Temple Run developer has figured out how to make money on Android

With 5 million daily active users on Android, Temple Run’s developer turns to monetization specialists W3i to help them find some gold in them darn hills.

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Imangi Studios’ endless platformer Temple Run is a huge hit. On Android’s Google Play Store, players have downloaded the app over 10 million times. Of course, it helps that the game doesn’t have any upfront cost. So how is a small developer like Imangi supposed to make money on the notoriously difficult-to-monetize Android platform?

The developer is letting W3i handle that by using that company’s W3i Monetization Platform. This is a tool that gives players in-game rewards when they select offers from other developers and networks. For example, you’ll get Temple Run currency if you download and install  collectible card game Rage of Bahamut. That game’s developer will then have to pay around $0.90 for the new player.

The bigger the pay out for the developer, the bigger the in-game reward for the player.

“We believe that the W3i Monetization Platform’s exchange technology is the right approach to help us maximize our earning on Android,” Imangi founder Natalia Luckyanova said. “W3i takes the time to understand our goals and deliver the results we need. We are excited to take our partnership with W3i to the next level.”

W3i is also out to debunk the myth that developers can’t make money on Android. On iOS, the average revenue per conversion (which is how much a developer gets for referring a player to a new game) is around $1.10. As recently as this past summer, Android’s average revenue per conversion was as low as $0.40.

That number has skyrocketed since. W3i is now seeing ARPC on Android reach $0.90. With 5 million active daily users, Imangi’s Temple Run could net revenues in the seven figures.