In a landmark move for the in-game advertising space, Frameplay and iion have announced a strategic partnership designed to create the largest unified global reach for game-based ad inventory. The deal brings together Frameplay’s pioneering intrinsic in-game advertising exchange with iion’s expansive platform covering over 4,000 gaming titles across APAC and EMEA.
For marketers and publishers, this partnership is more than a handshake—it’s a massive new on-ramp to the world’s most engaged media audience.
What’s New: Cross-Continental Inventory, Unified Strategy
As part of the deal:
- iion’s 4,000+ titles will now be available on the Frameplay Exchange in the U.S.
- Frameplay’s premium in-game inventory will be accessible to iion’s clients across Asia-Pacific and EMEA
This cross-regional integration creates a global feedback loop of supply and demand—offering advertisers access to curated, high-performance inventory across major markets, while providing publishers with expanded monetization opportunities and greater demand from international buyers.
“Partnering with iion provides iion’s clients with premium access to our established markets,” said Yasin Dabhelia, VP Demand at Frameplay.
Why It Matters: In-Game Advertising Is Growing Up
This partnership drops at a critical inflection point for gaming as a media channel. According to Dentsu’s 2024 Gaming Report, 2.4 billion consumers play games, outpacing traditional media subscriptions like movies or streaming. Zynga’s research shows that nearly half of gamers (43%) research products after seeing in-game ads, and over a quarter (27%) make purchases as a direct result.
“This partnership perfectly demonstrates our ‘brands win, publishers thrive’ philosophy,” said Vince Banks, Head of Commercial Partnerships at iion. “International advertisers unlock Asia’s dynamic gaming markets, and publishers across our combined network benefit from increased demand.”
By combining Frameplay’s highly viewable, non-disruptive ad units (98% viewability) with iion’s 10x engagement performance vs. standard web ads, the companies are making a bold bet: in-game ads can finally match the precision, scale, and ROI of traditional programmatic formats—without breaking the immersive gameplay experience.
Frictionless Access, Scalable Impact
One of the persistent challenges in gaming has been fragmentation across regions, platforms, and formats. Frameplay and iion aim to eliminate those barriers by offering a unified marketplace for advertisers to scale campaigns across continents without piecemeal integrations.
For OEMs, DSPs, and agencies, this means:
- Streamlined media buying across both Western and APAC gaming ecosystems
- Access to curated inventory with measurable outcomes and verified engagement
- Incremental revenue streams for publishers on both sides of the globe
“Their proven ability to deliver superior engagement combined with our infrastructure creates a compelling proposition,” said Sandy Shanman, CEO of Frameplay.
The Big Picture: Gaming as a Global Media Channel
This partnership further cements the emergence of gaming as an essential part of the media mix, not just a Gen Z niche. With billions of daily players, long dwell times, and highly attentive audiences, gaming environments offer something that traditional media increasingly cannot: presence.
And while major players like Xbox, Unity, and even Netflix have pushed into in-game ads or interactive media, the Frameplay–iion partnership sets itself apart by focusing on cross-regional interoperability and intrinsic ad formats—ads that feel native to the gameplay experience.
As marketers continue to search for brand-safe, high-engagement inventory outside the usual social and streaming suspects, this deal puts gaming squarely in the spotlight.
