According to the Data.ai Gaming Spotlight 2022 report, the game industry will reach $222 Billion in 2022. Mobile games are now the primary driver of digital game consumption, and it plans to continue this global leadership in 2022. While COVID-19 causes an increase in gaming console sales, the newly released XBOX Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles will accelerate game growth after 2022.
Console and mobile experience also merge; mobile devices can now offer console-like graphics and gaming experiences with cross-platform competition and social gaming features. Mobile platforms provide a wide variety of game genres suitable for everyone.
APAC sees the highest growth in mobile gaming spending
China led the market share growth of mobile gaming spending in APAC from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022. North America and Western Europe accounted for nearly half of mobile gaming spending in the first quarter of 2022. Brazil and Saudi Arabia followed soon after.
Switch Lite continued to resonate in North America and Asia-Pacific (especially Japan); Steam Deck was released in late February 2022, but Q1 2022 had a more modest impact on the handheld segment as Switch Lite had a much larger audience.
APAC’s spending on PC/Mac gaming gained share year-over-year, partly because many internet cafes were refilled after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided in many significant economies; The remaining percentage was driven by the increase in Average Revenue per User (ARPU).
The mobile game industry is growing exponentially
Mobile is now the primary source of growth in digital gaming consumption. It looks like it’s increasingly becoming the world’s preferred game format and the hub for a solid cross-platform experience.
Mobile made gaming possible for everyone – whether hyper-casual or a specific subgenre, down to basic games like Match 3 or open-world adventure games. It allowed all types of gamers to access their “own” niche. Mobile platforms seem to pave the way for “new players,” the most comprehensive group ever.
Since the beginning of 2020, consumers have searched a lot at home and for new ways to connect with others; We expect cross-platform gaming to continue to gain ground compared to mobile-only gaming – meaning more console and PC quality experiences will come into the pockets of all smartphone owners.
According to US mobile gamer surveys, the perception of in-game mobile ads improved overall in Q3 2021, especially compared to Q3 2019. Not all ad formats are considered equal. Rewarded video and playable ads were the preferred ad types in the US.
Oversaturation can be a problem primarily for games that make money from ads. In the US, consumer opinion of in-game ads tended to decline as the prevalence of different ads increased; Therefore, we recommend that you diversify the types/formats of advertisements displayed in-game.
