Mobile reports and market data
Documents
Vietnam Game Industry Monthly Report: May 2026
The Vietnam Game Industry Monthly Report for May 2026 provides a comprehensive analysis of the mobile gaming landscape, highlighting a shift in market dynamics from pure volume-based acquisition to a focus on operational depth and regulatory compliance.
- Vietnam's mobile IAP revenue grew by 3.13% MoM in May 2026, driven by strong monetization in long-lifecycle genres like Battle Royale, MOBA, and Sim Sports rather than new user acquisition.
- Midcore total revenue reached its highest level between January and May 2026, rising 4.44% MoM as established titles like Free Fire MAX, Liên Quân Mobile, and Roblox VN leveraged recurring Live-Ops and event-based spending.
- New game success in Vietnam is increasingly dependent on cultural fit, with titles featuring wuxia/xianxia settings, football fandom, or nostalgic IP—such as Giang Hồ Kỳ Ngộ and Total Football VNG—outperforming generic Western fantasy products.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: New Hoyoverse game, D2C stuff, layoffs and a WhatsApp game
The current state of the mobile gaming industry is defined by a significant shift toward direct-to-consumer (D2C) monetization, ongoing corporate restructuring, and the integration of artificial intelligence in operations.
- Mobile game direct-to-consumer (D2C) revenues are projected to reach $17 billion this year, driven by 53% of publishers planning to port titles to browser platforms to bypass traditional app store billing.
- AppsFlyer secured over $1 billion in funding at a $2.7 billion valuation, signaling continued investor confidence in mobile infrastructure despite broader industry volatility.
- Corporate restructuring persists as Electronic Arts continues workforce reductions during a $55 billion acquisition process, alongside notable layoffs at Netmarble subsidiary Kabam.
💰 The $45M/Month Football Game Nobody Talks About: eFootball, EA FC & Dream League Breakdown
The mobile football gaming sector is defined by a high-revenue landscape dominated by three primary titles: eFootball, EA Sports FC Mobile, and Dream League Soccer.
- eFootball currently leads the mobile football sector with $45 million in monthly revenue, outperforming major competitors in the category.
- EA Sports FC Mobile generates approximately $900,000 in daily revenue, primarily driven by complex card collection systems and in-app purchases.
- Dream League Soccer utilizes a distinct monetization model where 68% of total revenue is derived from advertising rather than in-app purchases.
From Games to Apps: The Evolution of Türkiye's Mobile Ecosystem
Türkiye has established itself as a formidable force in the global mobile gaming industry, driven by a unique ecosystem that prioritizes rapid iteration and the replication of proven mechanics over traditional innovation.
- The Turkish mobile gaming ecosystem was catalyzed by the success of Peak Games, which created a 'Peak Mafia' effect where experienced talent left to found new studios, leveraging their track record to easily secure venture capital.
- Turkish mobile studios prioritize a borderless business model by targeting US players directly rather than testing in the domestic market, allowing for rapid iteration and global scaling without the long development cycles associated with PC gaming.
- Government support acts as a significant competitive advantage, with the Turkish state reimbursing up to 50% of marketing and user acquisition costs for mobile game developers.
Google Play store fees, Kingshot's World Cup ads, AppsFlyer gets $1bn, Kabam layoffs, more
The mobile games industry is currently navigating significant shifts in platform policy, investment trends, and studio operations. A primary development is Google’s adjustment of Play Store fees, effective June 30.
- Starting June 30, Google Play is lowering store fees for most developers in Western markets, effectively reducing the standard 30% fee to approximately 25% for in-app purchases.
- AppsFlyer secured a $1 billion investment from Google, Meta, Unity, and Moloco, a move analysts suggest is intended to bolster the company's independence and measurement capabilities against AppLovin's market dominance.
- Queen Digital Entertainment, a startup founded by former King executives that raised up to $50 million in VC funding, has ceased operations after failing to scale its casual puzzle game portfolio.
S07, E21: AppsFlyer and the new dynamics of mobile attribution (with Olivia Kory)
The mobile advertising landscape is undergoing a significant structural shift, underscored by a recent one-billion-dollar investment in AppsFlyer by a consortium of major platforms including Meta, Google, Unity, and Moloco.
- A consortium including Meta, Google, Unity, and Moloco has invested $1 billion into AppsFlyer to maintain the neutrality of mobile measurement infrastructure and prevent data monopolization.
- Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) remain essential for daily campaign management because they provide the granular, ad-level data that platform-provided frameworks cannot replicate.
- AppLovin has emerged as a dominant force in the mobile ecosystem over the past 15 months, consistently outperforming competitors in efficiency and capturing a larger share of advertiser budgets.
2026 World Cup Effect on Games
The 2026 FIFA World Cup serves as a catalyst for significant shifts in the mobile football gaming landscape, highlighting a divergence between established market leaders and the governing body’s own interactive efforts.
- Konami’s eFootball has surpassed EA’s FC Mobile in cumulative revenue, reaching $1.9 billion compared to FC Mobile’s $1.6 billion.
- While eFootball leads in total revenue, FC Mobile maintains a larger daily active user (DAU) base, highlighting a divergence in monetization strategy versus user reach.
- Major football titles have abandoned traditional seasonal resets in favor of continuous progression and power inflation to reduce user churn.
How Audiomack Boosted Revenue by 30% with Google’s New Next-Gen SDK
The migration of the music streaming platform Audiomack to Google’s Next-Gen GMA SDK 1.00 resulted in significant technical and financial improvements.
- Audiomack achieved a 30% increase in total revenue and a 16% rise in ad performance after migrating to Google’s Next-Gen GMA SDK 1.00.
- The SDK migration yielded significant technical improvements, including a 25% reduction in ad load latency and a 50% decrease in app crash rates.
- The 50% reduction in crash rates was particularly impactful for maintaining stability and user retention within emerging markets.
EA's Laura Miele on Command & Conquer mistakes, resurrecting Skate and Dead Space, and Battlefield 6
Electronic Arts is currently prioritizing a fan-centric development strategy that focuses on reviving legacy intellectual properties and fostering deep social engagement.
- EA is prioritizing a fan-centric strategy that revives dormant intellectual properties like Skate, Dead Space, and EA College Football to meet demand from Gen Z and millennial demographics.
- Development for Battlefield 6 utilized 92 million hours of gameplay and 30 distinct builds through 'Battlefield Labs' to ensure iterative, community-driven refinement before launch.
- EA is shifting toward a platform-based model for major titles, integrating single-player, multiplayer, and free-to-play modes to accommodate diverse player motivations.
Kingshot ads with Harry Maguire, Michael Owen, John Terry, Fabrizio Romano, Thiago Silva + Jorginho.
The marketing strategy for the mobile game King Shot centers on a high-profile influencer campaign featuring prominent football figures, including Harry Maguire, Michael Owen, John Terry, Fabrizio Romano, Thiago Silva, and Jorginho.
- The mobile game 'King Shot' utilized a high-profile influencer marketing campaign featuring football stars Michael Owen, John Terry, Thiago Silva, Jorginho, and journalist Fabrizio Romano during the 2026 World Cup.
- The core value proposition emphasized across all influencer creative is the complete absence of in-game advertisements, positioning the title as an uninterrupted, 'ad-free' gaming experience.
- Influencer messaging consistently targets the 'waiting' periods surrounding major sporting events, framing the game as a casual, easy-to-pick-up companion for football fans.
What Game Studios Can Learn from the AI Microdrama Boom
AI-native microdramas are rapidly emerging as a disruptive entertainment category that mirrors the mechanics of mobile gaming rather than traditional film.
- AI-native microdramas are shifting from passive consumption to active, gamified experiences, with StoReel reporting a customer acquisition cost (CAC) of approximately 4 for AI-produced titles compared to 8 for traditional live-action content.
- StoReel’s creation suite, Canvas, enables non-technical creators to produce serialized content three times faster and at 15% of the cost of traditional live-action production methods.
- The microdrama industry is increasingly adopting a 'Professional User-Generated Content' (PUGC) model, where creators act as showrunners who manage virtual talent and design interactive, gamified character experiences.
🎮 The 3-Minute playable that pre-qualifies your WHALES!
Mobile game advertising is currently defined by the widespread adoption of templated playable ads, particularly those featuring fashion, dress-up, or narrative-driven mechanics.
- Extended engagement within multi-level playable ads serves as a primary indicator for identifying high-value 'whale' players, making these demos a critical funnel for long-term monetization.
- Relying on templated playable ads that differ from core gameplay lowers cost-per-install metrics but significantly increases user churn due to the disconnect between the advertised experience and the actual product.
- Studios are maximizing ROI by iteratively refining high-performing playable builds through asset swaps, camera angle adjustments, and seasonal thematic updates rather than creating new assets from scratch.