Emanuele Feronato

Talking about Game development, Monetize and Reviews.

If you are looking for a new way to monetize your Flash games, then you should take a look to GameJacket, an online game advertising service actually in beta.

According to the faq, to start earning money you upload the game source files (.swf) through the GameJacket Developer Console and output your custom ‘GameJacket’.

Each ‘GameJacket’ .swf is unique and acts as the substitute for the game source files.

This is the file that you can freely submit to game portals and allow to spread virally around the net. When somebody plays your custom ‘GameJacket’, both the advert and the game source file are loaded in dynamically from the GameJacket servers.

You can find some useful information at the developer page http://www.gamejacket.com/developer.asp and in the FAQ http://www.gamejacket.com/developer.asp?devSection=faq#nav_anchor, but I got some exclusive information from Barry White, Founder & Director of Content at GJ

$1000 paid in advance

There are a lot of rumors in the net about the $1000 bonus, so let’s see what Barry says:

The $1000 bonus is not actually a bonus, it’s a guarantee that’s paid in advance on any advertising revenues the developer may earn from their game. If they don’t earn a $1000… we don’t chase you for it! It’s yours to keep and after 6 months, if you want to, you can remove your game entirely from the GameJacket Network. All we ask is that for the first 6 months, every version that appears on the web is in it’s GameJacketed form, unless the developer wishes to sell a site-locked non-exclusive version to another portal.

$0.50 CPM guaranteed

If you are worried about your low CPM when the ad is displayed in non english speaking countries, you should read what Barry has to say:

a) Our version control system also allows you to upload different language versions of the same game and the custom GameJacket detects the users browser settings and serves them the correct localised version of the game.

b) Some of our developers have realised that GameJacket allows them to sell a new kind of license, one in which they can actually place sponsors logos within the game or game menus for a set period of time, when the license expires they simply upload a new version with a new sponsors message! Our technology also allows developers (although no one has done this yet) to upload different sponsorship logos specific to different territories; so for example a developer could sell a 12 month advert for Heineken Beer for all game files served to Dutch users and a 6 month advert for Kronenbourg Beer to French users… all this from the same custom GameJacket .swf

c) Currently we are guaranteeing a minimum of $0.50 CPM for ALL impressions, regardless of which territories they originate from.

d) It’s important to state that developers always have full control over what versions they choose to display or whether they wish to remove their game from our service. (6 months with the $1000 advance)

Sign up for the beta

You can sign up for the beta here http://www.gamejacket.com/developer.asp

It’s useless to say I signed for the beta and I am going to try GJ with my next game, then I’ll made the complete report.