The analytical platform AppMetrica told the news media App2Top that between December 28 and January 8, there were "60 million anonymized identifiers" recorded in games within Russia.
By such identifiers, the platform refers to "identifiers assigned to a user’s device." These are unique gadgets—smartphones and tablets. AppMetrica emphasizes that they "do not equate the number of identifiers to the number of people."
However, according to the editorial team, this figure provides some insight into how many residents of Russia could be considered mobile gamers. Moreover, it indicates that the estimate by TelecomDaily, suggesting the Russian mobile gaming audience will reach 35 million people only by 2027, is quite conservative.
A representative of the platform also shared data with the editorial team about the average spending of Russians in mobile games during the New Year holidays. For instance, the average check in strategy games almost reached 3,000 rubles.
In addition, AppMetrica noted that:
- during the holidays, there was an increase in the number of mobile gamers making in-app purchases: for example, the paying audience in puzzle games grew by 36%, and in adventure games by 24%;
- during the holiday period, Russian gamers spent an average of more than 2 hours in mobile games;
- each session of every second domestic mobile player lasted at least 10 minutes (16% more than on weekdays);
- every second player entered mobile games at least once during the reporting period, more than a third played for 2 to 5 days, and 15%—almost the entire or entire period;
- the most popular genre in Russia during the holidays was Action games, with 24% of the audience playing them.