On Monday, at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Google announced a handful of new features coming to Google Play game services that are aimed at both developers and players. Among the news was a new type of ad that will allow gamers to play a free trial of a title directly from a Google search, letting them check out the game before having to download.
Called "search trial runs ads" the feature allows developers to embed demonstrations of their games into ads that appear in Google searches for Android devices. For gamers, they would simply search for a particular title and would be able to see a "try now" button displayed in the game's results. When the free trial is over, the player would then be able to either download the game or return to the Google search.
The new trial game ads are expected to roll out on Android "in the next few weeks."
Google also announced other new features to help developers during its presentation, which include a second type of ad: portrait video ads. The idea is that, since most people are holding their smartphones vertically when ads are playing, it only makes sense that the company would offer an ad unit where developers can display their videos without them looking awkward. Developers will also have the option to target active users in ads by focusing on those gamers who spend more than 30 minutes playing titles in the past month.
Developers will also get a new feature for Player Stats that will reveal the groups of players that are the most likely to spend money. The new predictive analytics tool will also give other insights such as the players likely to leave the app.
The company is also making it easier for developers in the Google Play Store by adjusting its management parameters to no longer require them to submit an official app update. This means developers will be able to roll out small tweaks without first having to have the app update reviewed.
Google announced a new API that lets developers add video and live stream functionalities to games. The content, whether it's recorded or live-streamed, would then be able to broadcasted to YouTube. The API is expected to be released in a few months.
The company also announced that the Google Play Store will now include an "Indie Corner" that features games specifically from smaller studios. Google's aim is to help shed some light on games from more independent studios.
Source: The Verge
