Mobile reports and market data

Superstar Panel: Walk of Game

The mobile gaming industry is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation in user acquisition strategies necessitated by Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework and broader privacy regulations.

• Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework and global privacy regulations have forced a shift from granular, data-driven user acquisition to broader audience strategies and creative-led marketing.
• Developers are mitigating rising acquisition costs by utilizing predictive modeling based on early-session user behavior and diversifying into channels like connected television and influencer campaigns.
• Live-ops and customer relationship management have become primary operational pillars to improve player retention as the cost of acquiring new users continues to increase.

Seizing the Trends in Emerging Markets

Emerging markets in the gaming industry, specifically across the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Latin America (LATAM) regions, represent significant growth opportunities for publishers.

• Emerging markets in APAC, MENA, and LATAM now represent 58% of global gaming revenue, showing significant growth in both traffic and ROI compared to declining markets in North America and Europe.
• Gaming live stream revenue in Southeast Asia is projected to grow by 300% between 2020 and 2023, while China currently accounts for 50% of global live stream users.
• In Southeast Asia, gaming publishers should align user acquisition and ad spend with e-commerce mega-sale dates (9/9, 10/10, 11/11, and 12/12) to capitalize on increased ad request volume.

Adjoe on helping to grow apps through smarter advertisement

The advertising technology company Adjoe focuses on transforming user acquisition and monetization strategies for mobile applications.

• Mobile gaming is shifting away from traditional in-app purchases and intrusive interstitials toward reward-based, personalized advertising models.
• Opt-in rates for personalized ads in gaming have increased by approximately 20 percent despite the removal of identifiers like IDFA.
• Rewarded video and interactive ad formats are driving higher user engagement by providing tangible incentives, such as in-app currency, in exchange for interaction.

SHAREit is an accessible way to share digital content

SHAREit functions as a global peer-to-peer file-sharing platform designed to facilitate the seamless transfer of digital content, including documents, videos, and large mobile applications, between devices in close proximity.

• SHAREit is a global peer-to-peer file-sharing platform with approximately 2.5 billion users across 150 countries, supporting 45 languages.
• The platform facilitates offline file transfers using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, allowing users to share large files like multi-gigabyte games without consuming mobile data.
• The service functions as a performance-based advertising channel for over 1,000 advertisers, currently hosting between 150 and 200 active gaming titles ranging from hyper-casual to mid-core.

Learn how to leverage machine learning with Moloco

The primary objective of Moloco is to leverage machine learning (ML) to facilitate profitable user acquisition for mobile game developers and advertisers across the broader app ecosystem.

• Moloco leverages machine learning to automate user acquisition and performance optimization, positioning its algorithmic approach as superior to manual management in the face of data privacy constraints and market volatility.
• The company has achieved a valuation of $1.5 billion and maintains a portfolio of approximately 150 clients within the EMEA region.
• Effective implementation of Moloco’s machine learning tools requires advertisers to minimize manual interventions, allowing algorithms sufficient time to learn and optimize performance.

Polishing a Game for Pros- Huzaifa Arab

Polishing a game is a critical design phase that transforms functional prototypes into engaging, professional-grade experiences.

• Integrate polish incrementally throughout the development cycle rather than treating it as a post-production phase to avoid technical debt and increased QA complexity.
• Establish a 'baseline of quality' early in development to ensure consistent sensory satisfaction and visual fidelity across the project.
• Enhance gameplay responsiveness by utilizing advanced easing curves instead of linear motion and adding 'juice' through particle effects and reactive physical elements.

Strategy Update: Long-term Product Outlook

This strategy update outlines CD PROJEKT's long-term product outlook and strategic transformation since Q1 2021, focusing on expanding its core franchises, boosting development capabilities, and introducing multiplayer experiences.

• CD PROJEKT is transitioning from a studio focused on singular major releases to a multi-franchise organization delivering consistent single-player and multiplayer content.
• The product roadmap is anchored by three primary pillars: The Witcher franchise, the Cyberpunk franchise, and a new internally incubated IP titled Project Hadar.
• The Witcher franchise expansion includes a new trilogy starting with Project Polaris, a spin-off by The Molasses Flood, and a third-party project titled Canis Majoris.

Store Intelligence Data Digest: Q4 2022

Sensor Tower's Store Intelligence Data Digest for Q4 2022 compiles worldwide app and game download estimates from the App Store and Google Play for October 1 through December 31, 2022, with 2022 full-year figures included.

Is X-Hero Mobile’s Latest Top Grossing Anti-Hero? - The Metacast by Naavik

The mobile gaming landscape is currently defined by a strategic pivot toward hybrid-casual models and aggressive user acquisition tactics designed to navigate the constraints of a post-IDFA environment.

• Mobile developers are increasingly using 'bait-and-switch' hyper-casual mini-games, such as X-Hero’s 'Save the Doge' mechanic, to lower customer acquisition costs in a post-IDFA environment.
• While hyper-casual onboarding tactics successfully drive high initial click-through rates and scale, these titles frequently struggle to match the long-term retention rates of traditional mid-core genre leaders.
• The industry is shifting toward hybrid-casual models that combine accessible arcade gameplay with deep meta-progression to combat rising acquisition costs and diversify revenue beyond pure advertising.

DeNA Integrated Report 2022

DeNA's 2022 Integrated Report, covering fiscal 2021 and the company's plans afterward, outlines its mission, business portfolio, governance, human capital, risk management, and financial results.

• DeNA's Game Business is planned to release approximately 3-5 titles per year on average, focused on major IP for the global market.
• Consolidated revenue for FY2021 was 130,868 million yen, with Game revenue at 74,697 million yen, down from 91,307 million yen in FY2020.
• Live Streaming segment revenue rose to 34,664 million yen in FY2021 from 24,211 million yen in FY2020.

CPI and Retention Rates For Hyper-Casuals in Q3 2022

The Q3 2022 hyper-casual benchmark report provides an analysis of key performance metrics, including cost-per-install (CPI) and retention rates, across major mobile platforms.

• Top-tier hyper-casual titles achieve day-one retention rates of 51% on iOS and 42% on Android, significantly outperforming the industry median of 25%.
• Android has become the primary platform for testing game potential, capturing 57% of total ad spend due to privacy-related changes like IDFA deprecation.
• The industry is shifting toward a hybrid-casual model that blends accessible hyper-casual interfaces with deeper meta-game loops to improve long-term engagement.

ARtales: AR Mobile Application Using Transformative Learning Through Aesthetic Experience

The authors Sissy Barakari and Aristotelis Skamagkis, of AKTO Art and Design College in Athens, present a first evaluation of ARtales, an augmented reality mobile app for visitors to the National Gallery of Athens.

• Before and after the AR scenario, participants' ratings on who is to blame for forest fires shifted from 3.83 to 2.58 for the bad arsonist option.
• On forest fire knowledge questions, 75% of participants answered every question correctly.
• On the 12-match artwork matching question, 58.3% of participants achieved a full score of 100%.