data.ai and IDC Report Reveals that Mobile is Still the Most Significant Opportunity for Games Despite a Softening Market

As mobile continues to democratize gaming, the report reveals new growth areas and provides insights into the most inclusive gaming cohort yet.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — data.ai, the leading mobile data analytics provider, today in partnership with IDC released the Gaming Spotlight 2023 report. Powered by data.ai’s Game IQ taxonomy, the report reveals that despite a softening in direct consumer gaming spend overall, mobile is still the largest market opportunity for games.

The report reveals that while mobile gaming is expected to see a slight decrease in spend (-2% year-over-year), the platform is still set to surpass $108 billion worldwide in 2023 — maintaining its lead of 2.7x over PC/Mac, cementing mobile as a critical driver for growth in the sector.

The report also found that home console and PC/Mac game spending should increase by 3% (to $43 billion) and 4% (to $40 billion) worldwide, respectively, in 2023 versus 2022. Handheld console game spending is on track to decline 20% this year to less than $3 billion.

The report also revealed new opportunities for publishers as mobile continues to democratize gaming:

APAC saw the most significant growth in market share for global consumer spend across Mobile, PC and Mac gaming: South Korea led APAC growth in Q1 2023, while Brazil, Turkey and Mexico led growth outside of Western Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. North America (driven by the US) and Western Europe comprised around half of mobile gaming spend in Q1 2023.
Cloud-Streamed Gaming (CSG) is making inroads on mobile: Across all platforms, global consumer spending on CSG services should reach $3.8 billion in 2023, up over 50% year-over-year.
Mobile games that defined H1 2023 were ranked in the top 10% for their Mobile Performance Scores (MPS): Monopoly GO (MPS: 99), Honkai: Star Rail (93), Royal Match (95) and FIFA Soccer (96) all saw success in H1 2023, signaling that publishers who capitalize on strong IP, market momentum and in-game events can succeed in a down market.
Genre preferences were varied on mobile: Eight distinct subgenres made up the top 10 grossing games on mobile, proof of mobile’s increasing acceptance as a primary gaming platform as well as its ability to capture new audiences. The breakout genres included Driving (Simulation), Team Battle (RPG) and Party Royale (Party).
Paid user acquisition: Match (45%), Casino (44%) and Tabletop games (38%) generated the largest share of downloads from paid channels in the US in 1Q 2023, marking competitive user acquisition.

“Mobile continues to level the playing field for gaming. Now more than ever, publishers can target consumers in niche areas, and many markets are primed for growth. The ‘new gamer’ is one of the most diverse and inclusive cohorts yet. Especially in a market that’s slowed by headwinds, having the right data is critical to staying ahead in this fast-changing landscape in order to streamline acquisition and optimize monetization opportunities,” said Lexi Sydow, Head of Insights, data.ai.

“While video ads dominate in mobile gaming, our research suggests that rewarded video ads are much more popular with gamers than are traditional video ads. Sentiment toward in-game mobile ads also appears to have deteriorated in the past two years, and the rollout of Apple’s ATT Framework has, at best, contributed modestly to this outcome. “More than ever, the report suggests, game studios need to stay on top of the types of ads that are being served to which demographic groups to optimize campaign results,” said Lewis Ward, Research Director of Gaming, Esports and VR/AR, IDC.

Read the full Gaming Spotlight 2023 report here or on IDC.com under report number: US51172023.

About data.ai

data.ai’s vision is to illuminate the digital landscape by unlocking unique customer and market insights to accelerate competitive advantages across all digital channels worldwide powered by applied AI. We passionately serve enterprise clients to create winning digital experiences for their customers. Nine of the top 10 gaming publishers trust data.ai to grow their business.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG, Inc.), the world’s leading tech media, data and marketing services company. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

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