In March, new game subcategories appeared on Google Play. Distimo decided to find out how these changes affected app downloads and revenue.
So, until March 18, there were only six subcategories in the official Android app store: Arcade & Action, Brain & Puzzle, Cards & Casino, Casual, Racing and Sports.
Now there are much more of them – as many as 18 pieces.
Impact on downloadsIn February 2014, most of the downloads within the Games category were in the Arcade & Action, Casual, and Brain & Puzzle subcategories.
Google Play, global downloads, February 2014In April, of course, the situation in connection with the change of subcategories has changed radically.
Google Play, Global downloads, April 2014The dominance of games from the Casual category (with a significant loss in share) is explained by the distribution of projects previously belonging to other popular subcategories according to the new genres proposed by Google.
Impact on incomeIn February 2014, most of the revenue also came from the Arcade & Action, Casual, and Brain & Puzzle subcategories.
Google Play, Global Revenue, February 2014In April, the situation changed, but in a completely different way than it happened with downloads.
The dominant income sub-category turned out to be Role Playing. Considering that most Japanese butlers belong to this particular subcategory, there is nothing to be surprised at.
Google Play, Global Revenue, April 2014Impact on the turnover of the category of games in Google Play
The introduction of new subcategories in two months increased the revenue of the gaming category by 15%.
The last comparable jump was last observed in December 2013.
Revenue dynamics of the Google Play gaming category (January 2013 – April 2014)Impact on developer revenue
Additional segmentation of games had an expected effect on improving the visibility of applications.
Two things played out here. Firstly, users have the opportunity to choose exactly what they want. Secondly, there is more space in the window. This allowed a number of applications to get into the tops.
The distribution from the old subcategories to the new ones was as follows:
The emergence of the Family subcategory has led to the fact that a number of applications have left Casual. This had a positive effect on their performance.
A source: http://www.distimo.com/