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Quarterly Transition by Business Segment

CyberAgent’s financial performance for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 demonstrates a significant recovery in profitability compared to the same period in the previous year. Total net sales reached 193.07 billion yen, representing a year-over-year increase from the 167.57 billion yen recorded in the first quarter of 2023. Most notably, the consolidated operating income swung from a loss of 1.25 billion yen in the prior year’s first quarter to a profit of 6.28 billion yen, signaling a stabilized financial trajectory across the company’s diverse business segments. The Internet Advertisement Business remains the primary revenue driver, contributing 105.32 billion yen in sales and 5.66 billion yen in operating profit during the first quarter. While the Media Business continues to operate at a loss, its performance has improved substantially; the segment reduced its operating loss from 9.35 billion yen in the first quarter of 2023 to just 991 million yen in the current period. This improvement is reflected in the operating profit margin for the Media segment, which narrowed from negative 27.9 percent to negative 2.3 percent. The Game Business experienced a moderate increase in revenue, posting 45.04 billion yen for the quarter compared to 40.91 billion yen a year earlier. However, the segment's operating profit of 3.49 billion yen and margin of 7.8 percent represent a decline from the 5.21 billion yen and 12.7 percent margin seen in the first quarter of 2023. Despite this contraction in game-related margins, the overall corporate performance was bolstered by the Investment Development and Other Business segments, both of which remained profitable. The data covers the Japanese market and reflects the transition from the full fiscal year 2023 through the initial quarter of 2024.

market-analysis advertising investment+1

CyberAgentFeb 2026

Report

2026 Predictions: Trends in Gen AI, Gaming & Digital Ad Spend

The forecast outlines how generative‑AI, short‑form video and evolving ad formats will reshape the digital economy by 2026. It argues that AI‑driven applications will move from a niche category to a core revenue engine, rivaling traditional paid‑media traffic and reshaping user‑acquisition dynamics across mobile, web and gaming. The analysis draws on Sensor Tower’s app‑store, advertising and web‑traffic datasets, applying its App IQ and Game IQ taxonomies to the top publishers, the 1,000 most‑visited U.S. sites and the leading Steam releases, with historical data through December 2025 and forward projections to 2026. Generative‑AI apps are projected to generate more than $10 billion in worldwide in‑app‑purchase revenue, achieve 7.2 billion downloads and capture 43 billion hours of usage in 2026—an 82 % year‑over‑year increase that will place the genre among the top five for downloads, revenue and engagement. Short‑drama vertical video is forecast to overtake traditional OTT streaming in download volume, securing roughly 80 % of downloads and closing the IAP gap to 20 % of OTT’s share, driven by rapid adoption in markets such as India, Indonesia and Brazil. Meanwhile, U.S. digital ad spend will total $20 billion, with image‑based creatives outpacing video growth (35 % versus 15 % YoY) as social platforms, especially Meta’s Reels, shift budgets toward static formats. On the web, generative‑AI traffic will surpass paid sources on more than half of the top 1,000 U.S. sites by the end of 2026, up from 37 % in late 2025,

market-forecast ai advertising+1

Sensor TowerJan 2026

Report

State of Digital Advertising India 2026

The analysis presents a comprehensive overview of India’s digital‑advertising landscape, emphasizing its rapid expansion and the shifting strategic focus of advertisers. In 2025 the market surpassed the $4 billion threshold and is projected to exceed $5 billion in 2026, reflecting robust demand across multiple verticals. Shopping emerged as the dominant category, accounting for 28 % of total spend and delivering an 18 % year‑on‑year increase, while software recorded the strongest growth rate at 84 % YoY. Food‑and‑dining services and automotive sectors also posted notable gains of 38 % and 4 % respectively, underscoring a diversified expansion beyond traditional e‑commerce. The competitive environment is concentrated among a handful of large advertisers, with Flipkart, Amazon and Reliance leading in impression share. A clear strategic shift is evident toward performance‑driven, audience‑specific creative, as brands increasingly deploy tailored messaging to capture high‑yield, short‑duration placements. This trend intensifies during the festive half‑year, when domestic players in generative‑AI services, food‑delivery, and film promotion amplify spend on segment‑focused creatives to maximize visibility. Overall, the findings illustrate that India’s digital‑advertising ecosystem is entering a phase of accelerated growth, driven by both expanding spend in core categories and a pronounced move toward data‑centric, personalized creative execution. The outlook suggests continued market deepening, with advertisers likely to prioritize precision targeting and seasonal intensity to sustain momentum through 2026.

market-analysis advertising marketing+1

Sensor TowerJan 2026

Report

Digital Marketing Index Report: Q4 2025

The analysis evaluates global digital‑marketing dynamics for the final quarter of 2025, emphasizing shifts in channel performance, the rise of generative‑AI as a discovery source, and the concentration of retail‑media reach among dominant platforms. Growth patterns reveal a stark regional divide: India stands alone among the five largest markets as the only one posting positive overall change, while other leading economies recorded declines or stagnation. In the United States, retail‑media impressions expanded 13 percent quarter‑over‑quarter to reach 123 billion, with Amazon accounting for the entire volume and delivering more than six times the impressions generated by Walmart. This concentration underscores Amazon’s expanding role as the primary conduit for retail‑media exposure in North America. Across the same period, generative‑AI referrals, although still representing less than one percent of total traffic, surged dramatically—up 133 percent year‑over‑year in the United States, United Kingdom and France, and 126 percent in Canada. The rapid acceleration signals that chat‑based assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are emerging as significant discovery engines despite their modest share of overall visits. Conversely, traditional organic search experienced the only decline among major acquisition channels, falling four percent year‑over‑year. Paid advertising, email marketing and other performance‑driven tactics continued to post gains, reinforcing a broader transition toward paid and AI‑augmented pathways for user acquisition. The findings collectively illustrate a digital‑marketing ecosystem increasingly dominated by platform‑centric retail media and AI‑driven referral mechanisms, while legacy search channels lose ground in mature markets.

marketing advertising global+2

Sensor TowerOct 2025

Report

Digital Market Index: Q2 2025

The global digital landscape reached a significant milestone in the second quarter of 2025, as in-app purchase revenue hit a record $40 billion. This period marked a historic structural shift in the mobile economy, with non-gaming applications accounting for 52% of total consumer spending, surpassing mobile games for the first time. While total downloads stabilized at 37 billion, the market displayed clear signs of maturation; gaming downloads contracted by 6.8% year-over-year, while AI-driven productivity tools and short-drama streaming platforms emerged as the primary engines of growth. The United States maintained its position as the premier revenue market at $15 billion, though emerging regions such as Brazil and various African nations are increasingly vital for download volume and monetization expansion. Within the gaming sector, Strategy titles overtook RPGs as the highest-grossing category, achieving a 23% year-over-year increase. However, the most significant individual performance came from ChatGPT, which became the fastest application to reach one billion downloads and secured a position among the top five global revenue earners. This surge in AI utility was mirrored in the advertising sector, where U.S. digital ad spend rose 12% to $34 billion. Major technology firms including Microsoft, Google, and Adobe significantly increased their marketing budgets to promote AI integrations like Copilot, contributing to a landscape where social media maintains a 72.5% share of total ad spend. Retail media has solidified its role as a critical advertising channel, with U.S. impressions rising 29% to 65 billion across various retailers. Despite this broad growth, Amazon remains the undisputed leader in the space, generating nearly 80 billion impressions and outperforming all other tracked retailers combined. These findings are supported by expanded tracking capabilities across key Asian markets and diverse digital channels, though the data specifically excludes certain year-over-year Amazon metrics due to recent tracking implementation. Overall, the quarter reflects a pivot toward high-utility AI applications and a diversifying advertising ecosystem dominated by social and retail platforms.

market-analysis global mobile+1

Sensor TowerAug 2025

Report

Southeast Asia: Mobile Game Market Insights 2025

Southeast Asia solidified its position as the world’s second-largest mobile gaming market by downloads in early 2025, reaching 1.93 billion installs. While the region currently ranks seventh globally in revenue at $625 million, it demonstrates significant monetization potential fueled by expanding digital payment infrastructure and rising smartphone penetration. Indonesia serves as the primary volume driver with 870 million installs, while Thailand leads the region in consumer spending, generating $162 million. This growth is increasingly supported by publishers based in Singapore and Vietnam, who have emerged as a dominant global force, contributing over 5.8 billion installs to the international market through a mix of hypercasual hits and competitive titles. Market dynamics reveal a shift toward high-engagement genres and localized content strategies. Although casual arcade and simulation games drive the highest download volumes, monetization is concentrated in Strategy, MOBA, and RPG segments. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang remains the regional revenue leader, sustained by hyper-local live operations and community engagement. Simultaneously, the 4X Strategy genre is experiencing rapid expansion, highlighted by a 77.7% revenue surge for titles like Last War: Survival. Conversely, traditional MMORPGs have seen a decline of nearly 20%, making way for Open World Adventure RPGs and sophisticated strategy games that leverage deep social and competitive mechanics. The regional landscape is characterized by distinct national preferences and the global expansion of local firms. Vietnam has become a powerhouse for survival-themed hypercasual games, while Thailand shows a unique affinity for realistic sports simulations. Established titles like Garena Free Fire continue to dominate global charts by blending cultural relevance with nostalgic collaborations. Ultimately, the region’s trajectory is defined by a transition from high-volume downloads to sophisticated monetization, driven by a combination of community-led activations and the strategic global influence of Southeast Asian publishers.

market-analysis mobile southeast-asia+3

Sensor TowerJun 2025

Financial

2Q FY2025 Presentation Material

CyberAgent achieved record-high consolidated sales of 217.3 billion yen in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, representing a 1.2% year-on-year increase. This growth was primarily fueled by the Media and Internet Advertisement segments, which offset a 23.4% revenue decline in the Game business. Despite the year-on-year dip in gaming—attributed to a high-base comparison from a major release in the previous year—the segment demonstrated a significant 4.6x quarter-on-quarter profit recovery. Overall operating profit reached 20.8 billion yen, placing the company in a strong position to meet its annual targets, with current earnings already accounting for nearly 70% of the full-year forecast. The strategic focus has shifted toward a high-profit business model that integrates Media and IP segments to create a global ecosystem for intellectual property production and monetization. To stabilize and grow the gaming division, the company is leveraging a pipeline of six upcoming titles, including high-profile projects like Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, while expanding high-margin external payment methods. Furthermore, the aggressive implementation of artificial intelligence remains a core operational priority, evidenced by the launch of an internal AI agent platform designed to enhance advertising effectiveness and internal efficiency. Corporate governance and long-term sustainability are addressed through the CyberAgent Way 2024 framework, which emphasizes succession planning and ESG initiatives. The company maintains a diverse and valuable portfolio of intellectual property, featuring major titles such as Umamusume: Pretty Derby and Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade. While the current financial trajectory remains positive, future performance remains subject to market volatility and the inherent risks of the competitive digital entertainment and advertising landscapes. This balanced approach between established media services and new technological integration defines the current fiscal strategy.

investment marketing advertising+1

CyberAgentMay 2025

Report

Retail Media Playbook: United States

Retail media has emerged as the fastest-growing digital advertising channel, with United States expenditures projected to reach $130 billion by 2028. While established giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Target command the largest share of total investment, emerging platforms such as Uber Eats and Meijer are experiencing triple-digit year-over-year growth. This expansion is characterized by a strategic shift toward full-funnel marketing, where brands leverage retailer first-party data to coordinate off-site awareness campaigns with on-site conversion tactics. Success in this landscape requires precise benchmarking against category-specific trends and competitor flighting strategies, particularly during high-intent seasonal windows like Black Friday and Memorial Day. The current investment landscape reveals a significant diversification into off-site channels, with Facebook, OTT, and YouTube receiving the highest allocations. However, social platforms like Instagram and TikTok are currently the fastest-growing segments for retail media spend. Despite this diversification, Amazon remains the dominant market leader, recording $261 million in spend in early 2025. Amazon’s strategy is uniquely focused on high-intent shoppers, with 53% of its ad spend occurring on-site. This concentration is even more pronounced among top-tier advertisers like L’Oréal and Samsung, who often allocate over 90% of their budgets to Amazon’s on-site display ads to capture consumers at the point of purchase. Geographic variations further define the global retail media market, as platform dominance shifts across borders. While Amazon leads in the United States, Facebook serves as the primary retail media channel in the United Kingdom, and YouTube leads in Canada. Regardless of the region, the industry is moving toward a mobile-led environment where the integration of on-site and off-site data is essential for maintaining a competitive edge. Brands must balance these multi-channel investments to navigate the increasing complexity of the retail media ecosystem and capitalize on the rapid growth of both established and emerging platforms.

market-analysis advertising marketing+1

Sensor TowerApr 2025

Financial

1Q FY2025 Presentation Material: October to December 2024

CyberAgent’s financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, covering October to December 2024, indicate a strong start to the year with consolidated sales reaching 203.8 billion yen, a 5.6% increase year-over-year. Operating income rose significantly by 32.1% to 8.3 billion yen, driven primarily by the improved profitability of the Media & IP segment and steady growth in Internet Advertising. The company has achieved approximately 25% of its full-year sales forecast and 20% of its operating profit target, maintaining a positive trajectory toward its annual goals. The Media & IP business, which now includes the ABEMA streaming platform, saw revenue grow 10.5% to 55.6 billion yen. This segment transitioned to a 1.4 billion yen operating profit, a substantial recovery from previous losses, attributed to the reduction of upfront investment costs for ABEMA and high engagement with anime and combat sports content. The Internet Advertisement business remains the largest revenue contributor, growing 11.8% to 117.7 billion yen through new client acquisitions and AI-driven operational efficiencies. Conversely, the Game business experienced a 15.1% decline in revenue to 38.2 billion yen and a 4.1% dip in profit, as the natural slowdown of older titles offset the performance of newer releases. The medium-to-long-term strategy focuses on evolving the Media & IP segment into a primary profit pillar alongside advertising and gaming. CyberAgent plans to accelerate IP production, evidenced by the January 2025 founding of the anime production company CA Soa, Inc. The gaming pipeline remains active with over six new titles planned for the remainder of the fiscal year, including international versions of major franchises. By leveraging synergies between ABEMA’s distribution reach and internal IP creation, the company aims to build a high-profit business model capable of sustained global growth.

market-analysis investment advertising+1

CyberAgentJan 2025

Report

2025 Global Mobile Game Marketing Insights & Creative Breakdown

The 2025 Global Mobile Game Marketing Insights & Creative Breakdown provides a comprehensive analysis of the mobile advertising landscape, focusing on the evolution of ad creatives across more than 80 countries and 80 ad channels. Utilizing data from SocialPeta and Reforged Labs, the findings cover over 1.6 billion creatives and 10,000 tracked mobile games between January 2024 and October 2025. The primary thesis suggests that the mobile market is experiencing a significant surge in creative volume and a rapid shift toward AI-driven production to combat creative fatigue and rising competition. Key data points indicate that the average monthly creatives per advertiser rose to 123 in 2025, a nearly 20% year-over-year increase. New creatives now account for 58% of total monthly ads, peaking at over 60% in October. Geographically, North America and the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions lead in total creative volume, while Europe maintains the highest refresh rate for new content. From a genre perspective, Strategy Games (SLGs) dominate advertising intensity with 325 monthly creatives per advertiser, while Casino games lead in creative turnover, with new assets making up 65.6% of their monthly output. The analysis highlights a clear platform divide, with Android hosting 77.6% of total creatives compared to 22.4% on iOS. Hard-core games represent the largest share of iOS creatives at 34.7%, whereas light games are more prevalent on Android. Video remains the dominant format, particularly for Puzzle games, where it accounts for 83.5% of ads. Furthermore, the industry has reached a tipping point in automation, with over 90% of advertisers now utilizing AI to generate scenes, characters, or scripts. Case studies of top performers like Royal Match and Monopoly GO! emphasize that successful marketing currently relies on "hook" innovation—such as diegetic sound, tactile satisfaction, and subverting brand expectations—to maintain high return on ad spend in an oversaturated market.

marketing advertising creative-ads+2

SocialPeta & Reforged LabsJan 2025

Legal

Guía sobre derechos de los consumidores, publicidad y protección de datos: España

The guide serves as a practical reference for video‑game publishers, developers and marketers operating in Spain, outlining how consumer‑protection, advertising and data‑privacy regulations apply to digital game products. Its central thesis is that compliance with the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users, the General Advertising Law, the Unfair Competition Law and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is essential not only to avoid legal sanctions but also to build trust with players, including minors. Key findings stress that gamers enjoy the same rights as purchasers of physical goods, notably a 14‑day withdrawal period, clear information on pricing, age‑rating labels and protection against abusive contract clauses. Developers must maintain and communicate updates, and they are obliged to disclose the legal nature of non‑fungible tokens (NFTs), ensuring transparency about ownership, licensing and the irrevocability of blockchain transactions. Advertising rules prohibit concealed sponsorship, misleading urgency, false reviews and any content that exploits minors, promotes violence, discrimination or unhealthy behaviours; influencer promotions must carry explicit sponsorship disclosures. Data‑privacy obligations require clear privacy notices, lawful bases for processing, secure handling of personal and special‑category data, and parental consent for users under 14, with documented procedures for verification. The scope covers the Spanish market and applies to all digital game content, in‑game purchases, loot boxes, NFTs and related services, without reference to a specific time frame beyond the 2025 publication date. The methodology consists of a synthesis of existing national and EU legislation, interpreted for the video‑game sector, and presented as actionable checklists rather than empirical research. By following the outlined practices, industry actors can align their operations with current legal standards and mitigate regulatory risk.

advertising marketing spain+1

AEVIJan 2025

Report

The Power of Marketing Mix Modeling

This analysis explores the transition from traditional last-touch attribution (LTA) to next-generation marketing mix modeling (MMM) within the mobile gaming industry. It posits that while LTA has long been the standard for measuring return on ad spend (ROAS), it is increasingly inadequate due to systemic signal loss from privacy regulations (such as Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency), the rise of multi-platform gaming, and a heavy bias toward bottom-of-funnel channels that ignores the incremental value of top-of-funnel platforms like TikTok. The findings highlight a significant shift in the global gaming landscape, noting that the industry is projected to reach three billion players by 2029. Despite this growth, marketers face rising user acquisition costs, which are forecast to exceed $130 billion by 2025. Data from Kochava and TikTok indicates that LTA frequently under-attributes early-stage revenue events. For example, a case study shows that at a $5,000 daily spend, an MMM model attributed 43% more Day 7 revenue events to TikTok than a traditional LTA model, revealing that LTA often fails to capture the full impact of video-forward media. The scope of this research is global, with specific emphasis on the North American and Asia-Pacific markets, which accounted for $50 billion and $84 billion in 2023 revenue, respectively. The methodology involves comparing aggregated market-level data against granular user-level data to demonstrate how MMM identifies channel saturation and incrementality without relying on depreciating user identifiers. The conclusion advocates for a dual-wielding strategy where studios utilize both LTA for tactical, real-time creative optimization and next-gen MMM for strategic budget allocation and forecasting. Organizations spending over $160,000 monthly per region with a diverse mix of at least five media partners are identified as the primary beneficiaries of this advanced attribution framework.

marketing advertising global+1

Kochava & TikTok for BusinessJan 2025

Report

2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index

The 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index examines the evolving landscape of mobile advertising, focusing on how artificial intelligence and interactive formats are reshaping user acquisition and engagement. The analysis highlights a significant shift toward AI-enhanced creative production, which has allowed developers to scale asset variety while maintaining lower production costs. Data indicates that playable ads and interactive end cards continue to outperform static formats, particularly within the gaming sector, where they drive higher conversion rates and better long-term user retention. Geographically, the study covers global trends across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, providing a comprehensive view of regional performance variations throughout the 2024 calendar year. Industry segments analyzed include casual gaming, midcore titles, and non-gaming apps such as e-commerce and finance. Findings suggest that while video remains the dominant medium for initial impressions, the integration of gamified elements within those videos is essential for capturing the shortening attention spans of mobile users. Methodologically, the insights are derived from an extensive dataset encompassing billions of ad impressions and millions of installs across diverse mobile platforms. The results underscore a growing necessity for hyper-personalization, as creatives tailored to specific player motivations—such as competition or social connection—show a marked increase in return on ad spend compared to generic messaging. Ultimately, the transition toward automated creative optimization and immersive ad experiences represents the primary driver for growth in the increasingly competitive mobile marketplace.

market-analysis advertising user-acquisition+2

LiftoffJan 2025

Report

Creative Analytics

The mobile advertising landscape in the third quarter of 2023 reveals a shifting environment characterized by a decline in total advertisers but a significant surge in video-centric content. Data indicates that the total number of advertisers fell to 54,900, a 7% year-over-year decrease compared to the 59,000 recorded in the third quarter of 2022. Despite this overall contraction, the gaming, entertainment, and lifestyle verticals maintained upward momentum in advertiser activity. In the United States specifically, the market saw 4.68 billion downloads and $6.5 billion in revenue, with gaming securing the top position in both metrics despite slight year-over-year market drops. Creative strategies have pivoted heavily toward video formats, which now account for 80% of all creatives, up from 69% in the previous quarter. This growth comes at the expense of static images, while playable ads remain a niche segment at 2% of the market. Analysis of the 15.2 million total creatives shows a heavy platform bias toward Android, which hosts 68% of ad content compared to 32% on iOS. In the competitive US market, top-tier advertisers maintain a massive scale, averaging nearly 54,000 creatives across nine different ad networks. The rise of User-Generated Content (UGC) has become a central pillar of modern mobile UA strategy. Effective creative execution now relies on organic trends, charismatic creators, and native storytelling techniques. Key findings suggest that successful UGC ads utilize "problem-solution" narratives, text overlays to accommodate sound-off viewing, and sketches that align with brand values. By leveraging creators who mirror the target audience and utilizing cliffhangers or popular music, advertisers are increasingly focusing on engagement and virality to offset the broader downward trend in the number of active market participants.

marketing advertising in-game-advertising+2

AppticaJan 2025

Report

Guide to Consumer Rights, Advertising and Data Protection: Spain

The guide is intended to equip Spanish video‑game publishers, developers and marketers with a practical understanding of the legal framework governing consumer rights, advertising and data protection. It draws on the General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users, the General Advertising Law, the Unfair Competition Law, the General Data Protection Regulation and the Spanish Organic Law on Data Protection, applying them to digital products released in Spain throughout 2025. Key consumer‑protection provisions require clear pre‑purchase information, a 14‑day withdrawal right for most digital purchases, and safeguards against unfair terms such as unilateral contract changes. Exceptions apply to virtual currencies, physical copies that have been opened and age‑rated titles once gameplay begins. Developers must maintain and communicate updates, while digital assets—including NFTs—must be presented with transparent licensing terms and explicit notices when the right of withdrawal is lost. Advertising must avoid misleading claims, covert sponsorship, political content outside election periods, and any material that exploits minors, encourages violence, discrimination or unhealthy behaviours; influencer promotions must be marked with visible disclosures such as #Sponsored or #Ad. Data‑protection obligations centre on distinguishing controller and processor roles, informing users through layered privacy notices, and securing personal data—including special categories—via documented processing activities and contractual safeguards. For users under 14, parental consent must be verified through age checks or electronic signatures. The guide concludes with a checklist summarising rights to information, withdrawal, fair advertising, loot‑box age verification, ongoing game maintenance and GDPR‑compliant data handling.

advertising marketing europe+1

AEVIJan 2025

Report

Digital 2025: Global Overview Report

The global digital landscape in 2025 reflects a state of near-ubiquity in connectivity, with internet users now accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total world population. This expansion is driven primarily by the continued proliferation of mobile devices and the expansion of high-speed infrastructure in developing regions. Mobile phones have solidified their position as the primary gateway to the internet, capturing the vast majority of daily screen time and serving as the central hub for social interaction, financial transactions, and entertainment consumption. Social media engagement remains a dominant force in digital behavior, with the average user now spending more than two and a half hours per day across various platforms. While established networks maintain high total user counts, newer short-form video platforms are capturing a disproportionate share of attention and driving cultural trends. This shift toward video-centric content is reshaping the digital advertising market, as brands increasingly prioritize immersive, algorithmically driven placements over traditional search or display formats. The digital economy continues to evolve as e-commerce integration becomes more seamless within social ecosystems. Consumers are increasingly comfortable making purchases directly through social interfaces, a trend that is particularly pronounced in Asian markets but gaining significant traction globally. Furthermore, the integration of artificial intelligence into consumer-facing applications is beginning to alter search behaviors and content creation, signaling a transition toward more personalized and automated digital experiences. These findings underscore a global environment where the boundaries between physical and digital life are increasingly indistinguishable.

market-analysis global advertising+2

We Are SocialJan 2025

Report

The State of AAA Game Advertising: A Look Back on the Biggest Launches and Trends of the Past Year

The 2023 PC and console gaming landscape was defined by a strategic pivot toward new title launches, which commanded 50% of top advertising expenditures compared to only 20% the previous year. While established live-service giants like Fortnite maintained the highest individual ad spend at $57 million, new AAA releases such as Hogwarts Legacy and Diablo IV dominated the market through concentrated, multi-platform campaigns. Marketing budgets increasingly diversified across a broader media mix; although YouTube remained the primary channel with 35% of spend, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Over-the-Top services captured significant market share by utilizing short-form video content to drive engagement. Success in the AAA sector relied on distinct promotional philosophies tailored to specific business models. Diablo IV leveraged a live-service framework and extensive open betas to generate $666 million in five days, while Starfield utilized its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass to balance traditional sales with subscription-based accessibility. Marketing tactics for these titles ranged from long-term anticipation building to high-frequency social media accolades. Conversely, franchises facing critical headwinds, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, shifted their focus from celebrity-driven advertisements to influencer-led content and innovative cross-media partnerships with film and music icons to sustain momentum despite declining initial sales. The industry also witnessed the growing power of transmedia synergy and organic virality. The Fallout television series demonstrated the potential of cross-media adaptations by triggering a sixfold increase in mobile downloads and renewed interest in the legacy franchise. Similarly, Honkai: Star Rail illustrated how mobile-first spending can successfully drive multi-platform engagement. However, the emergence of titles like Lethal Company and PalWorld proved that traditional high-budget marketing is not the only path to success, as viral gameplay and creator-driven interest can achieve millions of sales with minimal advertising investment. This evolution highlights a market where massive corporate spending and organic digital trends coexist as primary drivers of commercial performance.

advertising market-analysis global+2

Sensor TowerJan 2025

Report

Playing to Win: 2025 Digital Game Advertising Report

The 2025 digital gaming market is defined by a strategic pivot toward user quality and high-velocity creative iteration, with global advertising expenditure reaching $8.7 billion. Despite a year-over-year decline in total mobile and PC downloads, the industry remains robust through the resurgence of the shooter genre and the continued dominance of 4X Strategy and Casual titles. Geographically, growth is concentrated in North American and Asian markets, fueled by high-profile releases such as Battlefield 6 and Valorant Mobile. This landscape reflects a shift where major publishers like Microsoft and Dream Games utilize aggressive spending to maintain market share in an increasingly competitive environment. Advertising strategies have evolved to prioritize "instantly legible" gameplay and the rapid deployment of creative assets to combat audience fatigue. Static image ads remain a resilient tool due to their cost-effectiveness, while generative AI is increasingly employed to test and iterate high volumes of creative concepts. Intellectual property collaborations, featuring franchises like Naruto and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, serve as a primary mechanism for lowering acquisition costs. Furthermore, platforms like YouTube have become essential for reaching PC and console audiences, while Apple Search Ads are leveraged tactically to capture competitor keywords and dominate search visibility. The digital ecosystem also highlights the growing influence of internal discovery and content creators. Roblox maintains a massive web presence with over 187 billion visits, driven largely by organic traffic and internal discovery mechanisms rather than traditional external advertising. Meanwhile, viral indie titles and major releases like Marvel Rivals achieve commercial success by leveraging creator-led marketing. Ultimately, the industry in 2025 is characterized by a sophisticated blend of data-driven acquisition, aggressive platform-specific tactics, and a reliance on established IPs to navigate a market where engagement quality has surpassed sheer scale as the primary metric for success.

advertising market-analysis global+1

Sensor TowerJan 2025

Report

The State of AAA Game Advertising

The 2023 AAA gaming landscape was characterized by a massive surge in advertising investment, with major launches accounting for 50% of top ad spend compared to just 20% the previous year. This $600 million US PC and console market remains anchored by YouTube, though media mixes are rapidly diversifying into Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms. Industry leaders Activision Blizzard and Microsoft dominated the year’s expenditures, driven by high-profile releases such as Hogwarts Legacy and Diablo IV. These titles utilized distinct strategies, with Hogwarts Legacy leading in total spend while Diablo IV leveraged high-volume video content and platform-exclusive branding to generate $666 million in sales within five days. Marketing tactics for top-tier titles increasingly favor short-form video content and strategic brand partnerships. Starfield achieved significant commercial success by positioning itself as a high-quality Bethesda legacy title through 15-second ads and collaborations with mainstream retailers like Target. In contrast, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III pivoted toward esports influencers and condensed campaign cycles to maintain its position as the year’s second best-selling title despite declining critical reception. These shifts indicate a broader trend where publishers prioritize transmedia synergy and existing intellectual property, as seen in the Fallout franchise’s sixfold download surge following its television adaptation. While massive budgets and cross-platform collaborations like Fortnite’s various IP integrations define the high end of the market, 2023 also highlighted the power of organic growth. Titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Lethal Company demonstrated that high-quality gameplay and viral community engagement can secure massive player bases with minimal traditional advertising. Ultimately, the industry is bifurcating between aggressive, live-service monetization supported by heavy OTT and social media spend, and community-driven successes that rely on word-of-mouth and critical acclaim rather than traditional marketing blitzes.

marketing advertising global+2

Sensor TowerJan 2025

Report

Insights into Global Mobile Game Marketing Trends for H1 2025

The first half of 2025 reveals a rapid shift in mobile‑game user‑acquisition toward AI‑driven creative production, with short‑form video, live‑action clips and in‑game audio ads now accounting for the majority of impressions. Generative‑AI tools and AI‑enhanced playable ads compress development cycles to under a week, allowing marketers to test multiple concepts at low cost while retaining retargeting as a core pillar of acquisition strategy. Genre competition intensifies, especially for role‑playing games, which generate an average of 224 new creatives per advertiser each month. Casino titles expand their share by 14.5 % year‑over‑year, becoming the second‑largest spend category. Europe hosts the largest pool of advertisers—over 43 000 monthly, a rise of 10 000 from the previous year—while North America exhibits the highest creative density, with roughly 119 assets per advertiser. In casual games, AI‑generated vertical video now consumes about 40 % of media spend, underscoring the dominance of automated formats across regions. Key operational challenges include limited reach to high‑value users, protracted creative rollout times, and declining engagement as mature audiences become ad‑fatigued. Lengthy or fragmented landing‑page experiences further erode trust, suppressing download conversion and long‑term retention. To counter these pressures, firms are advised to institute rapid‑iteration pipelines that move concepts to live within seven days, maintain a refresh cadence of two to three creative updates per month, and prioritize concise, transparent messaging that streamlines the post‑click flow. Embracing these practices is projected to improve acquisition efficiency and sustain user interest amid an increasingly saturated global mobile‑gaming market.

market-analysis advertising in-game-advertising+2

SocialPetaDec 2024