New Product Launch
3 min read
By
Phil Mohr
Puli Liyanagama
Justin Stolzenberg
CEO and Co-founder
CTO & Co-founder
Co-founder
May 28, 2025
How much is each player really worth?
In today’s mobile gaming economy, one question matters more than ever:
How much is each player really worth?
This is why Metica has launched SmartFloors, our Bid-Floor Optimization Engine which can achieve 30% more from players on average! Add this to our existing product suite (Blended ROAS Optimization, Interstitial Cooldowns, SmartConfig etc) and the revenue benefit is more like 45%.
With increasing pressure on blended ROAS and tighter margins in user acquisition, the answer to the question “How much is each player really worth?” directly affects how far you can scale. And while tools like AppLovin MAX have made incredible strides in streamlining monetization and simplifying operations, there’s still untapped value sitting on the table — especially for high-value players.
That’s where Metica’s SmartFloors comes in. In our customer base, we’re already seeing 25–30% revenue uplifts in ad monetisation.
MAX Is the Backbone — Now Let’s Supercharge It
Let’s be clear: AppLovin MAX and Blended ROAS campaigns have changed the game. It has become the default monetisation and UA platform for top mobile studios around the world — and for good reason. MAX removed the complexity of waterfall setups, improved latency, and helped developers unlock greater scale through unified auctions and seamless integration with UA campaigns.
But as header bidding matures, the next frontier is optimization. Publishers are no longer managing long waterfall chains, but they are being asked to get smarter about how they guide demand-side platforms (DSPs) — especially when it comes to setting bid floors.
Why Bid Floors Matter
In theory, programmatic bidding should mean you don’t have to think about floor prices. In reality, many ad networks use bid floors as a signal, and due to widespread bid shading, the floor you set can have a significant impact on what you actually earn.
This is where Metica adds value:
We combine first-party in-game data, user progression, placement context, and churn models to help set the right price at the right moment — all without disrupting your current MAX setup.
How Metica’s Smart Bid-Floor Optimisation Works
We designed our system to fit neatly within MAX and enhance it — not replace it.
Here’s how it works:
1. Build a User-Level Bid Landscape
We start by modelling the true market value of each player, using:
In-game behavior
IAP history
Impression-level ad data
Churn predictions
2. Bid Floor Setup
Create a price grid through Applovin Management API
3. Metica Starts Optimizing
Metica AI chooses an appropriate calling strategy based on the user’s device, country, individual value forecast, available memory and other criteria - this ranges from a single price point / single adUnitId to a complex strategy with multiple high bid floors
The Metica SDK executes the calling strategy and handles loading, timeouts, clearing in a single method call
4. Learn and Self-Improve
All outcomes are logged and fed back into the model, improving accuracy over time.
5. Adapt to Market Shifts
Whether it’s Black Friday, a viral UA campaign, or a new game update, our system adjusts floors dynamically to capture upside in real time.
The Results Speak for Themselves
In our customer base, we’re already seeing 25–30% revenue uplifts in ad monetisation. And the biggest gains? They’re coming from high-value users — the ones you already know are worth more.
By combining placement knowledge, player value, and first-party insights, Metica gives MAX the guidance it needs to make smarter, more profitable decisions.
Built to Fit, Designed to Scale
Whether you’re already scaling your game with AppLovin or just getting started, Metica’s SmartFloors is built to enhance your monetisation stack — not replace it.
It’s about giving your ad units more context. More precision. More intelligence.
And ultimately, more revenue.
Battle-Tested Tech You Can Trust
Our SDK has been extensively tested under real-world conditions to ensure stability and reliable performance at scale. It’s designed for smooth integration and built to avoid costly crashes and runtime issues. Several members of our team helped scale products to over 2 billion devices during their time at Apple and King, and we’ve applied the same engineering standards here at Metica.
Let us help you unlock the full value of your players — one bid at a time and beyond.
Going Beyond Bid Floors: Comprehensive Ad Monetisation Optimisation
While bid-floor optimisation is essential, it's part of a larger puzzle. True ad revenue optimisation encompasses multiple dimensions, integrating bid-floor strategies into a broader suite of solutions - with revenue uplifts of up to 45%.
At Metica, we combine sophisticated bid-floor optimisation with advanced placement prediction, ad format selection, pacing adjustments, and optimal timing of rewarded ad impressions—ensuring every ad served is strategically chosen for maximum engagement and LTV uplift.
Blended ROAS: Combining Ads and IAP
Moreover, to drive truly optimal blended ROAS, Metica doesn’t look at ad monetisation in isolation. Instead, we integrate ad strategies with IAP monetisation, balancing ad frequency and formats with purchase incentives, thus ensuring the highest total LTV per player.
By leveraging first-party data across all revenue streams—ad impressions, rewarded interactions, and in-app purchases—Metica holistically optimises player experiences to maximise total revenue.
Future-Proofing Your Monetisation Strategy
Metica’s integrated approach means you're not just improving today's revenue—you're building a robust monetisation foundation capable of adapting to future market dynamics, player behaviours, and revenue opportunities.
Bid-floor optimisation is just the beginning. With Metica, elevate your entire monetisation strategy, unlocking sustained growth and higher lifetime value, one optimised ad impression at a time.
Talk to an expert