Adjust’s mobile, PC and console measuring solutions provide a complete appearance of your game marketing work and user gain not only on PC and console platforms, but on all your devices and channels.
PC and console: Game-changing advertising channels
60% of adult internet users in the US play PC and console games, and this rate is also trending upward among younger generations. Your app’s target audience most likely plays computer and console games. Game marketers and developers who want to gain new users for their mobile apps and game studios should expand their advertising channels, especially to include PC and console platforms.
In this article, we discuss the ever-rising popularity of advertising on gaming platforms and examine the latest advertising trends for companies that offer multi-platform games to gaming applications, computer and console gaming brands.
Four reasons why PC and console advertising is critical
PC and console ads are gaining traction, especially among gaming marketers eager to explore new user acquisition channels. Here are four reasons why advertising is prominent on PC and console platforms:
1. PC and console markets are on the rise again
During the pandemic years, players generally played games for longer and spent more money on PC/console games. The PC and console market is in the process of returning to normal with the end of the quarantine period, and although it will see a slight decrease in 2022, experts predict that the growth in the market will continue in 2023 and beyond. The global PC and console gaming market is expected to reach $110 billion by 2025.
Additionally, many game companies have postponed the release dates of major games such as Resident Evil 4, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Hogwarts Legacy from 2022 to 2023. Postponements in the release dates of the games look promising for 2023. As these contents lead to more installations and purchases, it may reduce the decline in the market to normal levels in 2022.
2. Multi-platform games are growing in popularity
A recent survey asked, “If the mobile game you are currently playing was developed as a PC or console game, would you download or purchase it?” Most of the participants answered the question positively. Distribution of survey results by country:
- Brazil: 85%
- Germany: 55%
- Indonesia: 86%
- South Korea: 70%
- USA: 71%
On the other hand, popular PC and console games also continued their development towards mobile game applications. The most widely known example in this regard is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), which was initially released on PC, then on consoles, and then as PUBG Mobile on mobile devices. Fortnite, one of the very popular games, allows users on different devices such as PlayStation and PC to play against each other thanks to its crossplay feature.
In addition, emerging gaming technologies such as global cloud-based games, which are expected to generate $3.8 billion in revenue across all platforms by the end of 2023, and virtual reality, which currently has a global user share of 1.3%, should also be taken into consideration. The gaming industry is expected to gain even more users as more gaming platforms enter the market and integrate with each other.
3. The shift to hybrid monetization opens up many advertising opportunities
In the past, most PC and console games used pay-to-play (P2P) or premium monetization models. 87% of console game players spend money on items like microtransactions and in-game cosmetics. In contrast, approximately 43% of console players prefer free-to-play (F2P) games in 2023. As brands embrace hybrid monetization models, they are offering more F2P games and in-game subscriptions.
Games typically use two of the following monetization models:
- Microtransactions: In-game purchases such as character boosters, loot boxes, and character skins
- In-game ads: Ads within the game, such as rewarded video ads or banners
- Subscriptions: Access to a library of games and content for a monthly or annual fee
For example; Halo Infinite was the first game in the history of the Halo series to feature F2P multiplayer. Halo Infinite featured daily or weekly quests that players could undertake to access additional content and purchasable items to speed up their progress. Even Microsoft is reportedly developing an advertising program for the Xbox platform that does not impact the user’s gaming experience and allows advertisers to buy ads in free games.
4. Younger generations’ interest in games is increasing
All sectors, including the gaming industry, need to take into account the interests and tendencies of future generations when shaping their marketing strategies. The good news is that Generation Z is among the demographics that play the most games, with 63% and Generation Y with 58%, and the majority of them state that they are PC/console gamers. This is likely due to younger generations’ emotional attachment to social games and the digital communities they are a part of.
These generations are getting older and gaining financial security, so don’t underestimate the potential of ads on PC and console platforms where your users spend a significant portion of their time.
It’s the perfect time to advertise on PC and console platforms
As the PC and console gaming market continues to trend upwards, it’s the perfect time for growth marketers to start advertising on these platforms.
Why should game marketers advertise on PC and console platforms?
- The majority of your target audience plays games on PC and console platforms.
- Early adopters of advertising on these platforms can find success by having the best ad placements before these spaces reach saturation.
- You can shape your marketing budget with cross-device measurement.
Introducing Adjust’s industry-leading cross-device measurement
Adjust’s PC and Console measurement solution, combined with mobile measurement solutions, provides a complete view of the true impact of your game marketing efforts and user acquisition, not just on PC and console platforms, but across all your devices and channels.
Adjust’s PC and console measurement solutions include single-device and cross-device measurement, S2S integrations, Web SDK and external device IDs.
Are you ready to use these strategies?
- Know where your most valuable users play the most
- Get a 360-degree view of users’ cross-device journeys (mobile, PC, console, CTV, web, app)
- Discover the channels that best promote your PC/console games
- See how much and how often users spend across your app’s different platforms
- Consolidate, analyze and optimize all your marketing campaigns in one place
Just contact us for early access to Adjust’s PC and Console measurement solution.
