Gaming and esports acquisition
Installs are cheap to buy and easy to report, but retention and payer conversion decide whether a game is profitable. iOS privacy changes and creative fatigue make measurement and scaling harder.
At a glance
- Sub-industries
- 10
- Goal Segments
- 4
- Goal
- Sales & Revenue, B2B Pipeline, Partner Acquisition
- How success is measured
- D7/D30 net ROAS · Payer conversion rate
1The problem
Why this buyer is hard to win
Many installs, few payers
Optimizing to installs can fill a game with users who never retain or pay.
Privacy-limited attribution
iOS privacy frameworks reduce user-level data, so cohort and modeled measurement are needed.
Age and content suitability
Age ratings, child-directed rules and the separation from gambling must be respected.
Compliance gates
Age and content ratings, child-directed advertising rules, app store policies and the exclusion of gambling or betting sponsors require verification.
2The economics
What a customer is worth here
FOCUSADS measures mobile and PC/console titles on cohort revenue, uses privacy-aware attribution frameworks such as AdAttributionKit where relevant, and treats esports sponsorship and publishing deals as separate B2B segments.
- How success is measured
- D7/D30 net ROAS · Payer conversion rate · Payer LTV · Wishlist to purchase conversion
- Outcomes we plan for
- Sales & Revenue, B2B Pipeline, Partner Acquisition
Written for these sub-industries. If yours is missing, choose the nearest in the planner and a strategist reviews the difference.
- Mobile Games
- PC Games
- Console Games
- Indie Game Studios
- Game Publishing
- Esports Teams & Events
- Gaming Hardware & Accessories
- Game Development Tools
- In-game Cosmetics & Virtual Goods
- Gaming Communities & Creators
3The media
Where this buyer can be reached
Sellers whose own advertising pages show they reach this buyer, in the 4 markets where we have checked them. Global platforms are scored in every plan and are left out here.
| Market | Sector media we have verified |
|---|---|
| United States |
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| China |
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| Canada |
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| Australia |
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Listing a seller is not a recommendation. The planner decides whether it earns budget for your goal and margin.
Primary candidates
Supporting or test
Candidates from the reference taxonomy. Each is checked for account, market, format and policy eligibility before launch.
See which of these channels fit your budget
Five questions, and the plan shows the channels, roles and monthly amounts for your market.
4The route
The route we would take
- Measurement first: confirm which conversion events, CRM stages and revenue data exist, and fix tracking and consent gaps before scaling spend.
- Economics: calculate contribution per sale, permissible CAC and permissible cost per qualified lead from your own margin and close-rate data. Example values are labeled as assumptions until verified.
- Channel candidates: Apple Ads, Google App campaigns, TikTok, Meta, YouTube, Twitch and Reddit are typical candidates, subject to eligibility. Each candidate is checked for account, country, format and policy eligibility before it is marked eligible.
- Landing page and CRM: align the offer, form qualification and CRM pipeline with the chosen Goal Segment so that qualified outcomes can be counted separately from raw leads.
- Review cadence: verified daily platform snapshots with source links, a reviewed Action list, and a monthly Business Impact report that keeps platform-reported and CRM results apart.
The route depends on which of 4 Goal Segments describes your buyers: each one changes the channels, the success measure and the service model. Compare the segments
5The proof
What we can show before you sign
We do not publish client results, in this sector or any other. Before any spend you see the plan, the reason each channel was kept or dropped, the tracking it needs and every cost line. After launch the evidence sits in your own accounts and systems, and you can stop at any time.
6What we need
What you will need to provide
- Margin by product group, return rate, average order value
- Product feed or catalogue access
- Ecommerce platform and analytics access
- Stock and promotion calendar
7The cost
What it might cost
Typical service model
Managed Growth
$3,500 a month, $3,000 setup
FOCUSADS operates your campaigns while you keep account ownership.
Includes 2 channels, 1 market, 2 Goal Segments
Enterprise Hybrid, Co-Pilot
Media budget is paid directly to the platforms and is never part of the FOCUSADS fee.
See package prices8Your next step
What happens next
Build your plan
Ten minutes of questions about your market, economics and current setup. You get channel Priority Scores, a landing-page and tracking decision, and every cost line before anyone talks to you.
Strategist review
A FOCUSADS strategist checks the plan against your accounts and data, and flags anything the engine could not know.
Agreement and access
You approve scope and fees. We request least-privilege access to your own ad accounts. You never share passwords.
Launch with measurement
Tracking and landing pages are verified before media spend starts, so the first report measures business results.
Goal Segments
A Goal Segment is the specific buyer situation inside an industry and goal. It changes the channels, the budget logic and what counts as a result.
Sales & Revenue · Managed Growth
Mobile free-to-play game
Install-to-payer funnel
How success is measured: D7/D30 net ROAS; payer LTV
Sales & Revenue · Managed Growth
PC / console game launch
Wishlist to purchase
How success is measured: Net game sales / wishlist conversion
Partner Acquisition · Enterprise Hybrid
Esports event / sponsorship
Tickets or sponsorship
How success is measured: Actual tickets / signed sponsors
B2B Pipeline · Co-Pilot
Game studio B2B publishing deal
Publisher or partner decision
How success is measured: Qualified publishing meetings / signed deals
Questions buyers ask
Which Goal Segments does FOCUSADS use for Gaming & Esports? The initial taxonomy defines four segments for this industry: Mobile free-to-play game, PC / console game launch, Esports event / sponsorship, Game studio B2B publishing deal. You choose the one that matches your commercial goal and deal value; the segment drives the channel candidates, budget logic and service model.
Does FOCUSADS guarantee results for this industry? No. Budgets and benchmarks are estimates based on stated assumptions, and outcomes depend on your offer, market, tracking and sales process. FOCUSADS reports verified platform figures and CRM outcomes separately, with sources and dates.
How are results measured? Primary outcomes for this industry include D7/D30 net ROAS and payer conversion rate. Platform-reported conversions are shown with their exact event definition and are never merged with unique CRM results.
Build a plan for gaming & esports
Game growth planned on D7/D30 ROAS, payer conversion and LTV rather than installs, with age-safe creative and privacy-aware attribution.