Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Gaming forecast to reach £2.03 billion by 2024
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- Figure 1: Forecast for the value of the UK mobile gaming market, 2014-24
- Gaming continues to be the largest app category for purchasing
- Mobile advertising spend doubles in the space of a year
- The emergence of 5G, cloud and AR technologies will power mobile gaming market
- Streaming services to compete to who can be the Netflix of gaming
- Companies and brands
- Pokémon Masters launches early on Android and iOS to a deluge of demand
- Top freemium titles still leading the way on App Store and Google Play
- Tencent leads investment and acquisition activity
- Activision Blizzard eyes up new advertising and marketing activity
- AR genre gets two new marquee releases
- The consumer
- Puzzle trivia and word games continue to be the most popular
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- Figure 2: Types of game played on mobile device in the last six months, July 2019
- Smartphone predominately the go to device for gaming
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- Figure 3: Devices used to play mobile games, July 2019
- Mobile gaming is most popular in the home environment, but other settings prove popular gaming occasions
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- Figure 4: Locations of mobile gaming, July 2019
- Virtual and augmented reality games are not yet seen as the holy grail by consumers
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- Figure 5: Appetite for VR and AR games, July 2019
- A paid for subscription service for mobile gaming could attract a variety of audiences
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- Figure 6: Interest in paid for streaming service for mobile games, July 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Technological infrastructure and developments will power the mobile gaming market to new heights by 2022
- The facts
- The implications
- Gaming subscription models will be the next gold rush for content platforms
- The facts
- The implications
- Mobile advertising spend doubles in the space of a year with Gameloft overtaking Niantic as the number one spender
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Mobile gaming continues its upward growth trajectory
- Gaming is the most popular category on revenue on both the app store and Google Play in the first half of 2019
- 2019 looks set to be a ground-breaking year for the mobile gaming genre
- Beyond 2019, Mintel forecasts that the mobile gaming market will continue to see further growth until 2022
- Gaming continues to be the largest app category for purchasing
- The cloud set to unlock mobile gaming potential as tech giants scramble to be first mover
- Augmented Reality looks set to surpass Virtual Reality in developer’s agenda and AI set to influence game development and gameplay
- Investment in mobile gaming hits record highs in 2019
Market Size and Forecast
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- Mobile gaming continues its upward growth trajectory
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- Figure 7: Forecast for the value of the UK mobile gaming market, 2014-24
- Figure 8: Forecast for the value of the UK mobile gaming market, 2014-24
- New technologies to drive further growth over the next five years
- Player acquisition and retention remains challenging
- Forecast methodology
Market Drivers
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- Gaming continues to be the largest app category for purchasing
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- Figure 9: App purchasing, July 2019
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- Figure 10: In-app purchasing, July 2019
- 5G set to enhance mobile gaming experience
- Cloud gaming set to unlock mobile gaming potential
- AR looks set to surpass VR on developers’ agendas
- Continual improvements in AI technology set to drive the market forward
- Analysing player behaviour
- Identifying potential revenue streams
- Enhancing other new technologies
- Speciality gaming phones will drive user experience and provide infrastructure for innovation
- Mobile esports continued their upward trajectory
- Freemium games still lead the way in revenue generated
- Loot boxes continue to be monitored by government
- Investment in mobile gaming hits record highs in 2019
- Direct to consumer propositions – The next gold rush?
- Blockchain’s impact on the gaming landscape
- Companies from outside the gaming sphere, look to make an imprint by gamifying their stable of brands
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Tech giants set out their cloud gaming vision
- Call of Duty: Mobile – Breaks records on release of its free-to-play app game
- Mario Kart Tour September release hits 4.1 million downloads in its first month
- Pokémon Masters launches early on Android and iOS to a deluge of demand
- Konami Slates October release for flagship PES mobile title
- New AR titles released
- Developers continue to capitalise on the global esports phenomenon
- Mobile advertising spend doubles in the space of a year with Gameloft overtaking Niantic as the number one spender
- Niantic makes use of cinema to support Harry Potter: Wizard Unite
- In-game advertising creates its own opportunities
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Apple Arcade and Google Stadia set to be the marquee launches of 2019
- Other tech giants launch their own cloud mobile gaming services
- Microsoft enters the arena with xCloud
- Pokémon Masters launches early on Android and iOS to a deluge of demand
- Konami Slates October release for flagship PES mobile title
- Mario Kart Tour September release hits 90 million downloads in its first week, but monetisation strategy dogs the success
- Mobile versions of cult classics to launch at the back end of 2019
- Board Games to become mobile apps
- Final Fantasy… gets multi-player treatment
- New AR titles released
- Call of Duty: Mobile – Breaks records on release of its free-to-play app game
- Developers continue to capitalise on the global esports phenomenon
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Mobile advertising spend doubles in the space of a year with Gameloft overtaking Niantic as the number one spender
- Niantic makes use of cinema to support Harry Potter: Wizard Unite
- In-game advertising creates its own opportunities
- In-game influencers
- Activision Blizzard invests in mobile gaming advertising
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- Figure 11: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure, August 2018-July 2019
- Nielsen Ad Intel
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Gaming app usage static, but overtaken by finance/payment category
- Puzzle, trivia and word games continue to be the most popular
- Male bias remains in key genres but with signs that change is coming
- Older generations are engaged with mobile games
- Smartphone the go to device for gaming
- 5G set to underscore mobile gaming’s dominance
- The smartphone could be a proxy for the console
- Mobile gaming is most popular in the home environment
- VR and AR games not seen as the Holy Grail by consumers
- Genre drives varying levels of in-game expenditure
- A paid-for subscription service could attract a variety of audiences
App Usage
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- Gaming app usage static, but overtaken by finance/payment category
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- Figure 12: Regularity of app usage by category, July 2019
Genres Played
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- Puzzle, trivia and word games continue to be the most popular
- Male bias remains in key genres but with signs that change is coming
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- Figure 13: Types of games played on mobile devices, July 2019
- Older generations are engaged with mobile games
Devices Used to Play Mobile Games
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- Smartphone the go to device for gaming
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- Figure 14: Devices used to play mobile games, July 2019
- 5G set to underscore mobile gaming’s dominance
- The smartphone could be a proxy for the console
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- Figure 15: Devices utilised for gaming, July 2019
Locations for Mobile Gaming
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- Mobile gaming is most popular in the home environment
- Gaming on the go set to get a 5G boost
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- Figure 16: Locations of mobile gaming, July 2019
Augmented and Virtual Reality Gaming
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- VR and AR games not seen as the Holy Grail by consumers
- The rules of gameplay design still apply to AR/VR titles
- AR can connect seniors with online communities
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- Figure 17: Appetite for VR and AR games, July 2019
Spending on Games and Additional Content
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- Genre drives varying levels of in-game expenditure
- Arcade micro-transactions and multiplayer enhancements
- In-game gifting can create a virtuous circle
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- Figure 18: Spend on smartphone games and additional content or access, July 2019
Interest in Game Streaming Subscriptions
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- A paid-for subscription service could attract a variety of audiences
- Families could be key targets
- Broadening access beyond traditional gaming audiences
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- Figure 19: Interest in paid for streaming service for mobile games, July 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Market forecast
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- Figure 20: Forecast for the value of the UK mobile gaming market, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
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