Mobile gaming on track to cross US$120b in 2021: report | WARC | The Feed

Mobile gaming on track to cross US$120b in 2021: report

As the world enters a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the “2021 Mobile Gaming Tear Down: Key Trends on Subgenres, Monetization & User Acquisition” report by mobile data and analytics company App Annie offers insights into the mobile gaming industry worldwide.

Why it matters

The spike in demand for mobile games at the beginning of the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, with consumers spending more money on them as more move their gaming, and spending, onto mobile.

Five findings

• The spike in demand for mobile games since the pandemic started is not slowing down; weekly game downloads passed one billion in March 2020 and remain at that level.
• Consumers also spent more money on mobile games in the first half of 2021 – US$1.7 billion per week or a 40% increase versus pre-pandemic levels.
• Consumers are moving their gaming and spending onto mobile; H1 2021 had over 810 games surpassing US$1m in consumer spend each month, a 25% increase versus 2019.
• Asia is the only region where there are more male than female gamers on mobile: Japan (56% male) and South Korea (53% male).
• China is steadily growing its share of the global gaming market, surpassing the USA in size of consumer spend in some AMER and EMEA markets for the first time.

Quote

“Mobile gaming has seen huge growth over the past year, creating massive opportunities in the space. As consumer preferences in subgenres continue to evolve rapidly, it’s more crucial than ever to have a finger on the pulse of what’s trending.” – Sam Yang, SVP global field operations, App Annie