A report reveals that 82% of mobile game developers claim that user acquisition based on rewards surpasses that of conventional channels

A significant 82% of mobile game developers have reported that user acquisition strategies involving incentives are more effective than conventional marketing approaches.

The Rewarded Returns report by Almedia, conducted by Atomik Research, included responses from 502 developers based in the US and the UK.

Reward-centered UA strategies allow players to discover games via specific platforms and receive rewards, like Amazon gift cards, after accomplishing particular tasks within the game. These tasks might involve achieving a certain game level or obtaining in-game items.

An optimistic outlook on the influences of this UA approach was shared by 94% of the survey participants, while 77% have already experimented with such campaigns.

Despite this, 64% of developers acknowledged challenges in the current UA framework, pointing to issues such as regulatory compliance and performance tracking.

Among those utilizing reward-based campaigns, a competitive edge was noted by 95%, leading 59% to plan an increase in spending within this area up until 2025.

The main reason 36% of developers have yet to adopt this strategy is concern over fraud.

The report highlighted that fraud worries connected to reward-based UA show a decline compared to more traditional methods, according to Almedia's observations.

Another noted issue, regarded as "surmountable," is that 48% fear that high costs to acquire users could surpass their lifetime value.

In general, 59% of respondents intend to bolster their reward-based UA actions over the coming year.

"What was once viewed with skepticism, reward-based UA, has matured into a detailed, data-centric strategy offering substantial benefits to players and advertisers," stated Moritz Holländer, Almedia's founder and CEO.

He further added, "This trend is transforming from just a US tendency into an essential component of mobile gaming advertisers' strategies, offering a distinct competitive shift."