Who we are

Game Monetization Guide is an independent editorial team that covers how games and apps make money. We are not a consultancy, an ad network, or a platform. We are writers and analysts who have worked inside free-to-play studios, ad ops teams, and payment companies, and who now spend our time explaining the mechanics behind the revenue numbers.

We started in 2019 after watching too many small studios sign deals they did not understand. The information existed, but it was scattered across conference talks, private Slack groups, and vendor blogs with an obvious sales angle. We wanted a single place where a product manager could read about interstitial ad eCPMs without being pitched a mediation service.

What we do and why we exist

We publish explainers, case studies, and reference guides on monetization models, metrics, and payments. Our work is funded by subscriptions and occasional sponsored research that is clearly labeled. We do not sell consulting hours, and we do not take payment for favorable coverage.

Our editorial process is simple: every article is reviewed by someone who has run the numbers in a live game or app. If we cite a benchmark, we say where it came from and when it was measured. If we don't know, we say so. We update articles when the underlying data changes, and we keep a public changelog for major revisions.

Our mission and values

Our mission is to make monetization decisions less opaque. We believe that better decisions come from understanding trade-offs, not from chasing tactics. That means we write about when a battle pass stops working, why eCPMs vary by region, and how payment fees eat into small transactions.

We value accuracy over speed, clarity over jargon, and independence over access. We will not publish a story that we cannot stand behind, even if it means being slower than the news cycle. We also believe in showing our work: when we use a formula or a model, we show the inputs and the assumptions.

Who we are not

We are not a source of guaranteed income claims. We do not promise that a specific ad placement will double your revenue, and we do not sell courses that claim to reveal a secret formula. Monetization depends on genre, audience, platform, and region. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.

We also do not cover gambling, real-money trading, or monetization tactics that target minors. If a model relies on pressure tactics or dark patterns, we will call it out rather than promote it.

Our team

The editorial team includes former product managers, data analysts, and payments specialists. Between us, we have shipped monetization features in casual, mid-core, and hyper-casual games, and we have negotiated contracts with ad networks and payment processors. We don't list every team member by name because some still work in the industry and prefer not to be identified with specific vendor relationships.

Our contributors are listed on each article with a short bio. If you want to know who wrote a piece and what their background is, it is there.

How we work

We keep a strict separation between editorial and any commercial activity. Sponsored content is labeled as such at the top of the page and does not influence our recommendations. We do not accept payment for reviews, and we do not allow vendors to preview articles before publication.

When we make a mistake, we correct it visibly and note the change at the bottom of the article. You can report an error or suggest a correction through our contact page.

Why you can trust us

Trust is earned by being consistent and transparent. We show our sources, we disclose our funding, and we publish corrections. We don't claim to have all the answers, and we don't pretend that monetization is simple. If you find something we missed, tell us. We would rather fix it than defend it.

Contact

You can reach the editorial team at editorial@gamemonetizationguide.com. We read every message, though we can't always respond individually. For corrections, please include the article URL and the specific claim you believe is wrong.