The State of Game Monetization: An interview with Kiki Gavriilidou

In the fast-evolving world of game monetization, publishers are looking for smarter ways to grow revenue without compromising player experience. In this interview, Kiki, Head of Publisher Partnerships at iion, shares her journey into gaming and adtech, her vision for publisher success, and how iion is redefining the future of game monetization.

Q: Kiki, tell us about your journey into gaming and adtech. What was it about iion's mission that made you want to be a part of it?
I started in adtech over 10 years ago, when I joined a mobile advertising agency based here in Amsterdam. I then went onto become a business development manager, while also heading up the supply side for EMEA, overseeing both the sales and account management teams. So I've always had a strong focus on service within mobile gaming ecosystems. 

I then came across iion - it was a combination of great company culture and also a chance to reach my aspirations of using my expertise to make an impact. 

‍

Q: As Head of Publisher Partnerships, what does your day-to-day look like - and what are your key priorities?

I look after all the Direct Publisher integrations for iion, including gaming, non-gaming, app, web and CTV. I’m building out our supply sales strategy, working very closely with the demand and programmatic sales team, and other internal teams, to do this. I’m also using my connections within the industry to sign some significant deals, and hope to grow the team further within the next six months. 

‍

Q: iion is redefining advertising in gaming - how do you help publishers unlock new advertising opportunities across their inventory?

In the last couple of years, publishers, and especially gaming publishers - have been trying to diversify their ad spend, which means they’re seeking out brand partnerships. This can be a painful process for publishers and difficult for them to establish new relationships. That's where iion comes in, as we have a direct sales team with established brand/agency relationships in place. 

‍

Q: And when it comes to data and insights, what sort of analytics or performance metrics do they care about most?

Revenue will always be the number one factor in moving forward with the partnership. So one of their first questions is how we can add incremental value to their revenue? Ad quality is also a high-priority. The industry has evolved and users are now more demanding when it comes to the gaming experience. This is where we also have a competitive advantage here at iion, because we have control over the types of ads that will be served in or around their games, in order to deliver the best UX. 

‍

Q: What types of ad formats or environments are showing the strongest monetization performance right now?

The most successful ads are rewarded video ads. This is because they are opt-in, so it’s up to the player if they want to watch the ad for the reward, and a number of studies have shown that these are the most watched. Research also tells us that these users are more likely to become paid users - therefore it tends to be the most cost effective option. 

Next would be video interstitial ads. These are not opt-in, but they appear more frequently through the gaming session, allowing a bigger bulk of ads to be placed compared to rewarded video ads. 

I would say the least profitable formats these days are banner ads.

‍

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in scaling publisher adoption of in-game ads - and how are you addressing that?

The biggest challenge is the saturation in the market, so demand will always be higher than supply. Brand agencies and performance advertisers want to buy more and more users, right? So they want to invest more and more, but there is only so much supply available. The competition is fierce, so we have to look at ways to give them something they don't have - for example, looking for advertisers in under-monetized countries, growing user engagement, and improving ad quality.
The tradeoff is better user engagement, better quality ads and diversification, but of course, you can’t expect the same CPMs, or revenue, as you would see from performance advertisers. So it can be a challenge educating some publishers, especially in less advanced markets. 

‍

Q: How do you see gaming inventory evolving over the next few years, especially in a post-cookie, privacy-centric landscape?

From the publisher perspective, they will still be looking into alternative revenue streams - ways to diversify and split their incoming revenue. For the past few years, publishers have been open to testing new ad formats, and we’ll continue to see them trying different combinations of ad types, testing and optimising as they go. The biggest challenge they face is how they can maintain control and transparency with all the partners they are working with. Again, that’s where iion can help, as we oversee these partnerships.

‍

Q: How is AI helping publishers in 2025?

AI is a real buzzword for publishers at the moment, but we are starting to move beyond mere concepts to useful tools. It’s being used to better understand their users, improve audience segmentation, and drive efficiency in yield management. At iion, we’re developing our own AI tools - watch this space! 

‍

Q: And finally, what’s your favourite gaming title of all time? 

It has to be Homescapes by Playrix. That’s the only game I’ve ever spent money on! I really like the graphics and the game itself is very addictive. They run events and update the content frequently, plus I would compete with previous colleagues within the game. That was fun.

‍