Gaming on mobile devices is a huge market that generated 116 billion dollars globally in 2021, a value that includes both microtransactions, in-app purchases, and the purchase of video games on iOS and Android. AppsFlyer published it State of Gaming App Marketing 2022, an in-depth study on current trends in this lucrative sector.
The report looks at Casual gaming applications such as puzzles, educational, trivia and sports; Midcore, adventures, simulations, racing games; Hardcore like strategy or role-playing games; Social Casino without the use of real money and the Hyper Casual genre, applications with at least 90% of the revenue coming from advertisements. In Italy, gaming applications recorded an overall annual increase in installations 36% on iOS and 9% on Android compared to the 2020 quarter.
Video games
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The total number of game app installs on Android grew by 22%. A considerable result that has been able to capitalize on the installation peaks of the first lockdowns. The data shows that the pandemic played a key role in popularizing the video game on mobile devices in the population, and that as restrictions loosened many existing users continued to play. The expenditure of sector operators to acquire users it reached 14.5 billion dollars in 2021, with the United States attracting half of the global budget. Recent privacy changes led to a 13% drop from the previous year on iOS, while Android increased 35%, resulting in an 18% increase in overall user acquisition spend.
With the iOS operating system update of April 26, 2021, user consent to track ads is managed through the AppTrackingTransparency (Att) system. App developers, including game ones, even free-to-play such as Candy Crush, for Apple devices are required to use Att if their application collect user data and shares them with third parties for tracking purposes across apps and websites. In addition to the decline in user acquisition spending, the introduction of the ATT led to a 6% decrease the number of total installs of gaming apps on Apple devices. Installation numbers in the industry declined primarily due to a decline in marketing-driven installations.
Tech Test
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The reduction on iOS systems, in stark contrast to the significant 22% growth of Android, highlights the mobile gaming industry’s reliance on user data. The criticality is also highlighted by the 21% and 25% increase in non-gaming applications installed for both platforms. In-app purchases in the gaming sector have fallen by as much as 35% since the introduction of the ATT. If you look at the Android system devices they remained constant, registering a 10% increase at the end of 2021. The massive deterrence of smartphones and the abundant offer of mobile game content of all genres and for all types of users, has made this type of entertainment is an extremely profitable business, but the AppsFlyer study also highlights its criticalities.
Apple’s privacy tightening impacted downloads and overall revenue significantly. Today the real challenge for those operating in the sector is to find a balance to monetize while respecting the privacy of player data.
Videogame
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