If you are looking to get your island in front of eyes immediately when the feature goes live, the clock is ticking. While the Sponsored Row itself appears in the Discover UI on November 21, 2025, creators must submit their first campaign proposal by November 19 to be eligible for that launch window.
Buying the Spotlight
This update shifts the meta for island promotion. We aren't just relying on the algorithm's mysterious favor anymore; we are moving into paid user acquisition. The new tools in the Creator Portal allow you to access market data, manage bids, and monitor performance metrics like CPM (Cost Per Mille) and click-through rates.
Essentially, you are bidding against other creators for prime real estate. It adds a layer of strategy outside the game engine—you need to build a great game, but now you also need to know how to market it effectively.
Where does the ad revenue go?
Epic is taking an interesting approach with the cash flow here. They aren't just pocketing the ad spend. According to the announcement, 50% of the revenue generated by Sponsored Row will eventually go into the engagement payout pool. However, to kickstart the ecosystem, they are boosting that number to 100% through the end of 2026.
This means the money creators spend on ads is theoretically cycling back into the community pot, potentially increasing the payouts for high-engagement islands. It creates a loop where reinvesting your earnings into visibility could pay off double if your retention metrics hold up.
Platform Restrictions and Audience
Before you dump your entire budget into a campaign, you need to know who will actually see it. The Sponsored Row has significant visibility limitations:
- No Switch or Cloud: The row will not appear on Nintendo Switch or cloud-streaming services.
- Age Gated: It is not visible to players under 18 years old.
This segmentation matters. If your game is built specifically for the younger demographic or optimized heavily for Switch performance, paid sponsorship might not offer the ROI you expect compared to organic discovery. Check the Creator Portal now to set up your bids if you plan to be part of the November 21 rollout.