This article focuses on analyzing the key trends in the field of mobile gaming during the year 2024. Through the collection and analysis of relevant data, we aim to provide a detailed overview of the evolution of this industry, highlighting significant changes, areas of growth, and emerging challenges. Special thanks to Mariusz Gąsiewski for sharing the graphics.
One of the most notable observations is the steady growth of gamer consumers worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the mobile gaming segment. With the exception of the African continent, where smartphone penetration is still low in many countries, there is a significant increase in the adoption of mobile devices for gaming in both Western and Eastern regions. This phenomenon suggests a greater integration of mobile video games into people's daily lives on a global scale.
The report points out that, among the different gaming platforms (consoles, PC, and mobile), mobile gaming has experienced the most notable growth in terms of users in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue in the near future. This growth, especially highlighted in diverse emerging markets, contrasts with the stagnation or limited growth observed in countries where technology is highly developed, such as Japan and South Korea. In countries like Brazil, Turkey, and the Philippines, countries with large populations, significantly higher growth rates are recorded, with the latter, with over 100 million inhabitants, being a standout case where games like Axie Infinity have transformed entire communities by generating income through mobile gaming.
The report highlights a constant increase in downloads of mobile applications and games since 2015, attributed largely to the global accessibility of smartphones, improvements in device hardware, and the growing supply of mobile games. This increase is reflected in the continued interest and participation of users in the mobile gaming sphere.
Regarding Android and iOS, different trends are observed. It seems that the worst of the last 3-4 years has passed for Android. Signs of recovery in terms of revenue are shown after a period of stagnation, although in terms of downloads, we still observe slight negative growth (2%).
On the other hand, iOS experiences slower growth, especially in revenue. This latter phenomenon may be attributed to the competition from other game and app distribution platforms, such as Steam, which could be diverting some of the traffic from iOS to other alternatives.
It is worth mentioning that the results improve if we do not consider China, leading to positive growth in both users and revenue in iOS.
Despite representing approximately 85% of total game downloads, Android only contributes 41% to total mobile gaming revenue, while iOS, including China, accounts for almost 60% of revenue. This disparity highlights the importance of the iOS market, especially in terms of revenue generation for mobile game developers and publishers.
Between 2022 and 2024, it is no coincidence that the three types of mobile games that have experienced the highest revenue growth, with over 30%, are board games, family games, and casual games. As you can see, these are Laurel Gaming typology games, social and easy to play. Board games stand out as number one with revenue growth of over 80% and 15% in users. All on iOS.
If we only focus on types of games on Android, again, it is no coincidence that the games that grow the most in revenue are games that fit perfectly with Laurel Gaming: board games, trivia, and educational games. In users, the types of games that grow the most on Android are: card games, word games, and trivia again.
Advertising investment in the In-App advertising market in games is projected to reach $300 billion in 2024, with approximately 30% directed towards mobile gaming ads.
As we already know, the ways to monetize mobile apps and games are varied. We are in a moment where various ways of monetizing users are combined with hybrid models (IAP vs ADS). In this interesting graph, we see the percentage of revenue on the total in a game being charged to ads. Puzzle games and hyper-casual games largely relying on ads to generate revenue.
At Laurel Gaming, we study the market and listen to our users to ensure a user experience that is not hindered in any way by unwanted content or ads in contexts that may disrupt their gaming and entertainment experience.
In conclusion, more and more people are playing mobile games and will continue to do so in the future. As this industry continues to expand globally, a greater diversification in types of games, monetization models, and advertising strategies is expected. As we can see, apps like Laurel Gaming, where we offer casual, fun, and competitive games, can attract many users and create a large social gaming community.
Laurel Gaming is committed to adapting to these emerging trends and ensuring an optimal user experience for all players, prioritizing quality and user satisfaction at all times.
