The mobile gaming industry has been a force to be reckoned with in 2022. In just the first half of the year, mobile gamers spent $41.2 billion and by the end of the year, 51% of gaming revenue will come from mobile devices.
Here, we take a look at the different genres within mobile gaming, and point out the top mobile app retention strategies to capture the attention of these users.
Hyper Casual Gaming Apps
Hyper casual games feature simple and easy-to-master formats that are targeted to the mass market of mobile gamers. These games are extremely popular, especially with female players, with the total number of global casual game downloads projected to hit 19.9 billion by 2026. The simplicity of hyper casual games inspires short bursts (around two to three minutes) of play by users while they’re in between activities. For example, users may play these mobile games while waiting in line at the grocery store or taking a midday break from work.
One of the best known hyper casual mobile games is Candy Crush Saga by King. As of June 2022, Candy Crush ranked number one in mobile gaming for iPhone in the United States, generating approximately $8.49 million. Hyper casual mobile games are extremely popular in gaming accounting for over 50% of total mobile game downloads in 2021. The top 1,000 games in the hyper casual games genre were downloaded over 15 billion times.
Source: Statista
Unlike games in other genres (such as mid-core and hard-core) that can take years to develop, hyper casual games can be built in a matter of months. This simplicity makes the hyper casual gaming genre very competitive, which means that app developers are forced to innovate and think fast if they want to stay ahead of the curve with mobile gaming retargeting.
Retaining Hyper Casual Gaming Users
Player churn is typically much higher for hyper casual games than for other mobile gaming genres such as mid-core and hard-core gaming apps. However, using personalization and in-app offers are two ways to increase player retention in hyper casual games.
Personalization is extremely important when it comes to mobile app retention strategies, as users want to know that they are being recognized for their efforts. Adding awards to players that have consistently played or ranking players on a leaderboard are ways to incentivize users to come back to the app. Creating messaging around the players location or letting them create their own personal character makes it more fun for them to continue to compete on the platform. In addition to mobile gaming retargeting, offering free in-app features for watching quick videos rather than making them spend money is a fantastic way to keep the user engaged and coming back to the app.
Mid-core Gaming Apps
Mid-core mobile games are more complex than hyper casual games. These games require a longer time investment versus the more sporadic game play of hyper-casual games. Mid-core games often distill a hardcore game down to simpler elements in order to appeal to a larger audience. They involve skill and strategy to advance within the game, resulting in players investing more of their time and efforts into these mobile games. The more complex nature of mid-core games encourages stickiness. The mid-core gaming category accounts for 37% of US mobile game revenues on iOS.
These mid-level games sit at the intersection of an immersive experience and casual gameplay, which is why they are so appealing. Mid-core games are perfect for young adults who enjoyed playing games in their childhood or teen years. When creating mobile app retention strategies, remember users of mid-core games have less time to dedicate to a game than hard-core gamers, but still crave the entertainment of an elaborate gaming experience.
Call of Duty Mobile is a great example of a mid-core game. In 2022, Activision announced that Call of Duty Mobile has been downloaded over 650 million times since its launch back in October 2019. Its player base is now almost as large as that of its predecessor that is played on PC and consoles. This mid-core app is perfect for an audience that wants the experience of a complex and in-depth game without giving away a large chunk of their time and energy.
Retaining Mid-core Gaming Users
Mid-core gamers are made up of predominantly male players, most of which are Gen-Z and Millennials. Most mid-core gamers are comfortable playing with mobile, PC and console and have had an interest in gaming in their youth but may not have time to commit anymore. It is important for app marketers to pay attention in their mobile gaming retargeting to what will appeal to this audience, such as a low time commitment and a minimal learning curve.
When developing mobile app retention strategies, uUtilizing tutorials and in-app chats for questions will limit user dropoff for mid-core games. Most mid-core gamers are only looking for something slightly more advanced than a casual game and therefore need some guidance when starting out. In addition, making sure that there are multiplayer experiences and side quests creates a sense of community for this audience and will capture the attention of mid-core users in your mobile gaming retargeting. These features will ensure that players keep coming back to play within the app, rather than finding entertainment elsewhere.
Hard-core Gaming Apps
Hard-core mobile games require a lot more time and energy from their players in comparison to mid-core and hyper casual games. This game genre games attract players that are willing to test their skills, challenge other players and obtain in-app prizes and rewards. Hardcore games typically feature long sessions that involve intricate stories and backgrounds. These mobile games cannot simply be picked up and played without prior knowledge. Instead, hardcore games have a longer learning curve and warrant time investment from their players.
Even though these games may not attract as large of an audience as casual games, hard-core games result in a whopping 76% share of user spend in mobile gaming. This can be attributed to the dedication that their players put into hard-core games. Hard-core gaming apps yield the longest player sessions of any gaming app genre, spending between 13.8 and 19 minutes in daily gameplay.
One example of a popular hard-core mobile app is Clash of Clans by X, which made $489 million revenue in 2021 and has over 76 million active players. Clash of the Clans encourages in-app purchases to get to new levels and falls under the strategic gaming category. Players
Retaining Hard-core Gaming Users
When it comes to mobile app retention strategies for hard-core gaming users, it’s important to think about the different types of hard-core games. The two main categories are strategy and role-playing games. Hard-core game users are extremely loyal once they are enticed by a game, so locking in a user early on is key for mobile gaming retargeting. In fact, strategy and role-playing games have the highest conversion rates of any mobile game at 1.6%.
Strategy Mobile Games
In mobile strategy games, which typically consist of combat and warfare-focused gameplay, app marketers make their users commit to the world within the game as part of their mobile app retention strategies. These gamers are driven deeper into gameplay by connecting and teaming up with other gamers. Apps can incorporate battles over land, balancing an economy, and tactical planning. It’s important for these apps to include opportunities for users that have been consistent within the game to have access to new features and prizes when marketers are performing mobile gaming retargeting.
Role Playing Mobile Games
Role playing-based mobile games are another popular genre within hard-core gaming and drove 27 million app downloads in February 2021 alone. In these mobile games, users can enter into a virtual world where they take on different roles. Players are responsible for the actions of the character or characters within the game and typically get to create the characters themselves.
In order to retain users in role playing mobile games, it’s important for your mobile gaming retargeting campaigns to encourage relationship building within the app and keep updating features to keep users interested. Keep in mind that users want to focus on character development in these types of hard-core games and will get bored if they remain stagnant within the game. Having the ability to build online communities to share tips, strategies, and connect reinforces user’s immersive gameplay and attachment to the game, driving higher engagement and retention for hard-core games.
Takeaways of Getting to the Core of Gaming Apps
- Hyper casual gaming apps: Hyper casual games feature simple and easy-to-master formats that are targeted to the mass market of mobile gamers. These games are extremely popular with the total number of global casual game downloads projected to hit 19.9 billion by 2026.
- Retaining hyper casual gamers: Player churn is typically much higher for hyper casual games than for other mobile gaming genres such as mid-core and hard-core gaming apps. However, using personalization and in-app offers are two ways to increase player retention in hyper casual games and boost your mobile gaming retargeting campaigns.
- Mid-core gaming apps: Mid-core mobile games are more complex than hyper casual games and often distill a hardcore game down to simpler elements in order to appeal to a larger audience. The mid-core gaming category accounts for 37% of US mobile game revenues on iOS.
- Retaining mid-core gamers: Utilizing tutorials and in-app chats for questions will limit user dropoff for mid-core games. In addition, making sure that there are multiplayer experiences and side quests creates a sense of community for this audience and will capture the attention of mid-core users and add to your mobile gaming retargeting. .
- Hard-core gaming apps: Hardcore games typically feature long sessions that involve intricate stories and backgrounds and have a longer learning curve than other game genres. Even though these games may not attract as large of an audience as casual games, hard-core games result in a whopping 76% share of user spend in mobile gaming.
- Retaining hard-core gamers: The two main categories are strategy and role-playing games. In strategy games, apps need to include opportunities for users that have been consistent within the game to have access to new features and prizes. In role playing games, make sure players have the ability to build online communities to share tips, and strategies to reinforce user’s immersive gameplay and attachment to the game.
