Search giant Google has announced a host of new features for game developers on its Android operating system. The features are expected to not only let developers find the right users but also help them in monetisation efforts. The announcement was made at the ongoing Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2016 at San Francisco.
The new features includes letting new players have a 10-minute trial of a game from the mobile search page, steaming the game from the display ad, and a video-recording API.
Google noted that according to the study conducted in 2015, 41 percent of apps downloaded are gaming apps, and sadly, one in four apps installed were never used, said the company in a blog post.
Google announced the extension of its recently introduced Trial Run Ads feature to search results on Google. The feature will let a user, who is searching for a game on Google, to try the game from within the ad.
Smartphone users can also try the game for 10 minutes, and if they like it, can download the complete app. This feature will let developers target the kind of users who engage more often in the game than those who install it but are not regular users.
Google also launched Portrait Video Ads, which will let users experience an "immersive portrait video experience" without the need to tilt their devices. The company noted that this feature has seen improvement in click-through and conversion rates.
The company also revealed a new feature called Active User Targeting for Games, which adds finer options to reach high-quality users. This feature aims to target users who have spent over 30 minutes in playing games.
One of the popular forms of game monetisation has been the rewarded advertising feature, where users can choose to engage in the advertisement in return for some in-app rewards. Google has announced the introduction the rewarded advertising feature in AdMob Mediation.
Google also noted it is closely working with developers for innovative ad solutions and to help them build strong businesses.
