According to App Annie’s latest report, consumer spend on mobile games will exceed $120 billion in 2021.
This will be driven by the increased demand for both casual and core gaming.
App Annie expects hybrid mobile game genres to really take off in 2021 as “gamers get savvier and mobile phones are becoming more capable in providing sophisticated experiences previously only available on Console or PC.”
Hyper casual games will continue to grow by adopting midcore elements. The study cites Hunter Assassin, #1 hyper casual game by downloads in 2020 (as of Oct 25), that employed a mixture of stealth-based action elements with strategy puzzle-solving mechanics.
The same hybridization trend is also visible in multiplayer games that are becoming more ‘casual’. “Among Us! has captured a casual audience while leveraging deeper ‘core’ multiplayer gameplay.”
Social and multiplayer gaming features will continue to reamain relevant in 2021 to keep people connected.
Finally, App Annie hopes to see 5G begin affecting core gaming by reducing latency and lag.