The mobile gaming industry is always unpredictable. While we get the reports of a thriving $92.6 billion market last year with mobile being the major consumer, we also see a good chunk of mobile games shutting down and people losing the jobs they love. Amidst this, in 2024, games of different genres are getting launched, and among them, there seems to be a great advantage with Casual Gaming for mobile developers to bank their success.
Discussing the five casual genres for in-depth research under a fixed methodology
Before beginning, let me explain the methodology behind the research. Thanks to the report from AppMagic, the articles delve into the challenges faced by the mobile gaming market in Tier-1 West countries in the previous year. The write-up focuses on analyzing trends and success rates of various genres to provide insights for developers in 2024.
Considering the patterns from 2023 with over 300 genres classified, they narrowed their scope to 24 casual genres, excluding smaller ones, out of which 5 casual genres were considered for study. The success rates were evaluated based on the comparison between the total number of titles released and the number of successful titles, defined as those generating over $50K in monthly revenue.
I know you are as confused as I was when I first read it, but here’s a sheet from the research that paints a clearer picture. Now coming to that research of the five genres, I’ve come up with a table giving a short overview of the research they did for easier understanding.
| Genre | Notable Games | Analysis | Takeaways |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merge-2 Meta | My Hamster Story, Merge Mansion, Travel Town | Moderate revenue growth. Lack of successful new releases. | High competition. Focus on effective LiveOps and monetization strategies for growth. |
| Match 3D | Triple Match 3D, Match Factory!, Happy Match Cafe | Triple YoY revenue growth. Relatively high success rate. | Potential for growth with unique gameplay mechanics. Develop complex meta for evolution. |
| Idle Tycoon | Isekai: Slow Life, Idle Lumber Empire, Frozen City | Limited revenue growth despite increased downloads. | Focus on improving LiveOps and monetization systems. Learn from effective Asian market strategies. |
| Match-3 Meta | Royal Match, Chrome Valley Customs, Forza Customs – Restore Cars | Significant YoY revenue growth. A mixed response. | Differentiate with unique settings. Experiment with targeted marketing strategies. |
| Merge-3 Meta | Alice’s Dream: Merge Island, Merge Topia-Colouring Squares | Associated with high production costs for newcomers. | Experiment with innovative gameplay mechanics. Utilize misleading marketing strategies. |
Now that you have looked into the table, you can get an understanding of what genre the odds are better with. Do note that a particular section of casual gaming is being picked here, and if you are wondering why top casual games like Angry Birds or MONOPOLY GO! aren’t included in this research, they don’t fall into any of the categories mentioned here.
Banking on the casual gaming market is a thought to ponder
After reading the report myself, I say the study paints a fantastic picture of how you view the different casual genres for mobile gaming in 2024. Developers might be puzzled about whether all the games belonging to the genre bring the revenue they want. We all know the answer, not possible. However, the report illustrates that many games that capture players’ attention do indeed perform well financially, and this is the most important takeaway.
So how to come up with that eye catchy title? Success rates are key. Match 3D games have not only raked in revenue growth despite a slump in overall revenue for 2023, but the success rate for the genre is quite high. I can say something similar to Match-3 Meta as well. The thing with casual games is that you can get any product that is simple in core gameplay, but it will only work if it has the entertaining and replayability factor.
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