Every Wednesday we break down the latest data, research and financial results into digestible chunks.
Read on for the numbers you need to know about without the fluff.
This column is sponsored by Xsolla, which can help you to quickly launch your branded web shop to boost revenue and expedite your marketing ROI. Get started here.
Strategy hits $13bn to overtake RPG as top genre in 2025
Strategy was the highest grossing genre in 2025, driven by the success of Last War: Survival and Whiteout Survival.
That’s according to Appmagic data, which estimates strategy games generated $13bn in IAP revenue last year, with Pokémon TCG Pocket and the Clash Royale also listed as significant contributors.
Strategy overtook RPG in 2025, finishing 21% ahead of its closest competitor in annual revenue. RPG revenue of $11bn was down 17% year-over-year, with no new breakout launches to rival Dungeon & Fighter’s blockbuster release in 2024.
The puzzle genre generated $8.7bn in IAP revenue, which was up nearly 11% year-over-year. It came in ahead of the casino, simulation and shooter genres, which earned $7bn, $4.8bn and $3.3bn respectively.
AppsFlyer reportedly nearing $2bn sale
Mobile marketing and analytics firm AppsFlyer is reportedly close to being sold to two private equity funds, America’s Apollo Global Management and Israel’s Fortissimo, for approximately $2bn.
While that figure would match the company’s last known valuation, CTech reports (via PocketGamer.biz) that long-term AppsFlyer investor and shareholder General Atlantic hopes to negotiate a deal price closer to $3bn.
“AppsFlyer does not respond to rumours or speculation, and any material updates will be communicated in an orderly manner,” the company said in a statement
“AppsFlyer is a critical infrastructure company for the global digital ecosystem and is constantly exploring strategic opportunities that support the company’s continued long-term growth.”
It also noted that the company crossed $500M in annual recurring revenue in 2025, which it labelled “one of the strongest years in its history”.
Block Blast reaches 70m DAU
Hungry Studio claims its flagship title Block Blast has hit 70m daily average users and 300m monthly average users. That’s up from 40m DAU and 160m MAU reported by the company in December 2024.
Originally released in 2021, the free-to-play title was reportedly last year’s second largest game by downloads. It racked up 284m downloads in 2025, which was just 4m shy of Roblox’s total, according to Sensor Tower data.
Jason Wang, VP of brand and marketing at Hungry Studio, previously told us the company was “obsessed” with A/B testing. And he said Block Blast’s latest user milestones were supported by 10,000 A/B tests run in 2025.
Mobile gaming IAP spend totalled $20.7bn in Q4 2025
A new report from M&A advisory firm Aream says mobile gaming IAP spend stabilised at $20.7bn in Q4 2025. That was down slightly from $21bn of gross IAP revenue in Q3, but up from $20.3bn in Q2, and $20.4bn in Q1.
Elsewhere, Aream says gaming M&A volume in Q4 grew 34% year-over-year to 39 deals, while transaction value totalled $0.5bn as activity shifted toward smaller purchases.
Notable transactions included NCSoft’s $104m Indygo Group deal and IVG’s $114m acquisition of Kakao VX. Public market financing reached $1.7bn in Q4, driven by Tencent’s $1.25bn strategic investment in Ubisoft. And private investments rose 29% year-over-year to $0.9bn, with the main beneficiaries being gaming tech and Turkish mobile studios.
Puzzle & Dragons tops 16m North American downloads
Puzzle & Dragons has reached 16m downloads across the US and Canada, according to GungHo Online Entertainment.
Blending match-three puzzles with RPG elements, the title launched on iOS and Android in 2012.
GungHo claims it has been downloaded over 90m times worldwide. This includes 63m downloads in Japan, 3m in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and 3m in South Korea.
App Store devs have banked over $550bn, says Apple
App Store developers have earned more than $550bn since Apple’s marketplace launched in July 2008. In 17.5 years, the App Store has grown from 500 apps to nearly 2m, and it now has over 850m average weekly users.
The new figures are from a blog post by Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services.
He also claims Apple Pay wiped out “well over” $1bn in fraud, and generated over $100bn in incremental merchant sales globally.
