This article is part of an ongoing series of data-driven articles from PocketGamer.biz and App Annie highlighting trends in the global mobile games sector using App Annie’s app market data.
In this week’s column, we’re considering its new Q2 2021 market report.
Still rising hard
The report highlights the growth the app ecosystem has continued to experience post-lockdown. During Q2 2021, global spending across all apps was $34 billion, up $2 billion quarter-on-quarter or $7 billion year-on-year.
Spending through Apple’s App Store was up 30 per cent year-on-year to $22 billion. Spending through Google Play was up 20 per cent to $12 billion. Gaming was by far the majority category for both stores.
Looking at the game category in more detail, average weekly downloads across Apple App Store and Google Play maintained a level of around one billion downloads during the three month period for the fifth straight quarter. This is a rise of 15 per cent compared to the average number of downloads per quarter in 2019. Weekly spending on games was around $1.7 billion, up 35 per cent on the average from 2019.
Considering specific games, velocity in terms of downloads during the quarter was dominated by hypercasual titles with Supersonic’s Bridge Race and Rollic’s Hair Challenge riding the viral wave to the top of charts. That stated, the download chart wasn’t just about hypercasual experiences. Garena’s shooter Free Fire maintained its popularity in fourth position, with Roblox at number 10 and the most downloaded mobile game of all time – Subway Surfers – at number six.
Change happens much more slowly on the consumer spending chart with Roblox continuing in the top position, but Cygames’ Japanese hit Uma Musume Pretty Derby rose 24 places to gain the number two spot. Supercell’s Clash of Clans also rose 12 places to re-enter the top 10.
You can view the full report via the App Annie website.
It’s also worth checking out App Annie and IDC’s gaming-specific report, which predicts total spending in mobile gaming will hit $120 billion in 2021.
