In today’s rapidly growing global mobile gaming market, casual and puzzle games have shown their unique appeal and significant commercial potential. Casual games, with their simple mechanics and easy accessibility, attract a wide range of non-core gamers. Meanwhile, puzzle games, known for their challenging puzzles and brain-training elements, have become popular among fans of intellectual games.
Casual and puzzle games represent the two largest genres in terms of quantity and marketing within the mobile gaming sector. According to SocialPeta, in Q1 2024, casual game advertisers accounted for 36.62% of the market, a year-over-year increase of 0.83%. Casual game creatives made up 39.59% of the market, an increase of 1.97% compared to the same period last year. Puzzle games are the second-largest genre, with advertisers and creative volumes accounting for 13.12% and 12.31%, respectively. The share of puzzle game advertisers grew by 2.1% from the previous year, marking the largest increase among all genres.
Furthermore, on the marketing front, many mid-to-hardcore products have shifted their gameplay positioning and acquisition strategies towards the casual market to comply with increasingly stringent privacy policies in app stores. A prime example from 2023 is the explosive trend of “mini-game” marketing. Additionally, the gameplay of many hit puzzle games has served as a blueprint for mini-game acquisition strategies. Many classic, high-quality puzzle mechanics have become the driving engines for hits in the instant games category.
To this end, SocialPeta has partnered with the globally renowned casual game publisher Supersonic from Unity to release the report “Marketing Insights into Global Casual & Puzzle Games for Q1 2024.” This report provides a detailed analysis of the market performance of casual and puzzle games, highlights the changes in global mobile game marketing trends for Q1 2024, and offers an in-depth analysis of how successful advertisers break into target markets with creative strategies. It aims to assist game developers and marketing professionals in more effectively leveraging acquisition marketing to maximize their products’ market potential.
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Mobile game advertisers release an average of 109 creatives per month, with new creatives making up 74.7% of the total each quarter.
This report provides a detailed analysis of global mobile gaming marketing trends for Q1 2024. The number of mobile game advertisers per month continues to show a clear growth trend, with an average of over 51,000 advertisers each month in Q1 2024, a 28.9% increase year-over-year. The average number of creatives per advertiser was 109 per month, reflecting an 18% decrease. However, the overall trend indicates that the intensity of creative deployment is stabilizing, with the average monthly creatives per advertiser in Q2 2024 expected to be between 110 and 120.
Although the average intensity of advertising has slowed, advertisers’ pursuit of new and innovative creative ideas remains strong. In Q1 2024, over 63,000 mobile game advertisers released new creatives, accounting for 84.2% of the total. SocialPeta captured more than 8.6 million new creatives during Q1, representing 74.7% of the total, an increase of 2.8% compared to the same period last year and approximately a 1% increase from Q4 2023.
Instant games have broken into the top advertising spots, with the primary marketing battleground remaining in Europe and America.
The report includes statistics for the top 20 casual and puzzle games in Q1 2024. For instance, in the top chart of casual games for iOS in Q1 2024, the leading position was held by the 4399 overseas instant game “Legend of Mushroom.” Other instant games such as “Doodle Magic,” “Pocha Gacho!,” and “Rent Please! Landlord Sim” also secured spots on the list.
On the Android side, the top casual advertiser was “MONOPOLY GO!” This advertiser had over 15,000 unique creative pieces in Q1, beginning advertising as early as July 2022 and accumulating more than 600 days of advertising. Overall, nearly 80% of the games on the list originated from East Asia, primarily from publishers in China and Southeast Asia.
Based on observations of advertising for casual and puzzle mobile games in top countries/regions in Q1 2024, the market remains primarily concentrated in Europe and America. Europe had the highest number of casual advertisers, with SocialPeta capturing nearly 18,000 advertisers during this period. Furthermore, Europe is the most competitive region for casual games, with an average of 173 creative pieces per advertiser in Q1.
The U.S. market was the most competitive for puzzle games, with an average of 147 creatives per advertiser in Q1, followed closely by the European market with an average of 144 creatives per advertiser. Additionally, the markets in Oceania, South America, and Southeast Asia also showed significant competition in the casual and puzzle genres. Notably, in South America, the average number of creative pieces per advertiser exceeded 130 during the quarter.
Climbing to the Top of the US Charts: Supersonic Boosts Global Hit Parkour Game “Build A Queen” to #1!
Hyper-casual games, particularly parkour-style hyper-casual games, have long been a crucial sub-category within casual gaming. “Build A Queen,” a globally successful parkour game that has reached the #1 spot on the US charts, exemplifies success factors that merit in-depth analysis.
The success of “Build A Queen” can be attributed to its unique creativity. The game combines parkour, puzzle-solving, and simulation elements, providing players with a stimulating and challenging experience. In its acquisition efforts, the game identifies commonalities in parkour games and emphasizes visual variation in creatives, significantly enhancing its marketability.
In terms of design, “Build A Queen” focuses on female players by incorporating elements and fashionable character costumes that appeal to women, such as transforming into a princess, mermaid, or nurse. The gameplay also includes beauty contest mechanics tailored to female players. To avoid the homogeneity typical of hyper-casual parkour games, the game introduces peripheral systems like base decoration and makeup instant games, as well as new content such as rotating levels and challenge mechanisms. These additions significantly enhance the overall fun and engagement of the game.
Under the guidance of Supersonic, “Build A Queen” entered the top four on Google Play in the US during its launch month and quickly climbed to the top, achieving a top ten global ranking. The report also includes additional hyper-casual case studies, which are available for download.
Additionally, this report includes a special section detailing the success of instant games in expanding the global market. It focuses on the creative features that have resonated in key overseas markets such as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
The above is a summary of this collaborative report. For more detailed information, please download the full report.
