It’s time to wrap up ThinkGames (by Deconstructor of Fun and Google) and share some notes and highlights:
โข Last year’s predictions about layoffs and vc winter came true, with fewer investments and smaller checks observed for new titles.
โข Market consolidation is strengthening, with the top 5 games in each category claiming a larger piece of the revenue cake.
โข 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.
โขย The gaming market has matured, requiring developers to navigate it more deliberately (vs lean).
โขย ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ฝ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐๐.
โขย 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:
โจ Hybrid games are on the rise, reaching $2 billion in revenue.
โจ 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)
โจ Subscriptions can enhance retention and engagement through personalized content and offers.
โจ 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 ๐
