Data.ai has revealed its predictions for 2023 in the mobile gaming market, revealing an optimistic forecast for the coming year.
Mobile ad spend is set to continue its upward trajectory, reaching $362 billion. However, this represents a smaller increase than in previous years at 7.5 percent year-on-year, compared to a 14 percent increase between 2021 and 2022 and a 22.9 percent increase between 2020 and 2021.
Despite the increase in ad spend, the turbulent global economy and privacy regulations are predicted to have a knock-on effect on player spend. Consumer spending fell five percent in 2022 and is predicted to drop a further three percent in 2023. Despite this, figures still remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.
14 apps are predicted to exceed $2 billion in revenue, of which 11 are games. The 11 games are:
Call of Duty: Mobile
State of Survival: Zombie War
Brawl Stars
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Onmyogi Mirror Shouyun Returns
Empire and Puzzles
Professional Baseball Spirits A
Township
Marvel Contest of Champions
Bingo Blitz
Clash of Kings
Uma Musume Pretty Derby is forecast to continue its meteoric growth, becoming one of the fastest games ever to exceed $2 billion in revenue despite being available only in five markets.
A further seven apps, including three games (Lords Online, Slotomania, and Rise of Kingdoms), are predicted to surpass the $3 billion mark.
iQIYI and HBO Max are forecast to be the latest video streaming apps to exceed $3 billion, joining YouTube, TikTok, Netflix, and Disney+ and showcasing once again the appeal of video content on mobile devices.
Purchasing power
Mobile shopping hit an all time high during Black Friday 2022, accounting for nearly 50 percent of all sales among the top 100 internet retailers and 73 percent of sales for smaller merchants and brands. However, Data.ai predicts that 2023 will see consumers shift from retail to experiences such as travel and live events. The company also predicts that meditation apps will see significant growth next year as consumers “prioritise an experience of calm and stress reduction amidst a stressful economy.”
Finally, Data.ai predicts that mobile users will continue to increase their screentime, with 2023 forecast to see mobile time top 4 trillion hours worldwide. This is predicted to grow further at a compound annual growth rate of 6 percent, reaching 6 trillion in 2028.
Earlier this month, we worked with Data.ai to analyse the state of the mobile market in 2022.
