There’s a deluge of new data and research to wade through in the mobile games business. Our regular data digest column breaks it all down into digestible chunks.
Read on for the numbers you need to know about minus the fluff.
This column is sponsored by Xsolla, which can help you to create a seamless online store where web purchases can quickly generate new revenue – from launch to beyond. Get started here.
Deadpool sees Marvel Snap revenue spike 300%
A new Deadpool season caused Marvel Snap revenue to shoot up over 300% on July 10, the day after its release. That’s according to GameRefinery data, which says that the game was the 21st highest-grossing title on iOS in the United States last month.
GameRefinery also notes that NetEase has finally released the mobile version of its battle royale hit Naraka: Bladepoint in China.
The title has charted at number four in the grossing charts and is the number one downloaded title in China for July.
Mobile drives 48% of all games revenue for 2024
New forecasts from Newzoo shows that the mobile sector will be behind almost half of the total games revenue the market is expected to make in 2024. Mobile is anticipated to bring in $92.6bn for the year, a 3% increase year-on-year.
The company says this growth is down to improving economic conditions, existing titles performing very well and some strong new releases. Though Newzoo says the sector needs time to figure out changes related to monetisation and US. Overall, the global games market is set to make $187.7bn, a 2.1% increase year-on-year.
Newzoo also predicts that there will be 2.9bn mobile gamers in 2024, 83% of the forecasted 3.4bn players for the year.
DnF Mobile boosts Tencent revenue
The newly-released Dungeon & Fighter Mobile contributed to an 8% increase in revenue for Chinese giant Tencent in its Q2. The firm reports that its games arm shot up by 9% to hit RMB48.5bn ($6.8bn); of that figure, RMB34.6bn ($4.9bn) came from its domestic games business, while RMB13.9bn ($1.9bn) came from abroad.
DnF Mobile is described as Tencent’s “next evergreen major hit”, but the firm also calls out the domestic performance of Honor of Kings and Peacekeeper Elite, which both saw growth year-on-year.
East Side revenue dips 3.5%
Canadian firm East Side Games Group has reported revenue of CAD20.5m ($15m) for the three months ending June. That’s a 3.5% decrease year-on-year, though the company has posted a 12% EBITDA margin for the quarter.
Puzzler Bud Farm: Munchie Match saw its revenue increase 50% for the quarter, in part thanks to UA investment. The firm has increased its spend by 18.75%, splashing out CAD5.7m ($4.2m) for the quarter.
Mobile sales down 3% in Embracer’s Q1
Embracer reported that net sales from its mobile arm dipped by 3% for the three months ending June 30. Mobile brought in SEK 1.4bn ($136.9m) for the period, by far the smallest decline of any of the firm’s various divisions. Overall, net sales dipped 24% for Embracer.
The company says that its adjusted EBIT rose by 20% to SEK518m ($50.7m), while its adjusted EBIT margin clocked in at 37%.
The firm’s mobile games business also was more profitable than anticipated, thanks to lower UA costs and a shift in the mix of products. Embracer says that Easybrain was the main driving force behind its mobile business this quarter; DECA Games by contrast saw “negative organic growth”.
Embracer’s strongest mobile titles for the quarter were Sudoku.com, BlockuDoku, Alien Invasion, Art Puzzle and Jigsaw Puzzles.
81% of mobile devs working on new projects
New research from Sandsoft shows that a large number of mobile game developers are working on new projects. The Publisher Perception Report shows that 81% of studios have new games in the works.
83% of respondents say that they have been able to raise funds to make, release or market a mobile game, too, while 51% of respondents say that they reckon the layoff wave is coming to a close. “The majority” are apparently concerned for their positions and have positive sentiment towards unionisation.
Community influences whether 49% of consumers download a game
The sentiment of a game’s community is something that 49% of users consider when thinking of downloading a title according to new research from Mistplay.
Looking at just spenders, 21% do research into the audience of a title before downloading it. 27% of payers are active participants in these communities, while 15% will spend more in a game where they are active participants.
Hypercasual players are the most likely to find new games via word of mouth, though in-app advertising is still a popular route for all of the types of players Mistplay has laid out.
55.7% of players who spend money in-game find their titles via in-app advertising compared to 51.5% of non-spenders. 43.4% of spenders, meanwhile, find games through recommendations.
BTS Cooking On hits 1m downloads
BTS Cooking On: TinyTan Restaurant has been downloaded over 1m times since its August 7 release according to publisher Com2Us.
The firm also reports that the game went to number one on the App Store in Japan following its launch, while it charted in the top five in Thailand, Singapore and Mexico.
