"Ads needs to be implemented in a smart, data-driven way that doesn't interfere with the player’s experience."
Or Zilberman, Ad Monetization Lead at Playtika, spoke at Calcalist's Tech Independence event.
How do you generate more game time and make players more engaged? This is what Or Zilberman, Ad Monetization Lead at Playtika, discussed at Calcalist's Tech Independence event. According to Zilberman, it is a fascinating process that requires significant thought, while also taking into account the simple fact that players come to enjoy themselves.
"I am responsible for the advertising strategy at Playtika within the game," Zilberman explained. "It is essentially a combination of monetization and advertising, together with player experience, economics, and data." According to Zilberman, "Ads are something that needs to be implemented in a smart, data-driven way that doesn't interfere with the player’s experience. If it does, players won’t want to watch the ads, and we see that clearly in the data."
Playtika itself has shifted the perception of the relationship between players and games: from a model where players pay money to gain power and progress, to one where players choose to watch ads in order to continue playing for free. According to Zilberman, "Playtika is fundamentally a company built on in-app purchases, and ads have always been secondary. We realized this was a strong strategy and that we could generate more revenue from this channel without harming the game’s longevity. Players can receive rewards and enjoy a strong experience, while ads add value rather than detract from it."
However, it is impossible to ignore that the past few months have been challenging. The war has affected many households, the Israeli economy, and Playtika and its customers. According to Zilberman, "Customers, the players, are generally unaware that anything is happening in Israel. The same applies to our international partners; they don’t feel it. The company continues to operate as usual, we’ve worked this way for years, and Playtika maintains operations under all circumstances. Our partners were understanding; there were moments of conversations under sirens and runs to bomb shelters, but we managed through it. Playtika was very supportive of its employees and provided significant flexibility. I have three children, and the company was very understanding. It was challenging, but ultimately manageable."
Now, with expectations of the official end of the war, many in the economy are trying to predict what the “next leap” will be. As for Playtika, Zilberman said, "Playtika is growing and continues to grow, and my work contributes to that. Our goals are not tied to the war; they were set beforehand, and we are achieving them regardless of the situation."
At the same time, many companies have undergone streamlining processes over the past year as they move toward 2026. At Playtika, however, the focus remains on growth and expansion. According to Zilberman, "We are planning to invest more in existing products, scale what we already have, and evolve the way Playtika operates, leveraging the full power of our data, product capabilities, and analytics."
