Think Gaming introduces mobile-advertising co-op exchange to help developers find the big spenders

Free-to-play game developers typically spend a lot of money on player acquisition, and mobile-gaming intelligence firm Think Gaming is introducing a way to make that cash go further.

The company is announcing today that it is launching what it calls the first mobile-advertising data co-op. Think Gaming intends to use this tool to help developers and marketers share precious data about where to find the players that spend the most money. This knowledge could prevent game makers from wasting their user-acquisition budget on networks filled with bots or people who keep a tight lid on their money purse. Gamers spent $16 billion on mobile games last year worldwide, and the games with the most effective user acquisition, like King’s Candy Crush Saga and Supercell’s Clash of Clans, captures the biggest piece of that. Developers and marketers also spent $10 billion on app-install advertising in 2013 across all categories including games.