Our experts at CrazyLabs have shared their top predictions and trends for 2024 in the mobile gaming industry. Each department offers their insights:
HYBRID-CASUAL
“The mobile gaming industry is undergoing significant changes, particularly within the hybrid-casual games sector. This is driven by market saturation with hyper-casual games and the challenges of releasing new hyper-games. It’s also crucial to recognize the maturation of the player base and the demand for more robust progression mechanics.
We’re observing a notable shift in monetization strategies, with hybrid-casual games leaning towards in-app purchases instead of traditional reliance on ad revenue.”
Eitan R., VP of Product (Hybrid)
USER ACQUISITION
“The era of pursuing “low cost-per install (CPI)” for user acquisition is over. The focus has shifted to return on ad spend (ROAS) campaigns and post-install event optimization. Our strategy now involves leveraging in-app ads (IAA) and in-app purchase (IAP) revenue to optimize ad spend and emphasize returns.
We also expect major changes in user acquisition dynamics in 2024 due to the new privacy changes of Apple’s SKAN 4.0 and Google’s Privacy Sandbox.”
Nimrod K., VP of User Acquisition
IDEATION & PRODUCT DESIGN
“In 2024, we anticipate the following trends:
- Personalization: Allowing customization of game elements to cater to players’ desire for personalization.
- Social playing: Recognizing the demand for social gaming, player-versus-player (PvP), and party gaming.
- Trending themes:
- Connections to relatable themes like money and materials such as liquids, slime, jelly, and niche sports.”‘
Moria, T., VP of Creative & Product Design
MARKETING CREATIVE
“In 2024, we foresee the increasing use of AI in crafting marketing visuals, longer-form ads, high-quality produced ads, and the effectiveness of playable ads.”
Raquel K., Head of Creative Marketing, and Creative Marketing Team
AD MONETIZATION
“With the industry shift towards hybrid-casual, we expect publishers to adjust their monetization strategy and focus on in-app purchases (IAPs) and subscriptions. We also anticipate a surge in hybrid-casual gaming influencing income tied to in-game advertising (IAA) monetization.”
Igor I., VP of Ad-Monetization
AI & INNOVATION
“AI is positioned for breakthroughs, particularly in hyper and hybrid-casual genres. We expect innovations in AI inputs and outputs to revolutionize game advertising and cutscene creation.”
Nir M., Director of AI & Innovation
DATA TECH
“The rapid growth of generative AI will significantly impact the work of data engineers, BI developers, and analysts. Tools like ChatGPT can analyze data per request, requiring data experts to ensure compatibility with AI tools and focus on more complex tasks.”
Yifat S. VP of Data
DATA & ANALYTICS
“Players are gravitating towards more familiar games, creating a challenging landscape for new games to break through. This shift demands a highly accurate analytics approach early on, focusing on the targeted demographics and user interaction with game features.”
Gjorgji M., Head of Analytics and Data Science
GROWTH PLATFORMS
“In 2024, the ability to test and optimize creatives will have a critical impact. The era of relying on Meta to identify promising concepts is over, and publishers need to combine insights from multiple sources before deciding which prototypes have the potential to become successful games.”
Uri D., VP of Product, Growth Platforms
As we step into 2024, the insights from CrazyLabs’ gaming experts paint a picture of the evolving mobile gaming industry. From the rise of hybrid-casual games to the shift in user acquisition strategies and innovations in the artificial intelligence space, the industry is set for a transformative year.
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