Mobile reports and market data
Documents
How to Prepare for the Future of Mobile Marketing! | UA Coffee Talk
The mobile marketing landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation as machine learning and automation consolidate the technical aspects of ad management.
- The role of the media buyer is shifting from manual campaign trafficking to strategic oversight as machine learning and automation from platforms like Google and Facebook increasingly handle bid and budget optimization.
- Success in mobile marketing now requires a transition toward creative strategy, product integration, and high-level storytelling rather than reliance on granular, device-level tracking.
- Privacy-driven changes and the erosion of traditional tracking necessitate a convergence of performance and brand marketing to maintain growth.
Bleeding-Edge Effects on Mobile
This presentation outlines technical strategies for implementing high-fidelity visual effects (VFX) within the performance constraints of mobile hardware.
- High-fidelity VFX on mobile hardware is achievable by offloading complex simulations to the GPU and utilizing modular shader functions to maintain performance.
- Persistent, interactive fluid simulations, such as blood trails, are implemented using a texture ping-ponging technique between two render textures.
- Dynamic UV space masking utilizes a dilation shader pass to eliminate UV seams and ensure seamless coverage across mesh surfaces.
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Episode #5: Garena Free Fire 80m DAUs, Gamescom goes digital, and more!
Garena’s Free Fire has solidified its position as a dominant force in the mobile gaming sector, reaching 80 million daily active users and surpassing $1 billion in lifetime revenue in under three years.
- Garena Free Fire has reached 80 million daily active users and surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue in under three years by utilizing a mobile-first design focused on short, action-oriented matches.
- Minecraft continues to demonstrate long-term franchise viability, recording 200 million lifetime sales and 126 million monthly active users more than a decade after its initial release.
- The Oculus Quest has become a market leader in the VR hardware space, generating over $100 million in user spending due to its wireless functionality and content ecosystem.
User Acquisition Under Crisis | UA Coffee Talk
Effective user acquisition during periods of economic volatility and environmental crisis requires a fundamental shift from long-term historical modeling toward a conservative, short-term focus on immediate performance metrics.
- Shift user acquisition strategy from long-term historical modeling to a conservative, short-term focus on immediate performance metrics like day-three or day-seven return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Avoid reactive, across-the-board budget cuts by segmenting performance data by geography, platform, and specific game design to identify pockets of sustainable growth.
- Maintain a proactive, competitive spending mentality during economic volatility to capture market share while competitors retreat, rather than defaulting to purely defensive budget reductions.
Data Science at Games Studios | Andre Cohen Head of Data Science at Tilting Point
Data science functions as a critical third pillar of revenue in modern game studios, operating alongside in-app purchases and ad monetization to drive profitability.
- Data science functions as a critical third pillar of revenue alongside in-app purchases and ad monetization, focusing on optimizing user acquisition bidding and return on ad spend.
- Successful data science teams prioritize robust data engineering, quality management, and pipeline maintenance over complex machine learning research.
- Studios should focus on pragmatic, short-term projects that directly address core business constraints rather than esoteric, long-term research initiatives.
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Episode #4: Nintendo's mobile growth, Summer Game Fest, Skate 3 rumours
The gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental structural transformation, characterized by a move away from centralized trade shows like E3 toward decentralized, digital-first publisher showcases.
- Playrix has reached a market inflection point with its portfolio, led by Gardenscapes and Homescapes, which have collectively surpassed 1.1 billion downloads to challenge the dominance of Candy Crush Saga.
- Nintendo maintains a conservative mobile strategy where mobile revenue accounts for only 4% of its total earnings, relying on established titles like Mario Kart Tour and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp rather than aggressive expansion.
- The gaming industry is shifting from centralized trade shows like E3 toward decentralized, digital-first publisher showcases to maintain direct control over marketing narratives.
Games Industry in the Time of COVID-19 (in association with Tamatem) - PocketGamer.biz RoundTable
The global gaming industry experienced a period of unprecedented growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, characterized by record-breaking engagement and revenue as players sought social connection and escapism during lockdowns.
- The games industry has experienced a net positive impact from the pandemic, with digital revenue surging as players seek entertainment and social connection during lockdowns.
- Remote work has introduced operational challenges for AAA development, with teams struggling to maintain the streamlined, multi-disciplinary collaboration required for complex production pipelines.
- Companies are successfully launching major titles during the pandemic, such as Tilting Point’s release of a SpongeBob game following 18 months of development, despite the difficulty of coordinating final production phases remotely.
Exploring Features of the Pervasive Game Pokémon GO That Enable Behavior Change: Qualitative Study
Pervasive gaming serves as a potent mechanism for fostering behavioral change, as evidenced by the influence of Pokémon GO on player routines and social dynamics.
- Pokémon GO leverages 13 specific game features to drive behavioral change, with creature collection and physical navigation serving as the primary catalysts for increased activity.
- The study of 262 participants confirms that pervasive games successfully transform mundane environments into goal-oriented spaces that incentivize physical movement and social interaction.
- Game mechanics are most effective at fostering sustainable lifestyle adjustments when they are seamlessly integrated into a player's existing daily routines.
Ad Creatives Framework: Optimization Deep Dive (Matej Lancaric SuperScale)
Ad creatives serve as the primary engine for profitable user acquisition in the mobile gaming industry, functioning as the most effective lever for reducing cost-per-install.
- Ad creatives are the primary lever for user acquisition efficiency, with optimization capable of reducing cost-per-install from four dollars to fifty cents.
- A balanced creative budget should allocate 70 percent to video content, with the remaining budget split between static images, carousels, and playable ads to combat creative fatigue.
- To ensure a continuous pipeline of high-performing assets, 10 to 15 percent of the total creative budget must be reserved for testing experimental concepts.
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Episode #3: Jens Begemann leaves Wooga, Jagex gets sold again, and more!
The global mobile and console gaming landscape is currently defined by significant leadership transitions, strategic acquisitions, and the evolution of social gaming platforms.
- Jagex has been acquired by Macarthur Fortune Holding for $530 million, marking yet another ownership transition for the studio as it struggles to stabilize its legacy intellectual property.
- Rovio achieved a 74.8% profit increase by significantly reducing user acquisition costs, though this strategy risks long-term brand fatigue for the aging Angry Birds franchise.
- Epic Games is evolving Fortnite into a persistent social hub through its Party Royale mode, leveraging virtual events to attract millions of concurrent users.
Asia Spotlight Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Video Game Market in Q1 2020
This report analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine in Q1 2020 on China's video game market, covering mobile, PC, console gaming, esports, and game live streaming.
- China’s video game market revenue in Q1 2020 was approximately 30% higher than in Q1 2019, driven by increased engagement during the COVID-19 quarantine period.
- Mobile gaming saw significant growth, with iOS weekly game downloads during the Lunar New Year 153% higher than in December 2019 and 81.6% of surveyed gamers reporting increased spending.
- PC gaming engagement surged, with 94.6% of surveyed players spending more time on PC titles and Steam reaching a global record of 18.8 million concurrent users on February 2, 2020.
BIG INDIE PITCH: MOBILE WINNERS | PGC Digital #1
The Big Indie Pitch, held during the inaugural Pocket Gamer Connects Digital conference in April, served as a global platform for mobile game developers to showcase their latest projects to industry experts.
- The Big Indie Pitch at the April Pocket Gamer Connects Digital conference featured 24 global developers presenting projects to 15 industry judges in a speed-dating format.
- The top honor was awarded to Paper Game, a platformer that utilizes a custom engine to allow users to generate levels by drawing on paper or photographing household objects.
- Rek Out was recognized for its potential as a couch multiplayer experience by blending mechanics from air hockey, breakout, and Rocket League.
Writers
Games and companies
Games