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The State of Mobile Game and App Markets: Global Report on App Marketing for H1 2022
1 Jan 202242 pages~49 min full read
App Store search accounted for 64.7% of all mobile app installs in H1 2022, cementing search visibility and ASO as the primary acquisition drivers.
The mobile ecosystem experienced a contraction in mature regions, evidenced by a 6.2% year-over-year decline in advertisers and a 27% drop in total creatives.
Tier-2/3 markets, specifically Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, bucked the global trend with a 37% year-over-year increase in advertiser counts.
Marketers pivoted from high-volume creative strategies to high-quality, UGC-style content, resulting in a 27.8% year-over-year reduction in total mobile game creatives to 15.8 million.
Publishers increasingly adopted machine-learning-powered tools, including predictive analytics and the SKAdNetwork 4.0 framework, to mitigate rising CPI and improve IAP-ROAS measurement.
Performance-driven optimization models, specifically cost-per-play (CPP) and in-app-purchase-return-on-ad-spend (IAP-ROAS), became the standard for managing campaign efficiency in H1 2022.
**Document Title:** *The State of Mobile Game and App Markets: H1 2022*
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## Executive Overview
- **Market Contraction, but Not Uniform:** - Overall mobile‑app and game ecosystem shrank – 6.2 % YoY drop in the number of advertisers and a 27 % decline in total creatives. - The contraction was **regional**: Europe, North America, and Oceania bore the brunt, while **Tier‑2/3 markets** (especially Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) surged – advertiser counts rose **37 % YoY**.
- **Creative Strategy Shift:** - Marketers moved away from “quantity‑over‑quality” to **higher‑quality, user‑generated‑content (UGC)‑style creatives**. - This pivot drove a **27.8 % YoY reduction** in total mobile‑game creatives (down to **15.8 M**), while the advertiser base remained relatively stable (≈ 45.1 K).
- **Performance‑Driven Campaigns:** - Adoption of **cost‑per‑play (CPP)** and **in‑app‑purchase‑return‑on‑ad‑spend (IAP‑ROAS)** optimization grew sharply. - **Machine‑learning‑powered** tools—predictive analytics, automated bidding, and the new **SKAdNetwork 4.0** attribution framework for iOS—helped offset rising **cost‑per‑install (CPI)** pressures and improve early‑stage ROI measurement.
- **App‑Store Search Dominance:** - **64.7 %** of all app installs in H1 2022 originated from **App Store search**. - Consequently, publishers and marketers doubled‑down on **App Store Optimization (ASO)** and **Apple Search Ads**, treating search visibility as a primary acquisition channel.
- **Growth Outlook:** - Future expansion is expected to be **driven by emerging markets** (Tier‑2/3 regions) and **increased reliance on AI/ML‑based campaign automation**. - Continued investment in **high‑impact, UGC‑styled creatives** and **search‑centric acquisition** will be critical to sustain performance as CPI trends upward.
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## Section‑by‑Section Highlights
| Section | Core Findings | |---------|----------------| | **1 – Market Landscape** | • 6.2 % YoY decline in advertisers; 27 % drop in creatives.<br>• Steepest losses in Europe, NA, Oceania.<br>• 37 % YoY advertiser surge in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan (Tier‑2/3).<br>• Shift to higher‑quality, UGC‑style creatives and predictive‑analytics‑driven campaigns (incl. SKAdNetwork 4.0). | | **2 – Creative & Optimization Trends** | • 27.8 % YoY reduction in total mobile‑game creatives → 15.8 M.<br>• Advertiser count stable at ~45.1 K.<br>• Widespread adoption of **CPP** and **I
