2017 Mobile Gaming Apps Report Analysis: Engagement by Gaming Subcategory
In the previous post covering the Liftoff 2017 Mobile Gaming Apps report, we focused on monthly CPI and IAP trends in marketing gaming apps. In this post we breakdown engagement by gaming subcategory and provide valuable insights into which types of games generate the highest value and rates of engagement.
Acquisition Costs
The analysis focused on 6 different popular gaming subcategories on iOS and Android: action-adventure, card, casino, casual, puzzle and strategy games. Not surprisingly, casual games lead the pack with the lowest CPIs and first-time CPAs. This is likely due to a gameplay experience with a minimal learning curve and limited commitment of time to play, which results in the lowest CPI and cost-per-IAP across all subcategories. Casual gamers are less expensive to acquire and convert with the cost-per-IAP a staggering 4.25x less than casino games.
Adventure, strategy and casino players cost the most to acquire and convert out of the group. Competition and higher value users that tend to play these games for months, as opposed to days, is the most likely reason. Casino players are the most expensive to acquire in terms of both CPI and IAP, which come in at $7.28 and $113.92 respectively.
Install-to-Purchase Rates
Interestingly, action-adventure games, despite their problem-solving nature and storyline, have the lowest in-app-purchase (IAP) engagement rate compared to the other gaming subcategories. This could be explained by a number of different factors, including the quality of the game, the payment mechanics, or the actual gameplay lifespan. However, there is ample evidence that you can extract high value out of card game players as they are 241% more likely to purchase in-app than players of action-adventure gaming apps.
Download the whole report to learn more about mobile gaming apps, including engagement by platform, gender, and region.
If you want to learn more about this report, watch our on-demand webinar recording where we discuss the findings from top to bottom with one of our Mobile Heroes.