Wrapping Up Think Games by Google

It’s time to wrap up ThinkGames (by Deconstructor of Fun and Google) and share some notes and highlights:

• Last year’s predictions about layoffs and vc winter came true, with fewer investments and smaller checks observed for new titles.
• Market consolidation is strengthening, with the top 5 games in each category claiming a larger piece of the revenue cake.
• Most revenue comes from titles that have been on the market for over 5 years. Launching new successful titles is increasingly challenging, though not impossible as seen with Monopoly GO.
• The gaming market has matured, requiring developers to navigate it more deliberately (vs lean).
• 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗢𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗣𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀.
• In general, games are recovering slower than apps from the post-Covid IAP decline.

However, there is always space for a silver lining and promising trends:

✨ Hybrid games are on the rise, reaching $2 billion in revenue.
✨ Subscription model can bring more monetization opportunities to the table (12% is the expected revenue share of subscription-based games within total mobile gaming by 2027)
✨ Subscriptions can enhance retention and engagement through personalized content and offers.
✨ AI presents numerous opportunities to optimize costs, enhance creativity, and boost game metrics. There were several lectures on the topic, which you can watch in recording for inspiration.

As always, knowledge is best consumed in good conversations – it was a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people in one place 😊