Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
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- Figure 1: Share of US adults who play video games, any device vs mobile devices, 2018-21
- Impact of COVID-19 on mobile gaming
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- Figure 2: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on gaming and mobile gaming, 2021
- Opportunities and challenges: what you need to know
- Forget the console wars, the mobile gaming wars have begun
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- Figure 3: Spending on mobile games, 2021
- Mobile gaming has the most diverse audience of any platform
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- Figure 4: Plays mobile games vs console games at least monthly, by gender and age, 2021
- It’s time to evaluate the marketing mix for mobile games
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- Figure 5: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, 2021
- Mobile gamers who spend money aren’t spending much
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- Figure 6: Estimated monthly spending on mobile games, 2021
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- Mobile gaming revenue set to grow in 2021, accounts for more than half the overall market
- Social and competitive features, a double-edged sword
- Apple forces mobile advertisers to address consumer privacy
Global Gaming Market Size
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- Mobile gaming revenue forecast to grow in 2021 while PC and console revenue decline
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- Figure 7: Global gaming revenue, 2019-23 (forecast)
Market Factors
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- Targeted harassment toward women in gaming threatens to alienate gamers
- Consumer privacy vs mobile advertisers: Apple strikes back
- Consumer adoption of 5G removes major barrier to cloud gaming
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- Figure 8: Interest in 5G, 2021
- Apple still attracts largest share of mobile gamers, but will it matter?
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- Figure 9: Mobile gamers’ primary smartphone brand, 2021
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Competition in the mobile gaming market escalates
- Gaming franchises go multiplatform
- Riot games is building a League of Legends cinematic universe
- Global esports have arrived in mobile gaming
Competitive Strategies
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- Established franchises step into mobile gaming with a big advantage
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- Figure 10: Google Search Interest for “mobile games” and “Fortnite,” 2017-21
- The rise of the independent game developer
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- Figure 11: Sky: Children of Light summer teaser trailer, June 2020
Market Opportunities
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- Now is the time to forge a mobile gaming legacy
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- Figure 12: League of Legends: Wild Rift cinematic trailer, October 2020
- The dawn of mobile esports is here
- A new player enters the cloud gaming arena: Amazon
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- Figure 13: Amazon advertisement for Luna, September 2020
- Could mobile games build a mod developer community? They should.
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Mobile gaming approaches ubiquity with smartphones leading the charge
- Mobile could start attracting more competitive gamers
- The duality of gamer dads: mobile games are for both connection and escape
- Mobile gamers are satisfied but not necessarily engaged
Gaming Devices Used
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- Gaming approaches market saturation, but mobile brands have a couple advantages
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- Figure 14: Share of US adults who play video games, any device vs mobile devices, 2018-21
- Tablet gaming struggles to gain mass appeal
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- Figure 15: Gaming devices used, 2021
- Majority of women aged 18-34 play mobile games
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- Figure 16: Gaming devices used, by gender and age, 2021
- Fathers engage with gaming across all devices
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- Figure 17: Gaming devices used, by gender and parental status, 2021
- Interest in gaming consistent across race and household income
- Mobile games have opportunity to deepen engagement or reengage lapsed players
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- Figure 18: Gaming devices used, by race and household income, 2021
Frequency of Playing Games
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- Majority of gamers play weekly
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- Figure 19: Gaming frequency, 2021
- Women gamers aged 55+ like to play daily
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- Figure 20: Gaming frequency, by gender and age, 2021
Mobile Gaming Genres Played
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- Staple mobile game genres continue driving consumer interest
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- Figure 21: Mobile gaming genres played, 2021
- Action, racing and combat strategy games have larger audience in cities
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- Figure 22: Mobile gaming genres played – Select items, by area, 2021
- AR and open-world mobile games draw young and higher household income gamers
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- Figure 23: Mobile gaming genres played – Select items, by age and household income, 2021
Motivations for Gaming
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- Mobile games are relaxing. Could they become more?
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- Figure 24: Motivations for gaming, 2021
- For dads, gaming is a source of social connection
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- Figure 25: Motivations for gaming, by gender and parental status, 2021
Spending on Mobile Games
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- Burgeoning interest in subscriptions highlights cloud gaming opportunity
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- Figure 26: Spending on mobile games, 2021
- Younger gamers drive mobile spending. Brands likely missing opportunities with older gamers.
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- Figure 27: Spending on mobile games, by gender and age, 2021
- Majority of mobile game purchasers spend less than $30/month on mobile games
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- Figure 28: Estimated monthly spending on mobile games, 2021
Key Drivers of Satisfaction in Mobile Gaming
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- Satisfaction doesn’t mean excitement
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- Figure 29: Key drivers of mobile gaming satisfaction, 2021
- Methodology
- Cost, online multiplayer, mobile accessories present areas for improvement
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- Figure 30: Key drivers of mobile gaming satisfaction, 2021
- Younger mobile gamers show lower satisfaction with mobile game quality
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- Figure 31: Key drivers of mobile gaming satisfaction – Quality of games, by age, 2021
- Cost is a major barrier to satisfaction for older female gamers
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- Figure 32: Key drivers of mobile gaming satisfaction – Cost of games, by gender and age, 2021
Attitudes toward Mobile Gaming
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- Attitudes regarding playing mobile games varied, a challenge for developers and advertisers
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- Figure 33: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, 2021
- Consumers may prioritize other hobbies after COVID-19, but mobile game spending will stay healthy
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- Figure 34: Attitudes toward mobile gaming – Priorities and subscriptions, by gender and age, 2021
- Larger households may be fighting over access to shared gaming devices
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- Figure 35: Attitudes toward mobile gaming – Opportunities to play, by household size, 2021
Mobile Gamer Consumer Segments
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- Factors
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- Figure 36: Mobile gamer segmentation, 2021
- Mobile Gaming Escapists (30%)
- Demographics
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- Figure 37: Profile of Mobile Gaming Escapists, 2021
- Characteristics
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- Figure 38: Prepandemic playing habits and gaming motivations, by mobile gamer segments, 2021
- Opportunities
- Mobile Gaming Futurists (35%)
- Demographics
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- Figure 39: Profile of Mobile Gaming Futurists, 2021
- Characteristics
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- Figure 40: 5G smartphone ownership and interest and competitor vs social gamer, by mobile gamer segments, 2021
- Opportunities
- Mobile Gaming Burnouts (35%)
- Demographics
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- Figure 41: Profile of Mobile Gaming Burnouts, 2021
- Characteristics
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- Figure 42: Satisfaction with mobile gaming and any mobile game purchases, by mobile gamer segments, 2021
- Opportunities
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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