The number of mobile users in 2020 is believed to be on track to hit 3.5 billion, which is around 45 percent of the world’s total population.
In 2020, the total number of smartphone users worldwide will reach 3.5 billion, representing year-on-year growth of +6.7%. By 2023, there will be 4.1 billion smartphone users globally,
growing at a 2018-2023 CAGR of +6.2%. Much of the growth will be driven by emerging regions.
Active Smartphones and 5G-Ready Smartphones
Across the world, there will be 4.2 billion smartphones in active use in 2020, with a year-on-year growth of +6.3%. By 2023, the number of total active smartphones in use will reach 4.8 billion. Among all active smartphones, 199.7 million will be 5G-ready by 2020, representing impressive year-on-year growth of +1,214.7%. By 2023, there will be 2.1 billion 5G-ready smartphones globally, accounting for 42.7% of all active smartphones. The global number of 5G-ready smartphones will grow at a strong three-year CAGR (2020-2023) of +117.9%.
Mobile Game Revenue Forecast
In 2020, global mobile game revenues will grow to $77.2 billion, a year-on-year growth of +13.3%. By 2023, global mobile game revenues are set to cross the $100 billion line, reaching
$102.8 billion. In 2020, $38.8 billion in revenues—or 50.2% of the total global mobile game revenues—will come from the iOS platform. Revenues generated by mobile games downloaded from Google Play will reach $27.9 billion, 36.1% of the total market. Mobile game revenues from all third-party Android stores will account for the remaining $10.6 billion,
13.8% of the total.
From Hypercasual to Hybrid-Casual
The era of hypercasual on mobile is branching out into exciting new areas. Mobile advertising analytics company ironSource concluded at Gamefest 2018 that the hypercasual
genre is effectively a funnel for converting mobile players into mobile (game) payers by analyzing the aggregated data of 2.5 billion users in ironSource’s network over two years.
Hypercasual’s dramatic popularity spike between 2017 and 2020 led to an oversaturation of players, aggravated further by the increasing number of companies entering the space.
These factors—along with a lack of viable, long-term monetization for the genre—have led many publishers to rethink their hypercasual strategies.
One approach many companies have adopted is retaining the core principles and mechanics of hyper-casual game design but adding a layer of meta-design elements to increase the
lifetime value (LTV) of players, as exampled by Archero. This strategy shift led to the emergence of hybrid-casual games.
The hybridity of this new genre is twofold:
• Gameplay: While the games remain casual at their foundation, meta-game elements from
core genres—such as action-based role-playing games (ARPGs) and deck builders—are
added to the mix.
• Monetization: New ways to play lead to new ways to pay, including bundles and direct
purchases, as well as the ad-based revenues popular in the hypercasual space.
credits: newzoo
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About Goama
Is a casual engagement solution that turns any digital platform into a gaming powerhouse to boost engagement, reduce the cost of acquisition and increase brand awareness.
Driven by a rock n’ roll team of more than 100 years of combined experience in digital space and gaming, spanning across 10 countries, we are dedicated to delivering fresh games on our competitive platform every week. Our key partners in over 17 countries are driving in excess of 2 million minutes of game time per week.
