Game Spotlight: The Wanderer from Jamie Parish

Jamie Parish is a UK-based Unity developer, best known for his 2018 mobile RPG The Wanderer.

Jamie worked as the sole developer on the game, and has kept it going since with regular content and QoL updates. The game was published by Greenlight Games. AdInMo recently interviewed Dean Day, their CEO, at Pocket Gamer’s Mobile Monetiser Summit event. You can check that interview out here.

Despite being part of the niche CRPG genre, The Wanderer’s simplified gameplay and crisp pixel art style have propelled it to popular success, with over 1.3 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone.

Among the game’s more recent updates was an integration with AdInMo. Jamie recognised the potential of in-game advertising in The Wanderer, and set about integrating InGamePlay ads in various locations throughout the game.

In-Game Advertising Integration

The Wanderer’s in-game advertising integration is excellent overall. Only one framing device is used, ads on billboards, but they’re well-blended into the game by being integrated into the background layers. They also adjust in terms of lighting along with the rest of the game during its day/night cycles, which deepens their believability. The ads also appear on a range of key screens, including the Main Menu, Camp screen, and Combat screen.

What were the inspirations and core design pillars behind The Wanderer?

Pure survival with elements of progression from stats to random events without being blocked by adverts and a paywall. Obviously we needed some ways to make profits, so IAP/rewarded ads/in-game ads were the way to go. Rewarded ads to give the player back something for their time but nothing too heavy to break the experience. Pixel Art was the design choice because making a 2D game is a lot easier for me to develop and make changes on the fly.

Tell us about your experience integrating AdInMo ads into your game.

The process was very quick and easy and any adjustments that needed to be made were easy to handle. 

What was your ad placement strategy for The Wanderer?

Having rewarded ads in certain parts to give the player a boost instead of just forcing ads in the players face is a big factor. We tried to make sure the placements weren’t too heavy as it would break the game’s feel.

Do you think the Wanderer, and other RPGs like it, are a good fit for in-game advertising?

If the game allows the player to roam or progress without being shoved an advert in their faces at the same time as the game making profits, it’s a big plus. Also making sure the placements are in key areas but nothing too heavy. The occasional ad showing can feel right.

How do you think in-game advertising compares to traditional mobile ads?

I feel like traditional ads tend to aim to divert players towards paying for the ‘Remove Ads’ option. In-game ads don’t affect the player 90% of the time, and allow the game to make profits while allowing the player to progress without bother. The fact that you can have them side by side with rewarded ads and not affect the player is just a bonus.

More…