Analytical companies Newzoo and Apptopia have prepared a report on the mobile gaming market. They estimated that by the end of the year, the market’s revenue will surpass the $90 billion milestone for the first time, with more than half of the amount going to Android stores. Nevertheless, the segment will face a number of problems.
Main figures
- In total, the mobile games market will earn $90.7 billion in 2021 – 4.4% more than last year. The segment will continue to grow further. Its revenue is expected to reach $116.4 billion by the end of 2024.
- China will become the leader in mobile revenue — it will account for 34.5% of the total market revenue ($31.3 billion). The second place will go to the USA -16.2% or $ 14.7 billion. Japan will close the top three -13.6% or $12.4 billion.
- As for stores, 45.3% of the market revenue ($41.1 billion) will be brought by the App Store. For another 54.6% ($49.6 billion), Android app stores will be responsible: of these, $28.2 billion will be on Google Play.
- This time, Newzoo and Apptopia did not mention how many mobile gamers there will be around the world. Instead, they indicated that by the end of 2021, 3.9 billion people will be actively using smartphones – an increase of 6.1% in annual terms. Over half of the audience (56%) will come from the Asia-Pacific region.
Events that will have an impact on mobile
- The court’s decision in the case of Epic Games and Apple. Recall, the court ruled that Apple is obliged to allow developers to add links to other payment methods to applications. Although the verdict concerns only the United States, analysts believe that Apple will be forced to redesign its ecosystem around the world, so it will not have to “balance between the rules of different countries.” As a result, developers will be able to save on the commission in the store, although they will still have to spend seriously. Marketing to convince gamers to make purchases not in the app itself, but on the game’s website. As well as the creation and support of a reliable payment system. At the moment, only large companies have such an opportunity, analysts say.
- Changing the privacy policy on iOS. In April, Apple essentially banned the IDFA advertising identifier on its platform. As a result, developers had to ask users for permission to collect their personal information. To keep the ability to collect data, developers have to use as many advertising networks as possible. In addition, against the background of this change, many games have started using hybrid monetization. All this also affects the income of the market.
To view the full version of the report, follow the link.