Ad monetization

You can enable ad monetization and earn revenue by placing ad units in your games.

Internal monetization

Internal monetization works through the Yandex Advertising Network (YAN) and is based on real-time bidding (RTB) technology to sell and buy ad impressions. RTB maximizes your revenue from ad impressions, because it's based on an auction model and automatically selects the most profitable offer from advertisers.

Ad units are served only on the most visited and high-quality advertising resources. In accordance with the Yandex Advertising Network Rules, we do not accept resources with low-quality content or created for the sole purpose of making money through ad placement.

To enable internal monetization:

1. Add the SDK code to your game's source files.

2. Log in to the Games Console from your developer account.

3. Click Applications in the upper-left corner of the Games Console.

4. Find a previously uploaded game in the list and click its name.

5. Upload an archive containing the game's source files with the SDK code. One ad unit is added automatically to each game that contains the SDK code. You can view the list of all your ad units in the YAN partner interface. You can also enable sticky banners.

6. Fill in all the fields of the draft.

   Note

   Ad units will only be created when the draft is fully filled out.

7. Go to the Advertising tab.

8. Perform the following actions:

   I have a YAN account

   I don't have a YAN account

   Make sure that your Yandex Advertising Network (YAN) account has the same username as your Yandex Games account. That is important for ad monetization to work correctly.

   If the usernames are different, create a new YAN account with the same username as in Yandex Games. Follow the instructions in I don't have a YAN account.

   Make sure your YAN account includes your contact info and banking details. This information is used for paying out your earnings. For more information, see User settings in YAN Help.

   1. Click Enable monetization.

   2. Fill out the form. Only provide up-to-date information, because it will be used to pay out your earnings. For more information, see Registration in YAN Help.

   3. Review the Terms of participation in the Yandex Advertising Network and agree to have your personal data processed and stored.

   4. Click Register.

      Now you can upload new games and earn money on the platform.

      According to the YAN offer, your earnings can be paid out once you've entered your payment details in the YAN partner interface and received an email from YAN confirming that your application had been accepted.

9. Prepare the game for moderation. In the Games Console, make sure the following conditions are met:

   • Ad calls in the game draft are set up correctly according to section 4 of the Game requirements.
   • Sticky banners are set up (if applicable).
   • On the Advertising tab, Enable monetization is on.

   Note

   In the game draft, the developer will see Yandex ad units.

10. Submit the game for moderation and wait for the results.

    Note

    If your game was under moderation more than 100 days ago, you'll see a warning saying that the requirements may have changed. To check if the game meets the requirements, cancel the submission for moderation.

11. Click Publish on the Draft tab.

    The draft status changes to Published within a few minutes and the new game version appears in the Yandex Games catalog.

Ad unit types

When monetization is enabled, interstitial ad units and rewarded ad units are automatically created in the game. You can also add sticky banners to the game.

Automatically added ad units

Interstitial units

Ad units that completely cover the app background and are shown at certain points (for example, when transitioning to the next game level). How often an interstitial unit is called is controlled by Yandex Games.

Rewarded units

Ad units that users can view at their will in exchange for a reward or in-game currency. Compared to regular banners and interstitial ad units, rewarded units offer a number of advantages:

• High audience engagement. The reward for watching a rewarded unit motivates the audience to watch the ad to the end. The longer they view the ad, the more revenue the game developer earns.
• Audience loyalty. Players do not perceive rewarded units as traditional ads, but as an opportunity to earn in-game currency and save real money.
• These units can be called as often as you want.

Sticky banners

An ad banner that remains on display during the entire course of the game.

To enable sticky banner impression, set it up in the Games Console:

• Specify the banner placement in portrait and landscape orientation on mobile devices.
• Enable the banner impression on desktops — it will be positioned on the right.

By default, the sticky banner appears upon launch and remains visible throughout the entire session, but you can configure when the banner is shown.

Statistics and payouts

Statistics

Statistics on purchases, impressions, and clicks for ad units start to be collected immediately after the units are added to the game. Calculations are based on the data from the Yandex statistics system.

The Advertising tab in the Yandex Games Console may not have up-to-date statistics. SDK methods automatically select the ad unit that will bring the customer the most revenue, and it may differ from the one specified in the Games Console.

To view the full statistics for all ad units in the game:

1. Go to the Statistics tab in the YAN partner interface.

2. Select the Site / App and Ad unit name filters (for example, fullscreen or rewarded). The type of ad unit is specified in its name.

   Note

   Don't select the Ad unit type filter, as all ad units in Yandex Games have the "Banner" type.

3. Generate a report.

   For more information, see Statistics and monitoring in YAN Help.

Payouts

Partners get paid once their revenue amount reaches a certain threshold. The amount, threshold, payment method, and payment period depend on your legal status and country of residence. For more information, see Revenue and payments in YAN Help.