AdDuplex has launched a new ad monetization program for Windows developers, citing a lack of monetization options for apps and games on the UWP platform.

The invite-only program has been operating on select apps for a few months now, Windows Central reports, and AdDuplex is now offering developers the opportunity to join through an application process.

AdDuplex was originally founded as a cross-promotion network for Windows Store apps and games, allowing developers to build their user base by running free ads for each others’ products, under the slogan “advertise before you monetize.”

But the company recently began to look at the other side of the equation, writes founder Alan Mendelevich in a blog post, concluding that the dearth of ad monetization options is “a problem for those trying to make money in the Store.”

Developers trying to make money in other ways, such as in-app purchases, also ran into the challenge that “there’s just no way to do user acquisition at scale on Windows,” writes Mendelevich, who has published a detailed critique of what he sees as Microsoft’s failure to help nurture good apps in the Windows 10 ecosystem.

AdDuplex says the new monetization program has brought in revenues of thousands of dollars per month for most developers using it.

Here are the criteria to apply:

  • Apps and games capable of showing 10,000+ ad impressions daily. The reason is simple – we want you to make at least few hundred dollars a month. We realize that you may have several smaller apps, so this criteria is not set in stone.

  • No “gray area” content. Some of the most popular apps, unfortunately, balance on the edge of legality and quite often cross over it. Advertisers don’t want to advertise there. We will not go deep analyzing whether what you do is legal or not, but if it feels questionable we will have to pass this time.

  • Good ad placement. This is subjective and you may not be showing ads right now at all, but we would like to provide value to advertisers, so they are happy to continue generating revenue for you.

  • Windows Phone 8 or Windows 10 (both Mobile and Desktop). As we want you to make money, we need to be realistic – there isn’t much demand on WP7 or Windows 8.x on the desktop.

More information is here.