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Mobile Games Downloads Heatmap 2024

Mobile Games Downloads Heatmap 2024 Here’s the breakdown by genre, with all the numbers:1. Hypercasual Games (https://lnkd.in/epJ6KA2Y) • Total Downloads: 12.9B (-9.9%) • Puzzle: 3.0B (-11.1%) • Arcade: 2.7B (-12.2%) • Runner: 1.5B (-14.5%) • Idle Arcade: 1.0B (21.9%) • Shooter: 542.8M (7.1%) • Simulation: 1.1B (-9.7%) • Clicker/Idle: 197.2M (-15.3%) • Other genres like Rhythm (-22.5%) and Satisfaction (-12.5%)2. Casual Games (https://lnkd.in/e6MViVcK) • Total Downloads: 28.3B (-1.3%) • Match-3: 885.3M (-19.9%) • Merge: 608.6M (20.5%) • Kids: 4.6B (0.8%) • Simulation: 4.3B (3.6%) • Bubble Shooter: 398.0M (-16.7%) • Hidden Objects: 235.4M (9.7%)3. Midcore Games (https://lnkd.in/eJ7_A4Ed) • Total Downloads: 12.4B (+0.4%) • Shooter: 2.4B (-3.2%) • Racing: 1.0B (10.0%) • Action/Brawl: 427.7M (34.9%) • Real-Time Strategy (RTS): 408.5M (14.6%) • Action RPG: 263.9M (20.5%) • Idle RPG: 234.5M (17.1%) • Card Battler: 97.1M (15.6%)Key Takeaways: • Hypercasual continues to […]

Anton Slashcev December 18

Journal

Survive(d) to 2025

As we head into 2025, the gaming world is buzzing with possibilities. New platforms, evolving player expectations, and industry shifts are all setting the stage for an exciting year. Drawing from insights shared by developers, publishers, and players, here’s a look at the key trends poised to shape gaming in 2025. “Play Anywhere” Is the Future Gaming is no longer tied to a specific device. In 2025, the “play anywhere” model is going to take off in a big way. Developers are focusing on creating seamless cross-platform experiences, whether on PC, console, mobile, or even web browsers. With the M4 chip, iPads are now capable of running increasingly complex games. While Apple’s early release of Death Stranding on iOS may have been ambitious, it signals the arrival of premium AAA titles on mobile. The technology is here, and 2025 is likely to […]

Adam Smart December 18

Journal

Sports Apps are becoming increasingly popular.

Sports apps are becoming increasingly popular. As I work on the business side of the sports industry, I decided to examine three types of sports apps: Sports Betting, Sports News, and Sports Games—from a data perspective. I am sharing some part of my analysis in this post. It should be interesting for anyone working with those topics and/or interested in Sports topics in general. A few elements: ▪️ Sports Betting grew significantly in 2023 and is growing strongly in 2024 still ▪️ That growth is especially visible on iOS (2023 was a period with very strong growth on Android and 2024 that focus moved more towards improving user quality, growing user loyalty) ▪️ Sports News and Sports Games have slower growth, although they have still very significant scale ▪️ We see more and more apps that focus not only on […]

Mariusz Gąsiewski December 18

Journal

Cross-Promotion for Mobile Games That Works

💫 Cross-Promotion for Mobile Games That Actually Works 🎮💡 Cross-promotion has been pitched as the "fix-all" for mobile UA post-IDFA and a big reason behind industry consolidation. But here’s the reality — I’ve never met a developer who says, “Yeah, we’ve nailed cross-promotion.”We invited Gonçalo from BoomBit — a studio that’s managed to scale cross-promotion into something meaningful. Cross-promotion now generates 13% of BoomBit's profits. Here’s what you need to know:🚀 When it works best: During the pre-scaling (to help with early profitability) and sunset phases (to help elongate a game's lifecycle.🎯 How to do it right: Cross-promotion needs to be done via a standalone ad unit, not embedded in your mediation stack.📱 What drives installs: The most effective format is an optional games menu (shown below) where users browse other games. At BoomBit, this menu drives 85% of cross-promotion […]

Felix Braberg December 17

Journal

Push Notifications Guide

Push Notifications Guide Based on the Playliner research, here’s how to master push notifications:1. Time-Based Notifications • Game reminders after 24 hours of inactivity • Daily bonuses for rewards • Limited-time offer alerts • Event notifications (start, mid-event, and end reminders) • Booster expiration warnings2. Action-Based Notifications • Achievement unlocked: Celebrate player milestones • Friend/enemy activity: Updates on gifts, requests, or teams • Resource collection ready: Alert when resources are available • Progress milestones: Highlight new levels or achievements3. Best times to send notifications: • Morning (7:00–9:00): Game reminders, team updates • Midday (9:00–12:00): Resource updates, rewards • Evening (18:00–20:00): Event pushes, offer reminders4. Tips to keep players engaged: • Be concise: Short, action-focused messages • Incentivize: Highlight rewards and progress • Personalize: Use player names and in-game activity • Time it right: Avoid sending too many or off-peak hours5. […]

Anton Slashcev December 17

Highlights

Agave Games, Creator of Find the Cat, secures $18M

A Turkish startup, Agave Games, known for its hit mobile game Find the Cat, has raised $18 million in Series A funding. The game, inspired by Where’s Wally-style puzzles, has players search for hidden cats in increasingly complex drawings. The funds will help Agave grow its team and develop at least two new games within the next year. The casual mobile gaming market, including puzzle and farm-building games, remains highly profitable. Find the Cat has been a massive success, surpassing 10 million downloads just three months after its August release, with revenues of $10 million on Android alone, according to SensorTower. Investors see it as “the next Tripledot,” a successful casual game studio. The funding round was co-led by Felix Capital and Balderton Capital, with participation from E2VC. All three firms were early investors, with Balderton also leading Agave’s seed […]

Ömer Yakabagi December 17

Journal

Main differences between VCs and Angel Investors

What are the main differences between VCs and angel investors: - Angels invest their own money, VCs invest other people's money (LPs)- Angels can decide instantly, VCs need internal discussions and often weeks of due diligence- Angels can invest in whatever interests them, VCs must follow their fund's thesis- Angels typically write smaller checks ($25k-250k), VCs often need to deploy big checks per deal- VCs need companies to be huge ($1B+) to return their fund, angels can win with smaller exits- Angels often invest based on gut feel and relationships, VCs need data and proof points- VCs have pressure to deploy capital within 3-4 years, angels can invest at their own pace- Angels are usually happy with 3-5x returns, VCs need 10x+ to make their model work- Angels have often been founders themselves, VCs might have a big team and […]

Joakim Achren December 17

Journal

New week, new case study!

New week, new case study! 🤓 Today I’m sharing a success story with one of my oldest clients: We have been working together for 13 months and what we have achieved together is simply amazing.When I started with this game, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 €𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐊 𝐌𝐑𝐑 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 €𝟑𝟓–𝟒𝟎𝐊/𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡..The game had strong metrics and significant organic presence in one market (which was responsible of 99% of the revenue) and it was generating solid revenue. However, the campaigns (managed by a well-known agency) were an absolute mess as they were optimizing for non-valuable events.I didn’t use any magic tricks or do anything that good UA professionals wouldn’t know. I simply applied logic:📢If a game monetizes through in-app purchases, you need to "teach" the algorithms to find users who actually make those purchases. Otherwise you are wasting time, money and resources.I […]

David Vargas December 17

Journal

Mobile vs. Attribution: Web & App

The word "attribution" is increasingly common in discussions, and its importance will likely surge in the coming months, especially concerning the interplay between websites and apps. This is driven by several factors: ✅ Multi-device Usage: People are using more devices to access the internet, making it harder to track their journeys. ✅ Shifting Priorities: Businesses are focusing on loyalty and optimizing complex purchase channels, leading to a greater need for rich first-party data. This has increased the importance of apps in sectors like finance, travel, and retail, while improvements in web technology have boosted its relevance in areas like gaming. ✅ Complex User Journeys: As users switch between devices and platforms, their journeys become more complex, often spanning both web and app environments. We'll see a rise in web and app interactions, further complicating attribution. ✅ Privacy Changes: Privacy limitations are […]

Mariusz Gąsiewski December 17

Journal

Investors asking Founders to have longer vesting and cliffs is seen as hostile

Investors asking founders to have longer vesting and cliffs (like 5-year vesting with 2-year cliff) is often seen as hostile by founders. Here's why this misconception happens:Founders don't realize how the VC path works: in early-stage startups, there's always another round where new investors will scrutinize the company. The vesting is designed to safeguard the company and its cap table.Think about it: Would you feel comfortable if a founder could leave the company in a year or two and take 20% of the company with them?What does a new investor think about that 20%? Most likely that this company has 20% of its cap table not contributing to its success.

Joakim Achren December 17

Journal

Game Analysis: Spyke Games’ Tile Busters

Game Mechanics Tile Busters is a tile-matching game where players tap groups of three matching tiles to clear them, managing limited space in the rack as they go. Its simple core mechanic makes it easy to pick up and play. After each level, players earn hammers, which they use to gradually add assets in the backgrounds. Once completed, these backgrounds change, and players move to a new setting. Taking inspiration from popular match-3 games like Royal Match, Tile Busters incorporates obstacles into its gameplay, setting it apart from similar titles like Zen Match, which is currently working to add obstacles. Tile Busters’ obstacles include crates, ice blocks, and chained tiles, each requiring multiple matches or specific boosters to clear. Although these challenges add depth, the game’s reliance on similar obstacle types can make the gameplay loop feel somewhat predictable. Match-3 obstacles are never gonna let you down! Tile Busters motivates players […]

Aylin YAZICI December 16

Highlights

Mobile Gaming Today: 39

Ahoj!I feel like most of us are already in "Holiday Mode Activated" 🎄Just counting down the days until Christmas & NY, lol.Honestly, it feels like December is the Friday of the year, and we’re all just waiting for the party to start ☃️Very sooooon¯\_(ツ)_/¯Mobile Marketing» Creative Trend: Near-Death Snake Experience😶‍🌫️ 2025: Growth, UA & Monetisation👑 Why Royal Kingdom isn’t paying off💀 A/B test in iOS: 4 weeks to get significance?🎮 What do gamers expect from Rewarded Ads?📚 Top 10 Grossing Word Games +38% IAP ARPDAU🤘🏻 UGC Trends: Organic Trends for Paid Campaigns🦧 Multiplayer Mini-games by YouTube⚡ Game Pubs: Hyper to Hybrid Casual👾 Useful Rewarded Video insights💬 Meanwhile, in Telegram Games…😶‍🌫️ 2025 CMO ConsiderationsIndustry Highlights» Predictions for Mobile Ad Tech 2025☃️ VC Jargon?🏆 Game Iteration Success⚔️ Core vs. Meta in Mobile Games💡 How to generate hit game ideas?📖 FTUE Guide For […]

Gamigion December 16

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