Top 10 Hybridcasual Games in Q1 2025: The Great Puzzle Takeover

The Great Genre Shift: from Hyper to Hybrid Last year was all about embracing Hybridcasual and adding depth to Hypercasual. Both large publishers and small studios took the simple, catchy cores of Hypercasual games and layered them with Casual features, adding boosters, meta systems, and more refined monetization. We covered this shift in detail in our Casual Games Report 2024! This wave of change also led us to adjust our own approach. As developers enhanced their UA with LiveOps and monetization upgrades, we realized it was time to level up our reporting, too, which is why our quarterly Hypercasual Games reports are going Hybridcasual! IAP growth of the Hypercasual market If you’re familiar with our navigation system (and if not, just have a quick look here), you might be wondering how we analyzed the Hybridcasual segment if there’s no dedicated tag for […]

Andrei Zubov April 23

Highlights

Gaming Industry: At A Glance

The new Konvoy report is out and it's one of my favourites to review. it's a clear indication that we are seeing capital injection into games and studios, which does have a direct and positive correlation to how the industry is doing right now. The good news is that based on this report we're seeing early signs of renewed vitality as we enter 2025, following a highly challenging couple of years marked by funding contractions and market hesitations. While total deal volumes and funding remain below peak 2021–2022 levels, the report shows (to me) the worst is behind us.Few points to highlight:- Private market funding in gaming grew +23% QoQ, climbing from $570M in Q4 2024 to $700M in Q1 2025. - Venture capital specifically saw $373M raised across 77 deals, a 35% increase in funding quarter-over-quarter, despite the number […]

John Wright April 16

Journal

The numbers for Q1 2025 here.

The numbers for Q1 2025 are in 👇 Every quarter, we take some time to analyse where the market is shifting, and not always in the ways we’d expect.📉 Android saw a drop in both downloads (-8.5%) and revenue (-4.8%) YoY.📈 iOS? Downloads dipped slightly, but revenue grew by 2.4% YoY. Players are spending more, even as installs slow down.But that’s not all:🧩 Puzzle and Casual games still dominate in downloads.⚔️ RPGs and Strategy games continue to lead in revenue.🇺🇸 The US drives monetization in Casual and Casino.🇯🇵 Japan loves RPGs and Simulation.🇨🇳 China is ramping up in Action and Strategy on iOS.

Richard Kos April 11

Highlights

Gaming M&A to $6.6B in Q1 2025: Scopely’s $3.5B Power Move

Aream & Co. Quarterly Gaming Report here. M&A activity surged to $6.6 billion in Q1 2025 — the highest in two years — more than doubling the $3.2B from Q1 2024. Leading the charge? Scopely’s massive $3.5 billion takeover of Niantic’s licensed games business — think Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now, Pikmin Bloom. That one deal alone carried the quarter, propelling M&A past even pre-pandemic highs. Without it, numbers would’ve slightly dipped year-over-year. Mobile gaming dominated, as usual, driving most of the quarter’s value. Private consolidators stayed aggressive despite financing hurdles, reshuffling portfolios, and hunting for opportunity. Miniclip followed close behind with a $1.2B acquisition of puzzle giant Easybrain The momentum didn’t stop at M&A: Mobile saw modest growth, with Asian studios like Habby, Dream Games, and Florere leading the U.S. market surge. On PC, Steam hit a record concurrent […]

Gamigion April 10

Highlights

Mobile Game Leaders: March 2025 Data

Hei, Hallo& SELAM! Welcome to the March’25 version of Mobile Game Leaders 🦄 February Data? Data source: AppMagic Global Leaderboard: Game Publishers Miniclip got #3. Hypercasual-Only? Ad Creative World Keep an eye on Saudi Arabia & Mintegral. Big moves there 👇🏻 Out of 257,000 Creatives on iOS Top GEOs by Impression US: 41% UK: 8% Japan: 8% France: 5% Canada: 4% South Korea: 3% Saudi Arabia: 3% Brazil: 3% Germany: 3% UAE: 2% Turkey: 2% Australia: 2% Mexico: 2% Top Ad Networks by Impression Mintegral: 33% Facebook: 21% Unity: 15% (%4 in Feb!) AppLovin: 11% Smadex: 5% Out of 418,000 Creatives on Android Top GEOs by Impression Indonesia: 14% India: 13% Brazil: 11% U.S: 10% Mexico: 9% Turkey: 6% S.Korea: 4% Ukraine, France, Saudi Arabia: 3% Spain & Germany: 2% Top Ad Networks by Impression AppLovin: 32% Mintegral: 25% Facebook: 12% AdMob: 12% Unity: 9% YouTube: […]

Gamigion April 6

Journal

My Takeaways from State of Subscription Apps

🔥 My key takeaways from the State of Subscription Apps 2025 Beyond the new candlestick charts that I really love (I am a HUGE investing freak), this year’s State of Subscription Apps report is packed with insights on how subscription apps have evolved. This is, in my opinion, the best report on the space, and for the first time, I’m sharing the four trends that stood out most to me:1️⃣ Another year, another drop in trial conversionWith such a saturated market, it’s no surprise that trial conversion rates are down across nearly all categories. Looking at specific categories, Fitness & Health seems to be one of the most affected, with a 4.6% drop—likely influenced by the explosion of AI fitness apps, which have been massively scaling through influencer marketing and web-to-app flows2️⃣Hard Paywalls can work but only if value is […]

David Vargas March 18

Highlights

2025 Unity Gaming Report: Key Findings

The State of Game Development in 2025 The gaming industry remains a global powerhouse, with over 3 billion active players and revenue surpassing $184 billion in 2024. Yet, studios are navigating a turbulent landscape marked by layoffs, closures, and financial uncertainty. Developers are balancing bold creativity with risk mitigation, leveraging technology and strategic decision-making to survive and thrive. 1. Managing Risk by Reducing Costs Studios are prioritizing efficiency. 60% of devs focus on maximizing the value of existing games rather than launching new ones. Strategies include lean teams, debt avoidance, live ops investments, and increased use of efficiency tools. Latin America is an emerging hotspot for game success and market expansion. Studios carefully weigh live update models to keep players engaged without overextending resources. 2. Experimenting with Multiplayer Experiences Multiplayer remains dominant, but approaches are evolving. 64% of studios are […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 18

Journal

Adjust’s new Gaming Report is out, good one!

Adjust’s new gaming report is out. As usual it’s a good one, I decided to go through and give you all my highlights: 1. Mobile is still King, Retention is the battle we all need to fight.• Mobile accounts for 49% of total gaming revenue, compared to both console (28%) and PC (23%).• 1.9 billion players are expected by 2027, showing continued growth.• Retention remains a challenge, with sessions down 0.6% YoY, despite a 4% increase in installs.2. AI Is Reshaping the Mobile Gaming Playbook• AI-driven procedural content generation is revolutionizing game development, making experiences more dynamic and personalized.• AI-powered player retention strategies predict churn and deliver customized incentives to keep users engaged.• AI-driven real-time pricing & ad optimization are improving monetization while enhancing the player experience.3. Cross-Platform Play Is a Must, Not a Luxury• Cross-play drives higher retention, increased […]

John Wright March 17

Journal

Mobile Gaming Rebounds in 2025 with AI & Emerging Markets

The mobile gaming market is bouncing back in early 2025, showing clear signs of growth, according to Adjust’s latest Gaming App Insights 2025 report. After a turbulent period, the industry is finding its footing again—driven by evolving monetization strategies and AI-powered personalization. Global Gaming App installs rose by 4% YoY in 2024, with emerging markets leading the charge. LATAM saw a 9% increase in installs, while MENA followed closely with 7%. Hyper-casual games dominated install share at 27%, though they struggled with retention, while strategy games surged with an impressive 83% install growth. AI is also reshaping user acquisition, helping developers fine-tune their ad strategies for better engagement. “After a period of market volatility, mobile gaming is back on a growth trajectory,” says Tiahn Wetzler, director of content and insights at Adjust. With mobile-first adoption booming in LATAM and MENA, […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 14

Highlights

State of Mobile Gaming 2025

Sensor Tower's State of Mobile Gaming breaks down how the market evolved in 2024, who the winners were, and what opportunities lie ahead for 2025. With the Q1 2025 drawing to a close, we can state at least one thing for certain - mobile gaming is back on track. Though downloads plateaued through 2024, IAP revenue, time spent, and sessions are all on the rise. The illustrated and interactive 50+ page report includes: ✅ A data-driven overview of the most important trends in the industry, including downloads, revenue, and engagement. ✅ A detailed exploration of the winners of 2024 and what drove their success ✅ A deep dive into mobile game marketing, including which ad networks saw the most impression share growth in 2024 and the three creative trends of 2024 you need to know But don’t take our word […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 11

Highlights

Mobile Game Leaders: February 2025

Hallo, Hei, Ahoj & SELAM! Welcome to the Feb'25 version of Mobile Game Leaders 🦄 Data source: AppMagic Global Leaderboard: Game Publishers Just Hypercasual? Ad Creative World Keep an eye on Saudi Arabia & Mintegral. Big moves there 👇🏻 Out of 207,000 Creatives on iOS Top GEOs by Impression US: 32% UK: 8% Japan: 7% Saudi Arabia: 7% Germany: 4% South Korea: 4% France: 4% Canada: 4% Turkey: 3% Australia: 4% Top Ad Networks by Impression Mintegral: 40% Facebook: 26% AppLovin: 11% Smadex: 6% Unity: 4% Out of 348,000 Creatives on Android Top GEOs by Impression Indonesia: 14% Mexico: 12% Brazil: 12% India: 10% US: 9% Turkey: 6% Saudi Arabia: 4% Ukraine: 4% Top Ad Networks by Impression Mintegral: 34% AppLovin: 30% Facebook: 14% AdMob: 10% YouTube: 3% Unity: 2% Global Games Leaderboard #1 Block Blast by Hungry Studio is on fire! […]

Ömer Yakabagi March 10

Reports

The 2025 Mobile Gaming Loyalty Index

Source: Mistplay & AppsFlyer Report Loyalty has become mission-critical for mobile gaming success, requiring publishers to adopt a holistic approach, drawing on insights from varied genres and collaborating across teams to foster retention, engagement, and monetization. Mistplay’s 2025 Mobile Gaming Loyalty Index, created in collaboration with AppsFlyer, sheds light on how loyalty drives sustainable growth, underpinned by four key metrics and insights from over 4,500 mobile gamers across Android and iOS, revealing the real factors behind player loyalty. Uncover insights such as: Puzzle takes the lead across both monetization and engagement to become the loyalty champion with a loyalty rating of 85. With nearly half of mobile gamers (49%) playing their favourite title for more than a year, it’s clear that fostering a deep connection with players can reap long-term rewards for publishers. The biggest reason for post-purchase regret is limited utility/impact of […]

Gamigion March 5

Reports

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