A new report from global programmatic advertising platform Mintegral charts the impact of casual games, the dominant gaming category on mobile. The report, in partnership with GameAnalytics and Tenjin, demonstrates the continued dominance of hyper-casual games as the driving force behind growth, even as hybrid-casual apps are hyped to take over. The report also reveals that, while retention is a difficult challenge, video advertising is the most effective way to engage and re-engage with lapsed users.
The global report charts
The global report charts ad creative growth and distribution, retention, and other key metrics to benchmark the performance of a typical casual gaming app. It also breaks data down across 11 sub-categories and four regions to reveal how well the apps have performed.
Here are the key takeaways from the report:
- Hyper-Casual Markets the Most: Hyper-Casual games purchase the most ads of any sub-category, with a significant 34% share of ad media buys.
- Retention Strategies Will Make the Difference: The average casual game app has difficulty retaining its users. Only 17% play on the second day of use. The top-performing gaming apps (those in the 90th percentile and above) achieve double the retention rate at 35%.
- Video Ads Lead the Way: Video advertising dominates the casual gaming market, with a staggering 70% market share.
- The US Market Offers the Best Return: The US market presents the best eCPM (effective cost per mille) globally. Rewarded video ads in the US outperform the next-best country by 70%.
Erick Fang, CPO of Mobvista, Mintegral’s parent company, said:
“Casual gaming remains a powerhouse in the mobile app industry. Understanding user behavior and advertising trends is key to success in this competitive space. Our report equips marketers with the data and insights they need to develop winning strategies.”
Mintegral’s partnership with analytics tool GameAnaytlics and mobile measurement platform Tenjin results in a report that allows marketers to draw deeper insights from various useful sources, creating a fuller picture of performance trends to rely on. By leveraging the insights offered in this report, game developers and marketers can develop data-driven strategies to acquire new users, boost retention, and optimize monetization efforts within the ever- evolving casual gaming landscape.
Download the full report here.
