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Matthew Ball and the future of video games
The global video game industry is currently navigating a period of significant stagnation, characterized by participation rates that have dipped below pre-pandemic levels and a plateau in console install bases.
- The global video game industry is experiencing stagnation, with participation rates falling below pre-pandemic levels and console install bases plateauing.
- Consumer behavior has shifted away from high-budget releases toward entrenched, free-to-play titles, rendering incremental graphical upgrades less effective for driving hardware sales.
- User-Generated Content platforms like Roblox are now primary competitors to major gaming ecosystems, capturing significant total engagement as traditional growth models falter.
Is Nintendo Switch 2 a legitimate rival to Xbox and PlayStation this time? | Here’s The Dring
The Nintendo Switch 2 represents a significant shift in Nintendo’s market positioning, moving from a peripheral, family-focused console toward a more direct competitor with the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 is shifting strategy to compete directly with Xbox and PlayStation by supporting high-fidelity third-party titles like Call of Duty, Madden, and Elden Ring.
- Nintendo is targeting the 'time-poor' adult demographic, aiming to establish the Switch 2 as an essential secondary console for core gamers who prioritize portability and flexibility.
- Nintendo has successfully evolved its core franchises—including Mario, Zelda, and Animal Crossing—into diversified entertainment pillars that span movies, merchandise, and theme parks.
Game devs scramble to join Nintendo Switch 2 gold rush
Nintendo is positioning the upcoming Switch 2 as a pivotal evolution in its transition from a dedicated gaming hardware manufacturer to a comprehensive entertainment powerhouse.
- Nintendo is scheduled to release the Switch 2 on June 5th at a retail price point of $450.
- The console represents an iterative hardware upgrade focused on enhancing graphical performance and processing power to support more demanding software.
- Non-Nintendo titles now account for over 50% of physical game sales on the platform, marking a significant shift in ecosystem reliance away from first-party software.
Session: State Of Gaming - Alyssa Paramo, Sensor Tower
The global mobile gaming market experienced a return to growth in 2024 following a period of contraction in 2022 and 2023.
- The mobile gaming market is increasingly top-heavy, with revenue growth driven by evergreen titles over five years old—such as Candy Crush, which saw its largest year ever—making it significantly harder for new entrants to gain market share.
- While total gaming downloads declined by approximately 6.6% year-over-year on iOS and Google Play, overall in-app purchase revenue grew, indicating that publishers are successfully focusing on better monetizing existing user bases through live ops.
- Hybrid-casual games emerged as a high-growth segment, recording a 37% increase in revenue, even though they still represent a small portion of the total market at 3% to 4% share.
Summarizing Sensor Tower's Latest State of Mobile Gaming Report
The 2025 State of Mobile Gaming report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global mobile gaming landscape, focusing on performance trends throughout 2024.
- While mobile gaming download volumes declined in 2024, primarily driven by a slump in the casual games sector, total consumer spending increased, signaling that monetization remains robust for successful titles.
- Rising cost-per-install (CPI) metrics, exacerbated by Apple’s 2021 App Tracking Transparency changes, have forced developers to shift focus from launching new titles to optimizing legacy games through improved live ops and in-game events.
- Strategic use of intellectual property (IP) and transmedia integration, such as the synergy between the 'Arcane' Netflix series and 'League of Legends' mobile titles or 'Fallout' media and 'Fallout Shelter,' significantly boosted revenue and downloads.
Newzoo’s Games Market Reports & Forecasts Q1 2025 Update
This analysis examines the Nintendo Switch market landscape from January 2021 to December 2024, focusing on the performance of third-party ports across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
- Third-party ports have grown to account for over one-third of total Nintendo Switch revenue as of 2024.
- The Switch audience is distinct from the broader console market, with 23% of users aged 10–15 and 55% identifying as female.
- Role-Playing, Simulation, and Platformer genres consistently outperform others, with over one-third of ported RPGs generating more than $1 million in revenue.
Rise of Vietnam: Mobile Gaming Boom—Key Players, Winning Strategies & What’s Next
Vietnam has rapidly ascended to become a global mobile gaming powerhouse, with the domestic industry projected to surpass $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025.
- Vietnam’s mobile gaming industry is projected to exceed $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025, supported by a consistent 30 percent year-over-year growth rate.
- Local studios including iKame, Brave Stars, and ABI Games have become top global publishers by prioritizing high-scale, ad-monetized ultra-casual and super-casual titles.
- The industry’s success is driven by a collaborative ecosystem where developers share data and gameplay templates to maintain lean production models and high user retention.
Speed Panel: Investment Restart – What Will The M&A Landscape Look Like In 2025?
The gaming industry is poised for a significant resurgence in merger and acquisition activity throughout 2025, marking a departure from the speculative, high-growth environment of the pandemic era.
- M&A activity is expected to increase across all deal sizes in 2025 as founder valuation expectations have become more realistic compared to the inflated levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Acquirers are prioritizing companies with approximately $10 million in trailing revenue and credible growth forecasts, shifting away from the previous 'growth at all costs' mentality toward a focus on EBITDA and profitability.
- Private equity firms outside the traditional gaming sector are showing significant interest in the industry, with the expectation that once these firms complete their first acquisition, they will likely pursue multiple follow-on deals.
Session: AI Production for Game Studios – How it's Going And What To Expect In 2025.
The current landscape of game development is undergoing a fundamental shift as generative AI transitions from a novel competitive advantage to an operational necessity.
- Generative AI is shifting from a competitive advantage to an operational necessity, with studios focusing on integrating AI into 2D, 3D, video, and audio production pipelines.
- Enterprise adoption is currently hindered by a lack of security compliance, the rapid pace of model innovation, and the difficulty of integrating AI tools with standard engines like Unity, Unreal, and Blender.
- Studios require enterprise-grade security standards, specifically ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications, alongside audit trails and copyright-safe environments to scale AI operations.
Session: 2024 & Beyond – Opportunities & Challenges in Mobile Gaming - Jack Barrett, Sensor Tower
The mobile gaming industry in 2024 navigated a complex landscape defined by a decline in total downloads alongside a resilient increase in consumer spending.
- Mobile gaming publishers are increasingly prioritizing the optimization of existing 'legacy' titles over launching new games, as new releases struggle to compete with established apps that dominate market revenue.
- Total time spent in mobile gaming saw a significant 60% increase in 2024 compared to the post-pandemic lows of 2023, indicating a stronger recovery in user engagement than non-gaming app categories.
- While overall mobile game downloads declined in 2024—partially due to a 16% drop in casual game installs—consumer spending in the casual genre remained a primary driver of market growth.
Australian Video Games Industry Policy Platform: February 2025
The Australian video games industry represents a vital economic sector, generating $339.1 million in revenue and supporting 2,465 full-time positions during the 2024 fiscal year.
- The Australian video games industry aims to reach a $1 billion valuation by 2030, building on its 2024 fiscal year performance of $339.1 million in revenue.
- The sector currently supports 2,465 full-time positions, with 93 percent of its revenue generated from international markets.
- Over 50 percent of Australian game studios anticipate continued income growth, signaling strong potential for expansion into a global powerhouse.
Money, Markets & Disruptive Trends – Xsolla’s Chris Hewish
The global mobile gaming market is entering a period of renewed expansion, with 2024 revenues projected to reach $98.7 billion.
- The global mobile gaming market is projected to reach $98.7 billion in 2024, driven by stable engagement and a strategic shift toward direct-to-consumer web shops.
- Regulatory pressure from the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Fairness Act is actively dismantling app store gatekeeper dominance, forcing developers to adopt web shops to retain revenue and player data.
- Web shop adoption is high among consumers, with 81% of mobile gamers aware of these platforms and 77% having completed a purchase.