Adult gaming is a niche in which affiliate marketers are predicted to succeed today. Although it has been around for a long time, we believe its potential is much greater than one could imagine, and therefore, it should not be ignored.
The details of gaming offers are generally straightforward. While it may not be considered a classic niche, some believe it to be too small to start working with at this moment but we are going to prove this wrong.
Let us examine this vertical from the perspective of an affiliate who has chosen to promote an adult gaming offer. This affiliate was able to earn $579.05 in profit by promoting this offer using in-page push traffic from Evadav.
Campaign Details
Advertising format: In-page push notifications
Offer type/offer: Adult gaming
Affiliate network: Nutaku
GEO: USA
Campaign period: 11/01/2022 – 11/30/2022
Total budget: $995.77
Total revenue: $1 574.82
Net income: $579.05
ROI: 58.15%.
I'm sure a lot of you have already been wondering why an affiliate would choose to work with Adult Gaming. Well, let's start by quickly analyzing the niche.
First off, 18+ games, just like any other "adult" stuff, can be categorized as an evergreen vertical.
Back in the day, it seemed like every other site on the internet was focused on dating or erotic content. Nowadays, there's a lot more variety in terms of information, entertainment, and commerce. However, the demand for adult-themed stuff still remains strong as ever and it ain't going anywhere anytime soon.
Take a Look at the Statistics
It's fascinating to see that 30%, of overall website traffic comes from adult sites, with 5% being derived from desktop devices alone. And can you believe that one of the most popular websites for the 18+ audience attracts a staggering 4 billion visits per month? And am sure you have guessed it right.
This impressive statistic alone proves that Adult Gaming is here to stay, thanks to our insatiable human nature. So, it's no surprise that the affiliate chose to work with an offer from the Nutaku gaming platform.
For Reference
According to the owner of Nutaku, a popular gaming platform, Nutaku has seen a growth in users, with over 45 million people now using the platform, including an impressive 13 million female gamers. With over 400 games on offer, it's no surprise that the platform attracts around 128 million visitors every month.
When it comes to promoting gaming offers, it's important to consider the geographic market. The US is currently leading the way in the gaming vertical, with only European regions posing any significant competition. However, the demand for games is on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic, presenting a significant growth opportunity.
Gaming has come a long way from being a niche interest. Nowadays, it seems like everyone is a gamer, with over 60% of the total population playing games in some form. From casual mobile gamers to hardcore desktop gamers and even professional esports players, the gaming industry has truly exploded in recent years. Just look at Twitch, the largest video streaming platform, to see the scale and engagement of the gaming audience.
Here We Can See the Latest Statistics on the Views of the Most Popular Games on Twitch:
Interesting Facts
According to a survey conducted in 2022, it turned out that apparently, 18% of women in the US are crushing it on video games, clocking in 3-6 hours a week. And get this, 6% of them are absolute bosses, playing 13-24 hours a week!
As for the guys, 9% are keeping up with the ladies, playing just as much. The survey also found out that only 30% of women and 25% of men in the US aren't gaming at all.
Features and prospects of the gaming vertical20 years back, PC gaming was the kingpin and consoles were no big deal, except maybe in some parts of Asia. Fast forward to now and things have changed drastically. But even with just 20% of gamers sticking to PC, it's clear there's a massive demand for desktop gaming.
And while mobile gaming seemed like the top dog 10 years ago, AAA games on PC are still raking in big bucks, even though everyone and their moms play games on their phones.
So for those big game devs and console makers, affiliate marketing ain't really their thing. It's mostly for those niche gaming offers that cater to a certain crowd. But with a 60% engagement rate, there's no doubt about the high demand for gaming. And let's not forget, the pandemic gave the gaming industry a massive boost, but even now, people just can't get enough of playing.
Statista data shows that the mobile gaming industry raked in a whopping $41.7 billion in revenue in the past year alone! But get this — analysts are predicting that number will skyrocket to over $100 billion by 2023. And that's not all — by 2026, another 1.3 billion people are expected to join in on the fun.
It's no secret that mobile gaming's popularity is fueled by the convenience and accessibility of mobile devices and the internet. You don't need to break the bank on fancy consoles or licensed discs - just fire up your phone and start playing!
Types of Adult Gaming Offers
Adult games are a hot commodity in the affiliate marketing world. In fact, a whopping 80% of gaming offers that are promoted through affiliate marketing fall within the adult niche.
While it may be a crowded space, there are still plenty of offers to go around. Let's look at the classification of adult gaming offers or what affiliates have to choose from. Let's dive into the classification of adult gaming offers and what choices affiliates have at their disposal.
- Firstly, there are desktop games (PC Downloadable) that require pre-installation on a PC, excluding AAA games, which were already discussed. These projects primarily run on desktops but can also have a mobile version available in the form of an app.
- Secondly, we have browser games (PC/Mobile Browser) that are in higher demand than desktop games. It's effortless to work with such offers, but due to the intense competition, I wouldn't suggest beginners try mobile-oriented gaming offers.
- Third, we have mobile applications (Android App), which are developed by independent developers or groups without any support from major publishers. These games are gaining popularity, and popular streamers are increasingly switching to them. Since traditional promotion strategies do not apply to these games, their developers turn to affiliate marketing for their promotion.
Game developers in this industry are no strangers to working with affiliates. They understand the methods affiliates use and this paves the way for fruitful collaborations between professionals who know how to get things done. This is definitely a major advantage of being in the Adult Gaming space.
It's worth noting that the offers in this vertical are not strictly classified, but rather grouped based on various parameters. This helps new affiliates navigate the space more easily. It's also common for one offer to belong to multiple groups at the same time.
Just like the offer of our affiliate, it is in the category of mobile and desktop adult games.
Payment Models in the Adult Game Vertical
When it comes to payment models in the adult gaming vertical, there are a few different options to consider based on your KPI target. Here's a rundown of the most common models:
- DOI (Double Opt-In) — With this model, users must confirm their contact details (either email or mobile number) by clicking a link in an email or text message. Only then will the conversion be counted
- CPS — For offers that require payment or credit card details, CPS can be a great option, as it often offers higher payouts. However, it's also a bit more complex and may not be the best choice for beginners. Depending on the offer, the user may need to purchase full access to the game or simply have a valid card on file.
- Tutorial — If completing a tutorial in the game is your target action, this model will reward affiliates for each user that completes it.
- CPI — If you're promoting an app-based game, CPI (cost per install) is a popular payment model. Just be aware that some offers may only count conversions if the user launches the game at least once
- RevShare — With RevShare, affiliates receive a percentage of the game owner's income for each purchase made by players they refer. This can be a great way to earn passive income over time, as long as the user doesn't uninstall the game.
Best GEOs for Acquiring Traffic for Adult Gaming Offers
Today, the TOP regions for making money on adult games from Evadav experts look like this:
- USA
- India
- Indonesia
- Germany
- Great Britain
- Brazil
- Italy
- Georgia
- Turkey
- Japan
- Israel
Advice from Evadav:
To select a promising GEO, we recommend that you do not use someone else's experience or your own intuition, but contact Evadav's personal manager for up-to-date statistics.
At the end of 2022, the United States turned out to be the most successful region with a share of total global income from the gaming industry — as much as 28%, Japan slightly lagged behind — earning 20% from games. But not only do the Japanese and Americans deserve attention in promoting gaming offers, but the Europeans also are not too far behind them.
If we argue without relying on statistics, then there are no deficit regions for this segment. Adult games are popular everywhere, but it is not always possible to buy high-quality traffic.
Formally, any network offers traffic for any region, but in fact, it is tailored for specific GEOs. And most often these are countries with an English-speaking population. Therefore, if you are going to look for traffic among the Western audience, it is absolutely futile to choose sites from Asia or the CIS. First, we choose a GEO, and then a CPA network with a large coverage in this region.
The Target Audience for Adult Gaming
Statistics completely refute stereotypes that men make up the bulk of the target audience in adult gaming. Across all age groups, there is a slight discrepancy in the proportion of men and women who play adult games.
Therefore, you can focus on the male audience of 18-54 years old and the female audience — from 18 to 45 years old with different income levels.
Traditional adult sites are in demand, but today people want to participate and not just watch. Gaming Adult is interactive, that is, the ability to go into virtual reality.
The Most Effective Traffic Channels
Here are the best channels you can explore for the adult gaming niche:
1. 18+ Sites:
If you're looking for loyal audiences, this channel is a no-brainer. Erotic or pornographic sites attract users who are more likely to convert. Plus, they're more open to transitioning and registration.
2. Social networks:
Social media platforms are hotspots for gaming traffic. Here's how each of them stacks up:
- Facebook: Great for adult games, especially with some cloaking. The audience is relatively older, but you can still find your target users.
- Instagram: Not ideal for adult games as the network is more focused on visual content. However, you can still tap into a diverse audience.
- TikTok: A promising platform for adult gaming, especially with mobile and erotic ads. Younger audiences are more open to clicking on gaming ads. Note that moderation is key as adult offers aren't allowed on social media.
3. Influencers and streamers:
Influencers and streamers are a bit challenging to work with when it comes to adult gaming. However, they're effective as they attract a relevant audience. You might need to put in some extra effort, though.
4. Sites for gamers:
Thematic sites for manga and anime are great places to showcase your ads. These sites attract cartoon game enthusiasts, and you can drive quality traffic to your offers.
5. Ad networks:
Ad networks are the best bet when it comes to quality traffic. Platforms like Evadav offer quality traffic for various niches, including adult gaming. Just make sure that the network supports this type of offer, and you're good to go.
The Best Ad Formats for Adult Gaming
Traditionally, 18+ offers are promoted using push notifications, popunders, in-page push, and native advertising. The only way to find the best one for a particular offer is through testing.
Advice from Evadav:
For a successful launch, we recommend using several advertising formats at once — for example, warm up the audience with a native or push notification, and squeeze it with a popunder. Inpages show high efficiency in promoting adult games. Custom styling by Evadav makes them more clickable.
Whatever format you choose, when promoting games from the 18+ category, it is important to demonstrate the game process, character appearance options, and player emotions.
Dynamic advertising content looks great on video content platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where gamers of any gender and age group live.
The video content in the ad gives the user the opportunity to understand that this game can be interesting to spend time with. Whatever you use there — the unique features of the game, the specific scenario, the process of interaction of the characters, it's better than static ads.
Creatives and Landing Pages for Adult Gaming
Since adult gaming is not a “white” vertical, approaches to creating creatives here depend on the traffic source. Social media moderation prohibits explicit creatives. And not all advertising networks are geared toward adults.
Therefore, before creating creatives, study the requirements of the site for advertising.
Where to Get Creatives
- Create your own — evaluate the rationality of this choice, because it requires certain skills and a lot of time.
- Order from professionals — make sure that this person makes unique creatives, and does not parse someone else's.
- Spy services — here you can track current campaigns, peep, and borrow promotional materials from competitors.
- Stock images — here you can also search for suitable adult images, having certain skills.
Tip from Evadav
It is important not to copy creatives, but to improve and make them unique. No matter how successful an advertising campaign is, all creatives and bundles “burn out” sooner or later.
Recommendations for Effective Creatives
When creating creatives to promote adult gaming, follow these recommendations:
- Unified style of advertising creatives and landing (corresponding to the picture of the game itself) - colors, and design, so that users do not experience visual dissonance;
- Minimum text — remember that visualization is more important for gaming, so even a landing page should contain more images and videos, and very little text in the form of abstracts and comments;
- Many creatives — within one advertising campaign, you need to prepare several creatives for different user groups, as well as several universal ones;
- Nativeness — when creating creatives, think that when scrolling the page they become part of the user's path and do not stand out from the general theme;
- Demonstration of the game and features — use the most interesting fragments in your opinion, characters or the process of their creation, game options, specific scenarios, and leveling up.
- User as a player — show the character he controls and invite him to make a choice, accompanied by a call to go to the landing page.
- Dialogue with the character — simulate the dialogue or any other interaction of the characters on the topic of the game, of course.
- Video reactions — a working approach for Instagram and TikTok, which is to demonstrate the strong emotions of users from the game;
- Advertising in the style of reviews, opinions, and compilations — relevant for TikTok;
- Game chat — use game discussions in creatives as if the characters are talking outside the game;
- Subtitles and text with a call to action — many people watch videos without sound, so you need to provide them with the opportunity to convey information without sound.
- Key queries — the text should contain keywords by which users can get to this offer.
Examples of Successful Creatives:
Setting Up the Advertising Campaign
The author of the case chose an offer with a fairly simple Fap CEO game. I had to spend some time to find out that this particular adult game has a low entry threshold, is aimed at a wide audience, and, most importantly, is popular among users.
This offer provides for payments on RevShare — 20%.
The advertiser prepared several pre-landers, where he used standard adult approaches:
- warned about “adult” content;
- clarified the age and type of device.
Tip from Evadav:
Please note that before the user gets to the landing, he must complete five steps. In our opinion, the funnel should have been made a little shorter, but let's see what came of it.
The affiliate chose the in-page push format and custom System style. Judging by the CTR, throughout the campaign, the audience liked the creative. As an image, I chose a fragment of the game from the official promo and briefly hinted at the essence of the game.
The bid was set a little higher than the recommended one, and the targeting at the start practically did not limit either by device type or by the operating system.
The language is English, after all, 80% of the US population is English-speaking.
Two weeks later, the statistics looked like this:
As part of the optimization, the author limited the daily budget and set the hours for displaying ads.
Campaigns with adult games are irrational to unwind in the daytime when the target audience is at work.I connected auto-rules so as not to manually configure black and white lists.
I also changed the creative to a more explicit one:
Here's what happened a couple of weeks later:
As we can see from the statistics, the campaign went into the red before optimization, but then the advertiser reached a quite decent ROI — 58%.
Revshare payouts will gradually decrease, nothing can be done about it since any game gets boring sooner or later. But the campaign can be updated, try to collect traffic from other GEOs.
In general, if the adult game is popular, then this offer is worth more work.
Recommendations and Life Hacks from Evadav
The promotion of games from prohibited areas seems to many to be extremely risky. But our advertisers have already proven that such a risk is justified. Therefore, if you haven’t risked working with an adult offer yet, finally try to do it and change your idea of this vertical forever.
Finally, we have prepared some expert recommendations:
- Use all the targeting options in the affiliate network in order to target your audience as accurately as possible and reach it as much as possible
- Showcase your gaming experience and skills in video ad format
- For higher conversions, choose to promote on sites with free video content
- Choose Evadav premium traffic and you will get traffic from highly converting sources, manually verified by our platform managers
- test — based on A/B testing of links and creatives, you can optimize the campaign at any stage, as well as collect more data for sources
- Enable auto-rules if you don't want to optimize your campaign manually
- Use blacklists and whitelists to manage sources effectively
- Use in-page push format with custom styles to increase the click-through rate of your ads.
Conclusion
The results of this case confirmed that Adult Gaming is vertical which is worth attention. Games for adults are literally played in almost all regions. A huge selection of GEOs, high payouts, many approaches to creating promotional materials, simple settings, and it doesn’t matter that the vertical is not “white”.
Offers with adult games have excellent performance on adult sites, where they look native and interact with the target audience.
Do not neglect the gaming vertical, try to find your working connection and share your cases with us.
