An interview with Oliviero Camilleri, Account Manager at Gamelight

Rewarded User Acquisition (UA) has moved from a niche offerwall tactic to one of the most talked about channels in mobile user acquisition, and adoption keeps climbing every year. What's harder to find is someone willing to talk specifics instead of repeating the same generic best practices.

As part of our interview series, we sat down with Oliviero Camilleri, Account Manager at Gamelight, one of the largest rewarded UA platforms globally, and asked him what the data actually shows in 2026. 

We covered where studios go wrong, why users churn once the rewards stop, how much game design really matters, what to ask a rewarded partner about fraud, and whether fintech is ready for rewarded UA.

Key takeaways

• Rewarded UA is maturing fast, but success still comes down to event setup, not the platform itself

• Recurring events outperform static ones because they adapt to each user's progression without manual remapping

• The most expensive early mistake is expecting rewarded users to mirror traditional UA cohorts from day one

• How fast a player reaches level 2 is one of the strongest predictors of rewarded UA performance

• Fraud prevention should be judged on post-install behaviour, not just pre-install checks

• Fintech is a real opportunity for rewarded UA, but onboarding simplicity determines whether it works

Rewarded UA Adoption in 2026: How Mature Is the Channel Really?

In short: Adoption is outpacing operational maturity. Studios that hesitate usually do so because their prior UA data comes from traditional channels, not because rewarded doesn't work. The ones who trust their partner's event adjustments early see the biggest gains.

Rewarded UA adoption has grown significantly over the last few years. 

Does the level of maturity you see across studios match the growth in adoption, or are most still figuring out how to run it properly?

Most studios that come across rewarded UA for the first time, alongside the many challenges that come with mapping the right events to ensure a good user experience, end up being looped into this circle once they see the high conversion rate and retention rate the model generates, thanks to its focus on long-term engagement.

One sign of how established the channel has become is the growth of the sector itself, both in terms of mix, with more and more competitors now part of it, and in terms of ranking position year over year, in both quality and efficiency. Some partners have already recognised the quality we can offer, while others are still a bit behind on this front.

Many partners have also moved to adopting a purely rewarded UA inventory, which reflects a broader shift in how UA itself is approached, one that goes beyond the single install and toward the quality and behaviour of the user acquired.

That said, the challenge really depends on each studio and its own approach to UA. As an AM, it can sometimes be difficult to guide a publisher toward the structure and adjustments needed, since the data they've gathered on UA up to that point has come from traditional sources. But once they see the results rewarded actually delivers, it becomes part of their mix. Delays can happen, and a bit of scepticism can arise too, but that varies from person to person. 

The partners who've seen the biggest gains with us have generally been the ones who trusted our adjustments early on rather than second-guessing them.

That gap is worth watching, as this alternative source type has stopped being a niche and become a relevant player in the UA industry.

Why Do Users Churn After Rewards Stop?

In short: It's rarely the platform or the game. It's the event setup. Static events need constant manual remapping and eventually cause churn spikes. Recurring events adapt to each user automatically and keep working even after content updates.

The most common worry studios have about rewarded UA is users churning once rewards stop. Is that a platform problem, a game design problem, or a strategy problem? Where does the failure actually sit?

The event setup matters most in Rewarded UA

In our experience, this mostly comes down to the setup we receive on the partner side, not the platform itself or the app we redirect our users to. What sets us apart is that we don't just take that setup at face value, we give input and feedback on it upfront. We prioritise a good event setup before a campaign launch, if that ensures that we will deliver the strong user engagement that partners expect from us.

That starts with understanding the basics of the experience itself: how many events can a user actually complete in their first moments in the app, and how intuitive is that action to complete. Sometimes it's on us to do a first-hand check ourselves, so we genuinely understand the user behaviour and the intuitiveness behind the actions we're rewarding users for, strictly based around progression funnels.

The real fix, though, is recurring events. If a partner shares a recurring event with us instead of a static one, our algorithm can build a custom progression funnel around each user's individual engagement level, mapping events in real time to keep players as engaged as possible. This is a big advantage on our end too, since it needs no extra adjustments from the publisher's UA or tech team once it's integrated. Static events, by contrast, need to be manually remapped over time to prevent churn spikes, which causes delays. A recurring event keeps rewarding users all the way to the end of the game, or until that action maxes out, and even survives content updates: if an update adds 100 more levels, that same event structure just pushes the user through those 100 levels too.

So the failure rarely sits with the platform or the game design in isolation, it sits in how the event structure is set up from the start, and that's exactly where we focus our input.

What are the Most Expensive Mistake Studios Make With Rewarded UA?

In short: Expecting rewarded users to behave exactly like traditional UA users from day one, then writing off the channel when they don't. The real culprit is usually a progression event that's mapped too rarely.

What is the most expensive mistake you see studios make when they set up their first rewarded campaign?

Rewarded UA Users are Not Like Traditional Users

I think the most expensive mistake is going in with the wrong expectations. Some studios expect rewarded users to look identical to traditional sources from day one, and when they don't, they assume the channel isn't working.

In reality, different acquisition channels often produce different user journeys. The important question isn't whether rewarded users behave exactly the same as every other cohort, but whether they're becoming engaged, retained, and valuable over time. Studios that focus too narrowly on comparing early metrics can miss the bigger picture.

That expectation gap often shows up in the setup itself, most commonly through mapping out the wrong progression event, one that simply doesn't fire frequently enough. This ends up shaping the entire user journey, since an event that's too rare leaves too much dead time between rewards and gives users too many chances to drop off before the next one lands.

How does Game Design Affect Rewarded UA Performance?

In short: A lot. If a player can't reach level 2 within the first minute or two, no amount of traffic quality fixes that. Gamelight will sometimes recommend a partner promote a different title if the progression isn't intuitive enough.

How much does game design affect rewarded UA performance? What does a game need to have in place before a rewarded campaign can actually deliver?

Game Design Does Impact Performance of Rewarded UA

At Gamelight, we put a lot of work into our own UI, and we understand how small details can make users feel more satisfied once they reach a goal, but that same input can only go so far when the underlying level design doesn't support it.

Take something as simple as going from level 1 to level 2: how far away is that milestone, and what does the user actually need to do to get there? If that happens within the first minute or two, performance is usually strong. If it doesn't, no amount of traffic quality can really fix that.

The checkup we do on our end helps us get inside that thinking process before a campaign launches, and there have been cases where we've suggested swapping the game entirely, because the action or progression simply wasn't intuitive enough to build a campaign around. It's not a call we take lightly, but it ends up benefiting the partner, our users, and the relationship overall by shifting focus onto a different title instead.

So game design is absolutely central, and rewarded UA just exposes how solid the early game experience is.

What to Ask Rewarded UA Partners About Fraud?

In short: Don't just ask about pre-install fraud prevention. Ask what happens after the install: how post-install behaviour is monitored and how genuine engagement is separated from users chasing the minimum reward.

Fraud is one of the more persistent concerns studios raise about rewarded traffic. What should studios be asking their rewarded partners about how they handle it?

The Industry focused on the wrong fraud questions

In my opinion the industry sometimes focuses on the wrong fraud questions. 

Ten years ago the conversation was mostly about fake installs and click manipulation. 

Today, the more important question is whether platforms can distinguish between users who are genuinely interested in a game and users who are only completing the minimum actions required to earn rewards.

Studios should be asking what happens after the install. 

• What signals are being monitored? 

• How is user quality validated over time? 

• How are suspicious engagement patterns identified? 

A partner that only talks about pre-install fraud prevention is giving you half the picture. The real value comes from understanding whether acquired users are behaving like actual players days and weeks after installation.

Where is Rewarded UA Headed?

Non-gaming verticals are starting to show up in the rewarded conversation, fintech in particular. Is that a real opportunity or is it still too early?

Rewarded UA in Gaming is Not the Same as Rewarded UA in other verticals

It's a real opportunity, but it's not as straightforward as simply taking what works in gaming and applying it elsewhere.

Gaming is naturally suited to rewarded user acquisition because users already understand the concept of completing an action in exchange for a reward. In non-gaming verticals, like fintech, the challenge is different. You're often asking users to trust a product, complete registration steps, verify information, or change existing financial habits. That's a much bigger commitment than downloading and trying a game.

Fintech is one of the more promising non-gaming categories because the economics can support it. A valuable user can be worth significantly more over time, which gives advertisers room to invest in acquisition if the quality is there.

The key question isn't whether rewarded UA can drive installs for fintech apps. The question is whether those users activate and remain engaged once the reward is gone. For products with a simple onboarding flow and a clear value proposition, I think there's significant potential.

What Will Rewarded UA Look Like Two Years From Now?

In short: Continued expansion beyond gaming into fintech, entertainment, and other consumer apps, with bigger budgets and more companies treating rewarded as a mainstream UA channel rather than a niche tactic.

What do you think rewarded UA looks like in two years?

Rewarded UA Will Move Beyond Gaming

I think one of the biggest changes we'll see is the continued expansion of rewarded UA beyond gaming. Gaming will always be at the center of the ecosystem, but we're already seeing growing interest from categories like fintech, entertainment, and other consumer apps.

As more advertisers discover the potential of rewarded user acquisition, I expect the market to become much broader than it is today. We'll see more app categories, larger budgets, and a much wider range of companies incorporating rewarded UA into their growth strategies.

That's probably the clearest sign of where the industry is heading: rewarded acquisition evolving from a gaming-focused channel into a mainstream user acquisition strategy across the app economy.

What Makes Gamelight Different From Other Rewarded UA Platforms?

In short: Flexibility over fixed templates, real-time behavioural targeting instead of treating every install the same, and a UX-first approach designed for deeper engagement, not just the initial install.

Gamelight is often cited as the largest rewarded UA platform globally. What does Gamelight do differently from other rewarded platforms that produces better retention outcomes for partners?

A lot of it comes down to freedom and open communication. We don't force partners into a fixed setup, instead we offer a range of options and variations that can be implemented in real time and show immediate results, so partners stay in control of how the channel fits their game rather than being locked into a one-size-fits-all structure. 

Those options are also tailored to whatever outcome each partner actually needs, whether that's visibility, retention, user quality, or ROAS, and partners are encouraged to test the adjustments that matter most to them, so nothing gets left in a loophole or forgotten about.

That flexibility on the partner side is matched by a lot of work on ours. We put a strong emphasis on understanding who the user is before they even enter the app, with our algorithm reading behaviour and adjusting targeting in real time rather than treating every install the same. That's something we've worked hard on over the years, both technically and in how we position ourselves, precisely to move away from being seen as just another offer wall, and it shows in the outcomes partners get.

User experience sits at the centre of all this too. A lot of what we build is designed to give users genuine stimulus within the experience, so the end goal is always deeper engagement with our partners' titles rather than just a one-off install. It's also a model that doesn't stop at gaming, we're seeing real success applying the same principles beyond it, which says a lot about how transferable this focus on engagement really is.

Ultimately, their success is our success, and that alignment is what shapes the retention outcomes partners see with us.

PS If you love this interview, you might also appreciate our interview with Janette D’Alession on UA Funding.

Rewarded UA Readiness Checklist

Before launching a rewarded UA campaign, use this Rewarded UA Checklist based on what Oli covers above:

• Map recurring events, not static ones. A recurring event adapts to each user's progression automatically and survives content updates. A static event needs manual remapping over time, which causes churn spikes.

• Test your level 1 to level 2 speed. If a player can't reach that milestone within the first minute or two, traffic quality alone won't fix performance.

• Set expectations before launch, not after. Rewarded users won't look identical to traditional UA users on day one. Judge success on engagement and retention over time, not early comparisons.

• Ask your partner about post-install behaviour, not just pre-install fraud checks. What signals do they monitor after the install, and how do they separate genuine players from reward-chasers?

• Confirm your progression events fire often enough. An event that's too rare leaves too much dead time between rewards and gives users too many chances to drop off.

• For fintech and non-gaming apps, audit onboarding first. Rewarded UA works best when the value proposition is clear and the onboarding flow is simple. If registration or verification is heavy, fix that before testing the channel.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rewarded UA

What is rewarded UA?

Rewarded UA is a user acquisition model where users receive an in-app reward, like virtual currency or in-game items, for completing specific actions after installing an app. Instead of paying purely for the install, advertisers pay based on engagement, which tends to bring in users who stick around longer.

Why do rewarded UA users churn once the reward stops?

It usually comes down to how the event structure was set up in the first place, not the platform or the game itself. Static events that don't get remapped over time create churn spikes, while recurring events keep adapting to each user's own progression and hold engagement for longer.

How should studios evaluate a rewarded UA partner on fraud?

Ask what happens after the install, not just before it. Pre-install fraud checks only tell half the story. The stronger signal is whether a partner can show that acquired users are behaving like genuine players days and weeks later.

About Oliviero Camilleri

With a genuine love for video games and marketing, Oliviero is a sharp thinker who's always eager to learn more in the field. He's particularly fascinated by AI and how it can shape user acquisition in the future.

As an Account Manager at Gamelight, Oliviero works with leading mobile game publishers and developers to build long-term partnerships and drive sustainable growth through rewarded user acquisition.

Outside of work, Oliviero finds joy in practising yoga, rock climbing, and experimenting in the kitchen. He's also an avid gamer, whether on his PS5 or smartphone, always keen to try out new titles he encounters during his work hours.