Google unveiled several new features for Google Play game listings, including AI-powered FAQs, the display of the latest YouTube videos, new immersive ad formats, and support for native PC game publishing.
These announcements were made during the Google for Games Developer Summit in San Francisco.
As part of the announcement, the company is rolling out new tools related to Play Store listings to attract more users. Developers can now showcase promotions and the latest YouTube videos directly within their listings, visible to users in the Games tab of the Play Store.
Additionally, Google is introducing support for AI-powered FAQs on the game’s information page in English. Initially, these features are being made available to a limited set of developers. The company has previously tested AI-generated FAQ answers on the Play Store for non-game-related apps.
To encourage more in-app purchases, Google is allowing developers to offer discounts to users with the company’s Play Pass subscription. Moreover, the tech giant will launch the subscription service in Korea later this year.
Game developers can now utilize Play Points, the rewards program of the Play Store introduced in 2019, for exclusive in-app offers. The Play Points program will also expand to Brazil this year, boasting over 220 million members across more than 35 markets.
In a move to diversify revenue streams, Google introduced new ad offerings for game developers, including immersive in-game ads designed to seamlessly blend into the gaming environment across various genres. These ads are offered through Google’s AdMob platform and can be placed at intermission breaks and level progressions.
Furthermore, Google is providing developers with tools to drive purchases, such as the ability to track app uninstalls through a default uninstaller list and target specific groups of users, such as lapsed payers or those who have never made a purchase before.
Over the past few years, Google has expanded its Play Games for PC program to over 120 countries, allowing users to play Android games on their computers. Now, the company is enabling publishers to feature native PC games on the Play Store. Google has already made titles like “Lineage2M,” “Odin: Valhalla Rising,” “Genshin Impact,” and “Dragonheir: Silent Gods” available, with “Solo Leveling: Arise” set to launch later this year.
