ARROVA and Anzu form strategic partnership to promote in-game advertising in Japan | gamebiz

The gaming market is expanding year by year, with the amount of disposable time spent on games by young people (Generation Z and Generation Alpha) growing rapidly, with the global game player population expected to exceed 3 billion in 2023. In addition, according to an IAB survey report, game advertising is a growing area, with approximately 40% of advertisers responding that they are eager to increase their game advertising budget, and the value of games as a medium is increasing, leading to a rise in demand for game advertising.

Game advertising is a collective term for three types of advertising: “in-game advertising” (advertising displayed within the game space), “pre-game advertising” (advertising displayed on the menu and loading screens), and “off-game advertising” (advertising displayed in gameplay videos). Of these, the type that is attracting the most attention is “in-game advertising.”

Unlike conventional pop-up ads that cover the screen, ads can be inserted in a way that does not disrupt gameplay and does not cause discomfort or stress to players during the game. Also, research has shown that compared to mobile display ads, it is superior in terms of visibility, attention, and recognition/memory effects, and it is widely used in Europe and the United States as a high-performance ad format and is becoming the mainstream of game ads.

ARROVA was the first in Japan to start handling in-game advertising for ROBLOX, and is also taking the lead in using games for marketing, such as creating unique corporate spaces in Fortnite and developing in-game advertising with major game publishers.

Anzu is the largest technology company in the US and Europe with an in-game ad development platform (SDK), and works with major game console manufacturers to provide highly technical SDKs that are compatible with a wide range of game development engines. At the same time, it also operates a platform for delivering ads to in-game ad slots.

This strategic partnership will promote in-game advertising in Japan, realizing a win-win-win “game advertising ecosystem” that brings benefits to game publishers, advertisers, and game players. By using ARROVA's DSP “InGameADforZ”, advertisers will be able to deliver ads to over 100 game titles and over 150 million monthly active users worldwide that have implemented in-game advertising using Anzu's SDK.

“Japan is the fourth largest digital advertising market in the world, and the third largest gaming market, so the potential for in-game advertising to bridge the gap between the two is very exciting. We are honored to work with ARROVA to benefit all parties through a solution that enables advertisers to make authentic connections with Japan's dynamic gaming community.”

ARROVA has positioned 2024 as the “first year of game advertising” and is promoting the use of game media in marketing. Among game advertising, in-game advertising is a native ad format that is displayed within the game space, and Anzu's SDK is essential for introducing advertising into that game space. Together with Anzu, which boasts high technical capabilities backed by numerous implementation results in the European and American markets, we will work to revitalize the game advertising market in Japan.

1. Supply area: Supporting game publishers in developing in-game ad slots using Anzu's SDK
2. Demand area: Promoting sales of in-game advertising space
3. Data area: Collaboration in utilizing data related to in-game ad delivery
4. Game advertising: Promoting the widespread use of game advertising in marketing, including in-game advertising

●Benefits for game publishers
Providing high-quality games requires huge development costs, and in-game advertising can help cover these costs. Unlike traditional reward ads, this format does not interrupt gameplay and blends into the game, so the most important quality of the content can be maintained, and in some cases, the reality of the ads can be improved.

●Benefits for advertisers
Game ads that are highly appealing to young people and new ad formats that are less likely to cause aversion can gain recognition. Because people keep their eyes on the screen while playing games, ads tend to be more visible and viewed for longer periods of time than ads published in regular web media.

●Benefits for gamers
Since there is no need to interrupt gameplay and watch ads, the game experience is not interrupted. Also, if the ad creative and the game space are compatible, the game's realism can be enhanced and the game experience can be improved. (For example, in a racing game, when a car manufacturer's sign is displayed on the course.)

In this way, the strategic partnership between ARROVA and Anzu will create a cycle in which the three parties can continue to create and benefit from each other.

As game content becomes increasingly media-ized in overseas markets, ARROVA and Anzu will promote the “win-win-win game advertising ecosystem concept” and accelerate efforts to utilize game advertising in the Japanese market.