Why TapNation is banking on rewarded play

• TapNation’s Philippe Lenormand claims rewarded play can bolster D7 and D30 retention.
• ZBD’s Igor Melniks says developers typically allocate 10% to 20% of their ad revenue to players, with some generating 80% to 200% returns on the investment, he claims.

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Hot on the heels of the rewarded UA boom – though as we noted in our chat with Mistplay, that hype has cooled – some developers are now also moving into rewarded play.

The marketing and engagement approaches both have similarities – aiming to retain users with tantalising rewards. There are various types: long-standing rewarded ads offer in-game rewards for watching an ad. Rewarded UA operates outside the game, offering incentives tied to an external app. Embedded rewards, meanwhile, offer real-world incentives that can potentially be exchanged for cash and gift cards.

UK studio Fumb Games, which rewards players with real Bitcoin in games like Bitcoin Miner, doubled its revenue in 2025 through this approach. The company has paid $5.2 million to players so far.

French publisher TapNation, which has surpassed 1.4 billion downloads across its portfolio, claims internal data shows real rewards can significantly bolster D7 and D30 retention. According to the company’s head of web3 Philippe Lenormand, the industry is shifting toward a “value-for-time” economy.

“Players are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their attention,” he tells PocketGamer.biz, adding: “The ‘opportunity cost’ of leaving the game becomes higher for the user when their progress is tied to a real-world asset.”

Investing in engagement

Igor Melniks, senior VP of business development at ZBD, a payments platform for games, says rewarded play works by sharing a small portion of the value a game already generates back with users. With embedded rewards, developers typically allocate around 10% to 20% of ad revenue to players.

“In practice, we’ve seen partners generate 80% to 200% returns on the reward investment,” Melniks claims. “The key is that rewards aren’t the main reason to play, the game still has to be fun. Rewards simply enhance a good game, they don’t fix a weak one.”

Lenormand suggests immediate liquidity is the key driver, i.e. rewards that possess value outside of the app. Melniks says rewards that can be cashed out to payment platforms like Cash App or redeemed as gift cards are ones that receive strong traction from players. “Anything with real monetary value resonates far more than in-game currencies or cosmetic items.”

The ideal moments to implement rewards in-game include immediately after a hard-won victory, upon hitting a major progression milestone or as a daily retention incentive, says Lenormand.

He adds that when done effectively, rewards can help keep users engaged longer, increasing their lifetime value across both ads and potential future purchases.

“Embedded rewards remove friction by making the reward system part of the core experience,” explains Melniks. “Players don’t need to leave the game or download another app, the reward is integrated directly into gameplay. 

“For publishers, that means full control over placement, pacing, and economics. For users, it feels seamless. We believe rewarded play will increasingly move in this direction: toward models that enhance retention and LTV from within.”

UA versus play

We ask whether rewarded play is compatible with rewarded UA, given their similar aims. Lenormand believes they are not just compatible, they are complimentary.

“Rewarded UA brings users through the door with a value proposition, and rewarded play ensures we fulfill that promise long-term to prevent churn. It creates a cohesive funnel: you acquire through rewards and retain through consistent value.”

Melniks adds: “One drives entry, the other compounds value.”

On how rewarded play, and the tech behind it, will develop in future, Melniks identifies three main directions. The first is greater publisher control to manage reward economies at a granular level, such as by user segment, behaviour and live ops strategy. The second is more seamless real-time value as payout options become more user-friendly over time, including direct-to-bank transfers.

“Third, portfolio-level integration. Embedded rewards open the door for a shared rewards balance across multiple titles, letting users accumulate value across games while helping publishers strengthen retention at the portfolio level and build long-term loyalty to their brand.”

That’s an area that TapNation is building around, states Lenormand.

“The future lies in ‘invisible interoperability’. Players shouldn’t have to care about the underlying tech. We are heading toward a landscape where assets and rewards flow seamlessly across multiple titles, creating a transparent, cross-game meta-progression that we are actively building at TapNation.”

Rewarded UA and play are just some topics that will be discussed at Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona on June 15th and 16th.