Emerging Trends in Mobile Gaming for 2024

The mobile gaming industry is deeply intertwined with innovations and trends from various fields, leading to evolving audience demands. To maintain player engagement, it's crucial to update strategies promptly, test new hypotheses, and address current needs. This article explores the trends shaping the mobile game development landscape and strategies for retaining audiences amidst constant changes. The mobile game development landscape mirrors the broader economic climate. Recent years have seen record-high key rates, making loans more expensive and less available to businesses. As a result, investments have become more costly, and the number of venture projects in the mobile gaming industry has declined. Looking back, it's clear that there are significantly fewer daring and innovative experiments today. Developers have shifted their focus towards tried-and-tested and highly predictable gaming models, gravitating towards casual genres and midcore while stepping back from hypercasual projects. Zimad has seen an increase in offers to sell well-established projects with a solid track record of ad monetization, which was less common a few years ago. Live operations have become an integral part of mobile game development. One of the key trends in live ops will be the increasing importance of events supported by IP collaborations. Another trend is the development of new event monetization methods, with a focus on premium reward systems and additional paid features during events. This opens up new monetization opportunities, particularly for content accessible only through payment. Live ops will also see an increase in the use of narrative elements, social components, and meta-games, making events more appealing to players. These events evolve beyond mere tasks into a 'game within the game,' contributing to increased player engagement. Collaborations continue to capture the attention of brands across all categories. Businesses are opting to attract new audiences through partnerships with well-known brands or those that align perfectly with their target audience. Zimad has partnered with brands like National Geographic, Disney, Marvel, Life, and Nickelodeon, introducing thematic puzzle packs in Magic Jigsaw Puzzles. These packs aim to attract new audiences while retaining the interest of existing players. Each collaboration is carefully planned, with both brands assessing each other, seeking common values, evaluating audience relevance, and articulating the message that this partnership should convey. Having a franchise can significantly reduce the cost of traffic from a marketing perspective. If a game is based on a popular franchise like The Lord of the Rings, fans will be drawn to it. However, if the game itself is of poor quality, even the most popular IP won't save it. The success of Kabam Studios' Marvel: Contest of Champions and Marvel Strike Force, as well as Machine Zone Studios' ad campaign featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, demonstrate the effectiveness of using a franchise or celebrity to promote a game. Surveys among players who spend between $5 and $25 a month on mobile games indicate that the most important element in choosing a new game, besides gameplay, is story, setting, and theme. It can be assumed that people will be more active in downloading games that immerse them in a familiar world with their favorite characters. According to a recent Gamesforum Intelligence study, revenue diversification ranks third among the challenges of the gaming market in terms of app monetization. Declining advertising eCPMs, rising CPI, and the resulting drop in revenues are forcing developers to change products to engage different segments of players: those willing to make in-game purchases and those more likely to watch ads for similar in-game bonuses. Developers of hypercasual games that profit from advertising are looking to shift to in-app monetization, adding unfamiliar functionality like soft paywalls and subscriptions. Conversely, owners of casual and midcore games are considering integrating advertising to compensate for the decline in revenue, with rewarded video placements for non-paying players being a common option. Successful implementation of hybrid monetization requires tight collaboration between product and ad monetization teams. In-app advertising and in-app purchasing features should be equally available to players, shaping their gaming experience depending on their preferences. Proper audience segmentation with different game flows also opens up new marketing opportunities. Zimad has integrated subscriptions into its flagship Magic Jigsaw Puzzles, which was previously monetized primarily through advertising. The company continues to work on balancing IAA and IAP revenue in its other games. AI accelerates content creation and graphic rendering, significantly increasing the number of games available in mobile app stores. This gives rise to new formats directly related to AI-generated content, such as the Sora tool from OpenAI, which can create advertising creatives. For AI to truly benefit the business, responsible individuals should monitor the use of modern tools in all departments. New solutions will automate the work of game designers, serve as assistants in game design documentation, and create digital clones of gaming systems, facilitating more accurate forecasting of A/B test results. Many games within particular genres are quite similar, making it essential to find ways to stand out and retain the audience. This requires regularly monitoring player feedback, understanding their needs and concerns, studying analytics, and responding to trends. Creating content related to global events or universal visual trends can help. Updating content should rely on the experience of UA campaigns, mapping the pathway from ad creative assets to in-game content. Introducing new mechanics and mini-games that can impact retention metrics is also crucial. A comprehensive approach to content promotion, using a wide range of marketing tools, is necessary to retain players and encourage users to return to the app. Other trends to consider in 2024 include the growth of the mobile gaming sector in developing countries like India, where digital coverage and device availability are increasing. Adapting apps for new markets requires sensitivity to cultural values, local holidays, traditions, and taboos. The trend of nostalgia has intensified, with many people seeking nostalgic sentiments and the chance to reconnect with the past. This trend resonates with both adult audiences and Generation Z, and is reflected in the rising sales of vinyl records and the comeback of film cameras. The emphasis on self-care is another prevailing global trend, with the mobile gaming industry focusing on benefits for users. Games like Pokémon Sleep promote healthy sleeping habits, and developers are integrating in-app events centered around charitable activities, increasing player loyalty. Not long ago, Israeli mobile game company Playtika joined the global tree planting campaign, aiming to restore forests around the world. Players completed specially created levels, earning in-game rewards equal to the trees planted, resulting in over 300,000 trees being planted.