Marketing reports and market data
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How To Sell More Games on Steam! (Store Page Optimization)
Maximizing game sales on Steam requires a disciplined approach to store page optimization that prioritizes immediate, clear communication of gameplay mechanics over narrative exposition.
- Aim for a minimum of 10,000 wishlists prior to launch to secure the necessary algorithmic exposure for successful game visibility.
- Treat the store page as a functional product box by prioritizing immediate gameplay demonstration in the first 45 seconds of trailers, the initial four screenshots, and animated GIFs.
- Utilize the Steamworks Tag Wizard to select precise, descriptive sub-genre tags rather than generic labels to ensure the recommendation algorithm accurately categorizes the title.
How Killer Queen Built an Esports Scene on an Indie Budget
The development of a national esports scene for the indie arcade game Killer Queen demonstrates how small studios can foster competitive communities through grassroots engagement rather than high-budget marketing.
- Killer Queen Arcade built a national esports scene by leveraging a five-on-five team design that mandates physical proximity, forcing players to interact and form local communities at arcade venues.
- Developers can foster community ownership by releasing source assets like logos and sprites, allowing fans to create their own merchandise, event posters, and marketing materials.
- Consistency in event scheduling, such as the '5v5 Fridays' at NYU, is more effective for community retention than sporadic, high-effort events because it lowers the barrier to entry for regular participation.
Integrating Facebook Gaming Services & How to Leverage Facebook Login for Gaming
Facebook Gaming Services functions as a comprehensive ecosystem designed to accelerate player acquisition and long-term retention through social integration.
- Integrating Facebook Login and Friend Finder tools directly correlates with improved Day 0–3 retention rates and increased session lengths for mobile gaming titles.
- Facebook Gaming Services utilizes a 'Play, Watch, and Connect' strategy to drive player acquisition and long-term retention through social graph integration.
- Developers can leverage partner clubs and existing social networks to simplify onboarding for new users, resulting in higher conversion rates and sustainable revenue growth.
Superstar Speed Panel: Navigating Uncertainty: Apple Privacy Changes & the Impact on Ad Monetisation
Apple’s implementation of stringent privacy changes and the subsequent loss of Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) data have fundamentally altered the mobile gaming landscape, forcing developers to navigate a period of significant financial uncertainty.
- The loss of Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) data has forced a strategic pivot away from granular user tracking toward a model prioritized by product quality and diversified monetization.
- Studios are offsetting downward pressure on eCPM rates by focusing on increasing session duration and long-term retention metrics to maintain profitability.
- Developers are reclaiming user data ownership by implementing third-party login systems and integrating in-app purchases to reduce reliance on external ad networks.
We’re Only as Good as Our Last Creative: Creative Automation Can Transform Your Growth Strategy
Creative production serves as a primary competitive advantage in the modern mobile gaming landscape, necessitating a transition from subjective decision-making to a structured, data-driven framework.
- Creative production must shift from subjective decision-making to a structured, data-driven framework that isolates specific variables like character design and layout to identify emotional drivers.
- Creative automation is essential for scaling operations, as it allows teams to iterate on high-performing concepts rapidly while offloading repetitive production tasks.
- To maintain effective user acquisition amidst increasing constraints on user-level tracking, studios must utilize granular performance metrics to replace traditional black-box testing.
Games Marketing Insights for 2021
The 2021 Games Marketing Insights report, presented by Facebook, analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mobile gaming landscape, focusing on shifting consumer behaviors, monetization trends, and the growing importance of community.
- Community engagement is now a primary driver for retention, evidenced by a 91.8% year-over-year increase in live streaming viewing hours, which reached 7.46 billion hours between July and September 2020.
- The pandemic attracted a new cohort of younger mobile gamers who demonstrate a higher propensity for in-game spending compared to existing players.
- While existing players increased their average weekly playtime by 1.5 hours, their overall in-game spending decreased, signaling a need for developers to shift toward mixed monetization models combining in-app purchases and ad-supported experiences.
Superstar Session: How to Enhance the Gaming Experience Through Content Micro-personalisation
Micro-personalization serves as a critical strategy for modern game developers to enhance player retention and revenue by leveraging data science and artificial intelligence.
- Micro-personalization leverages centralized player data and AI to transition from generic engagement models to highly tailored, context-aware experiences.
- Studios can manage technical complexity by using behavior-based player clustering, which enables targeted content delivery at scale without requiring individual-level processing.
- Implementation requires a dual-model framework that integrates machine learning with business-oriented rules to provide real-time suggestions, such as gear recommendations or personalized in-app purchase offers.
How Mobile Games Can Leverage ASO for Post IDFA User Acquisition
The shift toward privacy-centric mobile ecosystems, specifically following the implementation of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy, has necessitated a strategic pivot in user acquisition.
- Apple's App Tracking Transparency policy is expected to cause most ad networks to lose IDFA-based tracking data for over 50% of their mobile traffic, necessitating a shift toward privacy-friendly user acquisition strategies.
- App Store Optimization (ASO) teams can mitigate post-IDFA data loss by using Apple Search Ads keyword volume data to identify high-intent search clusters and optimize targeting strategies.
- Marketers should use A/B testing on store pages—specifically leveraging Google Play Experiments—to test creative messaging and conversion rates before committing to large-scale user acquisition campaigns.
Discoverability from Day Zero
Discoverability serves as a foundational pillar of game development that must be integrated into the creative process from the earliest stages of production.
- Integrate discoverability into the creative process from the earliest stages of production rather than treating it as a post-launch marketing task.
- Treat discoverability as a core design challenge by prioritizing clear communication of the game’s vision and accessibility from day zero.
- Test design concepts early with non-developers to identify flaws and refine the core experience before committing significant resources.
The Power of an Embedded Community Platform to Inform, Engage, Educate and Retain
Integrating community platforms directly into the game environment serves as a critical strategy for enhancing player engagement, retention, and monetization.
- Integrating community platforms directly into the game environment eliminates friction from external forums, which helped Zombie Gunship Survival achieve conversion rates between 45% and 50% among new players.
- Owning community infrastructure allows studios to bypass third-party social media algorithms, ensuring direct control over brand messaging and audience access.
- Embedded platforms facilitate the collection of high-quality, actionable player feedback, which informs live-ops strategies and the development of community-requested features.
The Importance and Growth of Online Events | PocketGamer.biz RoundTable
The gaming industry has undergone a fundamental transformation in its approach to professional gatherings, shifting from a reliance on physical trade shows to a digital-first strategy necessitated by the global pandemic.
- The gaming industry is permanently shifting toward a hybrid event model that combines the logistical efficiency of digital platforms with the high-value networking of in-person gatherings.
- Digital-first strategies have democratized industry access by lowering cost barriers, allowing smaller publishers and indie developers to gain visibility that was previously restricted by travel and exhibition expenses.
- Online events offer measurable advantages in accessibility, cost-efficiency, and environmental sustainability, establishing them as essential components of the industry ecosystem rather than temporary substitutes.
TWIG 119 : EA Buys Glu, AppLovin Buys Adjust, Embracer Buys Gearbox, and Predictions (Shooter, Mktg)
The gaming industry is currently undergoing a period of intense consolidation and strategic realignment, driven by the need to secure mobile expertise and navigate a shifting landscape defined by privacy changes and evolving monetization models.
- The gaming industry is undergoing rapid consolidation, highlighted by Electronic Arts' $2.1 billion acquisition of Glu Mobile and Embracer Group's $1.3 billion purchase of Gearbox Entertainment.
- The mobile shooter genre is a high-growth market that generated $2.1 billion in 2020, requiring deep-progression systems similar to Warframe or Escape from Tarkov to remain competitive.
- The deprecation of the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) is forcing a strategic shift away from traditional user acquisition toward reliance on established intellectual property and diversified marketing channels.