Get ready for game ads in Facebook videos.
The world’s largest social network is announcing the rollout of desktop video ads today. This will enable developers to attract more of its users to desktop Facebook games, further driving installs and engagement. The move shows the company’s commitment to its games platform, which now reaches 445 million players across mobile and desktop.
Facebook follows last year’s launch of mobile-app install ads for its Power Editor advertising tool with today’s desktop launch. Like mobile-app ads, the desktop ones can play automatically in feeds and will feature end cards with install links — an important tool for user acquisition. This launch offers a new way for game makers to attract and grow their games. Facebook says that its users view more than 4 billion native videos daily.
Facebook is currently working with a select group of partners to launch desktop video app ads in a limited release, with a product availability widening soon.
Social games free fall
Intelligence firm SuperData Research said this month that the social-games market has been in a constant decline since its May 2012 peak, with the segment down 10 percent in revenues over last year and 42 percent down from the peak. The increasing adoption of mobile gaming has Facebook’s biggest desktop titles slowing down. Chief executive and lead analyst Joost van Dreunen says current spending patterns indicate a year-over-year decline of 7 percent for social gaming in 2015.