GameZBoost partnered with Ayoba, the MTN Group’s Super App, to launch an integrated white-label casual gaming platform within the app. This zero-rated gaming experience provided Ayoba users with instant access to a vast catalog of games, competitive tournaments, and PvP clashes, all while earning XP loyalty points that could be redeemed for rewards.
Seamless Integration with the Ayoba Super App
One of the key highlights of this project was its direct integration within the Ayoba native app. This offered a frictionless gaming experience with:
- Automatic user account creation, eliminating the need for manual registration.
- One-click onboarding, allowing users to instantly start playing.
- “Ring-fenced” access, ensuring a seamless experience for Ayoba’s audience.
Since Ayoba is a zero-rated app in several African countries, users could play without data costs, making the platform even more accessible.
Competitive & Social Gaming: PvP Clashes & Tournaments
The Ayoba Playzone wasn’t just about casual gaming—it was designed to encourage social competition and engagement through:
- PvP Clashes – Users could challenge friends and family to one-on-one battles in skill-based games.
- Always-On Tournaments – A continuous tournament strategy kept users engaged with competitive leaderboards and exciting rewards.
- Loyalty-Driven Gameplay – Players could complete quests and challenges to earn XP Loyalty Points, which could be redeemed for rewards from 40+ retailers.
Monetization & Engagement: Ads & Rewards
To enhance revenue generation and engagement, the platform integrated:
- Pre-roll & post-roll ads, providing monetization opportunities while maintaining a smooth user experience.
- XP-based loyalty rewards, incentivizing users to return and play more frequently.
These elements combined to drive retention and ensure long-term engagement within the Ayoba ecosystem.
Future Tech: Expanding the Gaming Experience
Looking ahead, Ayoba Playzone is set to introduce additional social and interactive features, including:
- Instant Messenger integration, enabling users to invite friends, track rank changes, and share achievements.
- More reward redemption options, increasing the value of XP points.
- Expanded tournament offerings, keeping the platform fresh and exciting.
Revolutionizing Mobile Gaming in Africa
By integrating GameZBoost’s gaming platform into Ayoba, the MTN Group has transformed its super app into a dynamic entertainment hub. This collaboration has successfully:
âś… Eliminated friction with automatic account creation
âś… Enabled seamless PvP and tournament gameplay
âś… Introduced a rewarding XP-based loyalty system
âś… Provided zero-rated gaming access to millions of users
This project showcases how mobile networks and gaming can merge to create engaging, rewarding, and monetizable digital experiences.
Monetization Challenges in a Zero-Rated Environment
While the GameZBoost deployment within the Ayoba super app has successfully delivered an engaging, data-free gaming experience to users across Africa, it also presents a unique set of monetization challenges.
The platform is completely free to access and zero-rated for data usage, meaning users can play games without incurring any data costs. However, this creates a monetization paradox—many users have no available data on their SIM cards, so while ads may be served and seen, clicking on them leads to a dead end when the external link fails to load. As a result, traditional ad-based revenue models become ineffective.
Furthermore, the audience largely falls within lower LSM (Living Standards Measure) brackets, meaning disposable income is limited. This rules out subscription-based models, and even freemium offerings struggle to gain traction in this context, as there’s minimal appetite—or ability—to pay for access to premium features or content.
In such a scenario, sponsorship-driven monetization becomes the only viable solution. However, this too comes with its own set of challenges: brands need to see value in reaching and engaging a lower LSM demographic. It requires a carefully crafted value proposition and strategic brand alignment to attract sponsors willing to support a free, inclusive digital experience at scale.
Despite these hurdles, the GameZBoost and Ayoba partnership demonstrates the platform’s flexibility—not only in terms of seamless tech integration, but also in how it continues to explore innovative ways to unlock value for partners, without compromising on user experience.
Despite the monetization challenges, the platform achieved exceptional levels of user engagement—the kind most gaming operators only dream of. From record-breaking gameplay volumes to high tournament participation rates and a surge in Player vs Player (PvP) clash creations and participation, user interaction across the board was consistently strong.
However, engagement alone doesn’t pay the bills. As rewarding as it is to see users fully immersed, it becomes unsustainable if the cost of maintaining the experience outweighs the potential revenue. In this instance, the harsh reality is that high engagement in a zero-revenue environment quickly turns into a liability, rather than a success story—highlighting the critical need for aligned sponsorships to carry the monetization burden.
Are you looking to launch a branded gaming platform within your ecosystem? GameZBoost has the solution to make it happen! 🚀
