Playrix Spent a Decade Avoiding In-Game Ads. Now They’re Testing Them.

The Mobile Ad Monetization Newsletter #57

There’s a famous old Swedish saying: “Always be afraid of gaming companies that make billions and still dare to challenge their core beliefs.” I know because I’m Swedish... and I just made it up. But just because the saying is new doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Any avid reader of this newsletter knows that Playrix, the maker of billion-dollar titles Township and Gardenscapes, has long avoided in-game ads. Instead, they opted for a pure IAP-driven experience, despite leaving an estimated $250 million in annual ad revenue on the table.

That may no longer be the case.

The first clue came from my podcast co-host and UA manager, Matej Lancaric. He astutely pointed out that downloads of Gardenscapes in India and Indonesia have increased by nearly 5x over the past 10 days. These aren't markets traditionally associated with high IAP spending, making the spike particularly interesting.

What’s even more interesting is that the creatives at Gardenscapes are heavily inspired by SayGames’ My Perfect Hotel. They represent a clear departure from Gardenscapes’ traditional creative strategy, likely intended to appeal to a broader audience.

By the way, Matej shares insights like this all the time. If you’re not already subscribed to his Substack, I’d highly recommend it.

The change in creative strategy, combined with the spike in downloads across non-core markets, points to one likely explanation: Playrix is testing interstitial and rewarded ads in Gardenscapes to run blended ROAS campaigns with AppLovin.

A quick look through user reviews in India and Indonesia appears to confirm it, with multiple players mentioning both rewarded and interstitial ads.

If this test expands globally, it would mark one of the biggest shifts in monetization strategy we've seen in mobile gaming in years. A company that has spent more than a decade proving you don't need ads may now be embracing them, not because IAP stopped working, but because blended monetization has become too powerful as a user acquisition tool to ignore.

💰Great Content💰

AppLovin has opened up its e-commerce UA product for general admission. I’ve gotten 3 messages from people asking me how AppLovin works. Here is a PSA: Two and a Half Gamers’ Matej has made a solo video breaking down how to run campaigns using AppLovin.

Matej’s three biggest AppLovin UA tips: skip CPI warm-up campaigns and launch directly into Day 7 or Day 28 ROAS optimization using CPM billing, which spreads your budget more evenly throughout the day. He also recommends investing heavily in playables and grouping creatives by theme, with 30- to 60-second videos consistently performing best.

Finally, let the algorithm do its job. Avoid making changes during the first three days while it’s learning, and if performance drops, adjust your ROAS target instead of pausing the campaign. Stability and clean data signals are what help Axon perform at its best.

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