would be nice.

    So yes - it's good for the consumer, but destroyed everything else.
    Because just like the consumer, you have the people that will from now and for ever expect a free handout for everything you've done. Why would you work on something for 5 years, just to turn out the market demands it to be free and make 0.50 cents on it and watch it collapse into failure and wasted time. Yeah learning is fine, but the amount of work some of us devs put into things isn't funny, and it's just dead wrong to watch someone who really is trying just to get dominated by the rest of the free Shi* out there. And quite frankly I hope the google and apple store somehow goes crashing over night one day and gets completely erased and gives everyone the chance to start over again.

    I'm just so fed up with it man, it's not even funny.
    Can't afford 99 cents, them go buy a freaking Mini-Snickers and eat it for 59 cents.
    I don't even like 99 cent, I'd rather it be freaking 60 dollars for my stuff.. So dropping down to 99 cents isn't an issue. At least then the developer would have a slight chance. Because if there isn't no stupid free crap, which chances are is loaded with Chinese Corporate Malware crap,then people will be forced to spend money on something. Yeah the same games will be there, and yes the same ones will still rule, but guess what, it at least isn't a complete monopoly being FREE anymore.
     
  15. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2013
    Posts:
    16,860
    I've never brought a paid ap for my phone in my life. Never intend too either. So I have no problem with sellers trying to extract a few cents in ads out of me.

    I'd prefer if they didn't. But then I'd prefer if the supermarket didn't try and charge me too.
     
  16. 00christian00

    00christian00

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2012
    Posts:
    1,035
    I'm wondering what has happened to the trial model where you can play few levels and purchase the remaining game.
    Been ages since I saw one game doing it. Has it been banned from the app store?
    Or people confidence has become near zero?
    Cause all I see now is much higher prices for premium with no trial, which sound a lot to me like they are trying to ripoff people knowing they won't sell otherwise.
     
  17. JakobWagner

    JakobWagner

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2010
    Posts:
    19
    Thanks for the replies. Glad to hear it wont affect ios, and that people can't get their goods without watching the ads.

    Is ads good or bad? That is a totally different discussion.
    Personally I don't see a problem with ads. Yes, some companies will fail making money with ads while others will make millions. That's how business works. Who ever can come up with the best business model wins. I definitely wouldn't like the stores to set a minimum app price. I think the marked will have to adjust it self, it is still very young.

    It would be great to see all ads be gone because people started paying for games, but it is impossible to deny the massive user base you get access to by providing free ad-payed content right now.
     
  18. AndersLightbulb

    AndersLightbulb

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2015
    Posts:
    5
    Testing forum
     
  19. Nubz

    Nubz

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2012
    Posts:
    553
    Which should give developers a clue that people don't like being plastered with senseless ads.
     
  20. JamesLeeNZ

    JamesLeeNZ

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2011
    Posts:
    5,616
    My understanding is that ad blockers can only block website ads. Ads in games/software still display.

    If people dont want to see ad's, they should support the developer and pay $2 to get rid of them. Most games offer a way to remove ads.
     
  21. MaxieQ

    MaxieQ

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Posts:
    295
    The problem is, if you pardon my expression, that indie devs had S*** in their own nests for years.

    They've destroyed trust by using exploitative IAP, aggressive adnetworks, and actually distributed malware through ad platforms. It makes no difference to the end users that after this, some devs come and 'but we have to be paid!'. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. And that sort of thing.

    That's when the end customer stops believing anything you say, and any proposed ethics rules. They won't listen. And you won't get paid any which way.
     
  22. JamesLeeNZ

    JamesLeeNZ

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2011
    Posts:
    5,616
    You cant blame devs for this. This is a customer driven response to customers being cheap skates and expecting everything for free. Its a generation thing.
     
  23. AlanGameDev

    AlanGameDev

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2012
    Posts:
    437
    It depends, if it's a browser plugin then yes, if it's something like AdAway, then no.

    I agree that basically, the customers are the ones to blame (for everything in fact, because you're not forced to buy anything), but the devs, at least on Google Play, are pretty terrible too.

    Starting from aggressive IAP models... they noticed the users were very cheapo but they found out that using a skinner box model they could get lots of money from this 'cheapo' mass, either from the addicted users or the eventual 'not-so-cheapo' ones. It's shady stuff and the fact that most people expect everything freely doesn't justify using those methods.

    Also, there are other kind of developers, the 'store spammer', unfortunately some are making money this way, they just publish a sh*tload of incredibly stupid games, some of them are just an image on the screen (generally copyrighted content) that simply plays a sound when you touch it, or some even more ridiculous stuff, and it's filled with ads, like, just for opening the app there are 10 or more from different networks. I know the audience of these apps are the small kids whose parents left unattended with a tablet, and probably they just install some 'pokemon'/'ben10' games and let the kid the entire day with the device, what is very lucrative for the developers since they'll click on anything. It's ridiculous how parents nowadays they think their child will raise themselves, there's even the term "untableted" nowadays - I can't leave my son untableted. Laughable stuff.

    In short, the reason why I don't like mobile games nowadays is because they're made solely for the purpose of making money. Any game that has an aggressive IAP model is like that. It's not designed to give the user a good time, it's designed to imprison them. Fortunately I've never fell on this kind of trap, but I know people who are addicted, specially for games that require you to keep re-visiting them often, and it's a sad thing. You don't have fun you just keep doing it because you don't want to lose all you've done. It's psychology at its finest, being used to make money.
     
  24. Murgilod

    Murgilod

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2013
    Posts:
    10,081
    I'm going to offer up a brief history of what actually happened. This isn't so much customer driven or developer driven as it is driven by a number of factors, nor is it a "generation thing." For the sake of keeping things simple, I'm going to start at the launch of the App Store on iOS devices rather than earlier mobile devices because those markets were (relatively) tiny.

    1. The App Store launches. During its initial run, most software actually costs cash dollars to buy, typically ranging from $2.99 to $9.99 per title. Games that didn't charge money were usually demos, with a full version being an option.
    2. The App Store continues to grow in popularity and revenue, leading to a sort of golden age of mobile game sales. Everyone wants in on the bandwagon.
    3. With game sales and exposure at all time highs, ad revenue becomes a decent alternative for developers. At first this is all handled through third-party systems until iAds was introduced.
    4. For a while, ad revenue simply supplements traditional payment models. Free games get loaded with ads, with ad-free complete versions being separate products.
    5. Around the same time, IAP also starts to take off, again driving the average price down towards zero. Developers enter a race to the bottom to ensure they're able to stay competitive and attract eyes to their product.
    6. Over time, discoverability gets worse and worse as the market becomes absolutely saturated with products. Eventually it becomes rare to see games charge money at all.
    7. This becomes a major problem for smaller developers as implementing IAP systems requires an infrastructure that involves a pretty decent up-front cost.
    The F***ed up thing? 3 - 5 really only started to happen in significant numbers that seriously affected the market less than five years ago.
     
  25. JakobWagner

    JakobWagner

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2010
    Posts:
    19
    Do not completly agree with this. On sites like kickstarter and this forum you will find lots of people passionate about making games. Problem is, passion is not enough you also need to make money to make games.

    However, I hope IAP is going to change. This guy has some really good points and maybe even solutions.
    http://www.baekdal.com/insights/when-done-right-inapp-purchases-can-be-based-on-trust/
    Which in short are making payment transparent again. I'm one of those guys who are making a game which might not ever get finished. (hey, better to be honest to you self :) ) But if I ever do get to finish it, the payment methods will be transparent.
     
    angrypenguin likes this.
  26. angrypenguin

    angrypenguin

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2011
    Posts:
    15,614
    Yep, there's a pretty low limit as to what you can make in a game if you're not also planning to derive money from it.
     
  27. AlanGameDev

    AlanGameDev

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2012
    Posts:
    437
    Yeah, I agree, my statement was too generic, it would be better to say that >99% of games with IAP are blatant skinner boxes, made solely for the purpose of making money. I stay away from those games and so far a tablet didn't appeal me at all...
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2015