Playable Ads
Part of Gaming campaign economics
Budgeting for playable ad production
Scope a playable production quote across build, adaptations, QA and rights, then separate production from media spend.
Treat a playable as an interactive production, not a media placement. The production budget must name the concept, build, adaptations, QA, included revisions, rights, hand-off and maintenance; show media and measurement separately.
Define the deliverables
Describe the interaction, opening instruction, feedback, end screen and destination action. State the intended devices, orientations, markets and buying paths. Identify who supplies artwork, copy, audio and access to the promoted product.
Request a list of versions included in the price. One master build, an orientation adaptation, another language and a later experiment may require different work. The design decision about which interaction best represents the product belongs in the creative brief; this budget should price the agreed scope.
| Work item | Quote question |
|---|---|
| Concept and design | Which storyboard and screens are included? |
| Build and assets | Are code, illustration, animation, sound and end card included? |
| Adaptations | Which files or builds will be supplied for each buying path? |
| Quality assurance | Which devices, orientations, load states and destination actions are covered? |
| Revisions | How many rounds are included, and what requires a new quote? |
| Hand-off | Are editable files, usage rights and later adaptations included? |
Ask for the final build and a record of the agreed acceptance checks. Allow for platform review and corrections. The quote should say who pays if a required upload or destination check fails.
Ask every supplier to price the same rows: concept, master build, each adaptation or version, QA, included correction rounds, rights or licence, final hand-off and maintenance. Require each row to state its deliverable, quantity, assumptions and exclusions, so missing work is visible rather than buried in a total.
Price the supply paths separately
Unity Ads User Acquisition requires a single inlined, minified index.html under 5 MB and MRAID 3.0 compliance; its specification also calls for portrait and landscape support, Android 4.4 or later, and iOS 9 or later. It prohibits blocking close controls or automatically redirecting to an app store.
A separate Unity moderation checklist sets an initial-file limit under 6 MB and checks iOS 8 or later and Android 4.4 or later, as well as scaling, orientation changes, store-button access and device mute behaviour. Price the work needed to meet the applicable checks rather than treating the two file-size limits as interchangeable.
Unity says playable content must wait for the MRAID viewableChange event, and calls to action should link directly to the app store using mraid.open. Its specification says ads should not need network requests, though some analytics calls may be permitted subject to privacy and policy conditions; include the relevant compliance work in the quote.
For this named playable asset, brief against the narrower asset specification and confirm the current upload rules with Unity or the supplier.
Google Ads Help labels an “HTML5/Playable ads for App campaigns” format; confirm that the intended campaign and placement accept the proposed asset and ask the supplier to identify any export or adaptation required before pricing it. Obtain the actual media billing basis for every buying path; do not apply a CPM estimate by assumption.
Key Compliance Requirements for Playable Ads in Australia
- Max File Size (Unity Ads)≤ 5 MB (minified index.html)
- Max File Size (Unity Moderation)≤ 6 MB (initial file)
- Minimum OS SupportAndroid 4.4+, iOS 9+
- MRAID Version3.0 required
- Redirect ProtocolUse mraid.open for app store links
Compare the complete quotes
Put supplier quotes side by side using the same rows and version counts. Compare each line’s deliverable, assumptions, exclusions and fee, then total the build, required adaptations, QA, included corrections, rights and later maintenance.
One Alconost production model lists $250 for a concept, $750 for polished production and $250 for a localised variant; Alconost says its engagements start at $25,000 because the model produces and tests a fleet of creatives. These are package figures, not separate prices for QA, rights or revision rounds, and the dollar figures have no named currency.
Alconost also gives traditional custom playable estimates of $3,000–$8,000 per creative and $10,000–$15,000 or more for complex builds, describing them as market ranges rather than fixed prices. Treat them as context, not as like-for-like quotes, and match the scope before comparing totals.
For an Australian comparison, ask each supplier to state the quote currency and whether GST is included; do not assume either from a dollar sign. Then add media and measurement costs separately to understand the campaign commitment.
A cheaper quote is comparable only if it includes the versions and checks the campaign needs. No general supplier price range replaces a current quote for a defined scope.
