mNectar makes mobile ads that let you play a game before downloading it (exclusive)

mNectar has launched a new ad platform dubbed Playable that lets gamers try out a mobile game before they decide to download or buy it. These interactive ads are so compelling that they are four times as effective as other mobile ads, the company said in an exclusive interview with GamesBeat.

The new ad platform is the result of applying cloud technology and virtualization to mobile gaming. In that sense, the company takes technology pioneered by companies like OnLive and Gaikai and then applies it to making an ad into a playable demo. By transforming the mobile ad from the staid banner to something much more enticing, mNectar hopes to solve the problem of getting apps discovered amid a sea of millions of rivals in the app stores.

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Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.