Monthly Game Industry Report: January 2023

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Kwalee reported over 200 million downloads across all titles in 2022, with a 12% year-over-year revenue increase.See it on page 7
02
China's NPPA granted licenses to 45 international games after 18 months, a lower number than the 76 companies granted licenses in the last bulk grant in 2021.See it on page 9
03
MarketsandMarkets projects the global blockchain gaming market to reach $65.7 billion by 2027, growing from a current size of $4.6 billion at a CAGR of 70.3%.See it on page 27
04
Research and Markets expects the subscription-based gaming market to reach $56 billion by 2031, up from $17 billion in 2021.See it on page 26
05
Appodeal reports the USA led Android full-screen ad eCPM in the 2023 holiday season at $12.42, followed by Australia at 9.79 and Canada at 8.83.See it on page 19
06
Zebedee's survey found the share of gamers owning crypto assets rises with weekly play time, from 32% for under 4 hours to 60% for 15 or more hours.See it on page 23

Summary

The document is the January 2023 Monthly Mobile Game Industry Report, a compilation of game-industry news items, each with a short summary, drawn from multiple sources across games and apps, investments, market research, and financial reports. Coverage spans developer and publisher results, funding rounds, regulatory developments in China, and market forecasts from third-party research firms. Several items reference the period around the 2023 holiday season and forecasts through 2027 and 2031.

In games and apps, Kwalee reported over 200 million downloads across all titles in 2022, with a 12% year-over-year revenue increase and 258 new hyper-casual concepts tested. Hypermonk's Drift 2 Drag passed 2 million downloads. China's NPPA granted licenses to 45 international games after 18 months, with the report noting a 2021 bulk grant of 76 companies and earlier grants of 97 in 2020 and 180 in 2019.

Investment items include Roboto Games' $15M round led by Andreessen Horowitz, Midnight's $7.5M launch round led by Shima Capital, and Dogami's $14M seed round led by XAnge. Animoca Brands acquired a majority stake in Pixelynx, and Mars Labs received $1 million from DWF Labs.

Market research and forecasts cover Appodeal's holiday 2023 ad data, in which the USA led Android full-screen ad eCPM at $12.42. Third-party projections include the blockchain gaming market reaching $65.7 billion by 2027 from a $4.6 billion base, and the subscription-based gaming market reaching $56 billion by 2031.