After being abandoned by Microsoft, UWP developer creates own Ad Network for apps

We reported 2 weeks ago that Microsoft was shutting down their Ad Monetization platform for Windows UWP apps on the 1st June 2020.

It turns out developers have been seeing the writing on the wall for some time, with a reduction in the quality of ads and more ads trying to promote malware and otherwise trick end users.

One developer, who’s seven-figure income from the Microsoft Store is under threat due to the move, has responded by creating his own ad network.

CNBC reports that Sam Kaufmann, CEO of Randon Salad Games, who make a number of ad-supported casual games for the Microsoft Store, has created an ad network called Pubfinity, made by Windows developers for Windows Developers.

“My immediate need was to monetize my own apps,” said Kaufmann. “The ultimate goal is to position Pubfinity as a replacement for the Microsoft SDK going away.”

Kaufmann worked with existing advertisers and says his apps, such as “Simple Mahjong,” “Hearts Deluxe” and “Dice King,” offer more than 2 billion ad impressions per month.

He is now looking to open up his offering to other developers, but initially, he only plans to work with a few high-quality developers until the network is ready for a broader rollout.

“We’ll have a very strict review process,” he said. “We want it to be an improvement and make it a place where developers can make money but not sacrifice the quality of their offerings.”

Kaufmann felt his efforts did not just benefit himself, but also the Microsoft Store, as without a successful ad network advertisers and users will flee.

In a statement, Microsoft suggested it was always their intention to step back and let 3rd party developers offer a better service than they could, saying: “We’re always looking for ways to evolve the business for the long term and this is a case where we saw a chance to let partners and the market step in and provide better support for in-game and in-app Ad solutions.”

Kaufmann is targetting wider availability of his solution in June when the native Microsoft Ad Monetization platform shuts down. Developers and advertisers can read more at the Pubfinity website here.

Via CNBC