Sega has announced a partnership with mobile advertising company NativeX. The partnership will bring NativeX’s advertising platform to Sega mobile games, starting with endless runner Sonic Dash. You can grab the new game for iOS and for Android now!
NativeX brings the mobile advertising know-how to the table, something that will help Sega monetize its mobile offerings. In this age of free-to-play and ad-supported mobile gaming, Sega’s franchises need to monetize in innovative ways. For now, Sonic Dash is the only title to use NativeX’s ad platform, but it will expand to existing Sega mobile titles and upcoming games.
“We are very excited to be working with a company with as rich of a history in gaming as SEGA,” said Robert Weber, NativeX’s co-founder and senior vice president of business development, in a company statement. “It’s one of the most respected, creative [companies] in the industry, and we look forward to helping SEGA further grow its mobile business with innovative advertising solutions.”
The ads in Sonic dash don’t intrude on the actual gameplay whatsoever. Instead they show up between levels and at other non-gaming times such as when in menus. Also, at times you have the option to choose to view an ad to continue after Sonic goes down. It’s a strategy that will mean a lot of ad views for NativeX, but shouldn’t aggravate gamers too much.
For more information, check out NativeX and Sega’s press release below:
NativeX Partners with SEGA® to Extend the Reach of its Native Mobile
Advertising Network to Millions MoreSAN FRANCISCO – December 05, 2013 – NativeX, the leading native
advertising platform for mobile games, today announced a new deal with
SEGA® of America and SEGA of Europe. Through this partnership, SEGA®
will incorporate NativeX’s best-in-breed native advertising
technology into the mobile smash hit Sonic Dash, and NativeX will sell
the advertising as part of its network offering.With more than 20,000 new apps added to the App Store every month,
gamers are increasingly turning to well-known companies like SEGA with
an established track record of creating captivating worlds and
exciting games. The company, which has seen massive console success
with the Sonic franchise has moved aggressively to bring their games
to mobile with titles like Sonic Jump, Sonic Dash, and Crazy Taxi. The
NativeX advertising technology enables both“We are very excited to be working with a company with as rich of a
history in gaming as SEGA,” said Robert Weber, NativeX’s
co-founder and senior vice president of business development.
“It’s one of the most respected, creative company in the industry,
and we look forward to helping SEGA further grow its mobile business
with innovative advertising solutions.”NativeX’s ad technology includes multiple native ad formats
including interstitial, banner, offer wall, rich media, and
high-definition video that seamlessly mesh with a game’s user
experience – all in one versatile SDK. Developers can implement new
ad formats as they are released without having to download a new SDK.“Creating an amazing gaming experience for our customers is our top
priority. NativeX truly understands the challenges of protecting the
user experience while monetizing through advertising.” said Mike
Evans, Senior Director of Digital Marketing at SEGA. “We were able
to improve the UX dramatically in one week by testing and optimizing
our ad formats and placements.”