Information.ai (previously referred to as App Annie) just lately launched a brand new report in regards to the state of cell in 2022, with a piece on gaming exhibiting outcomes for 2022 and its 2023 projections. The brand new report exhibits that the cell viewers was spending as a lot time as ever on their video games — however their cash? Not a lot.

Based on the report, cell recreation downloads and time spent gaming stay excessive, however the quantity of precise spending has gone down. Extra particularly, downloads rose to 89 billion, an 8% year-on-year enhance. In distinction, spending dropped 5% YoY to $110 billion.

The report, which covers all method of cell apps, notes that this variation in spending is particular to gaming. Spending in non-gaming app classes, equivalent to courting and leisure, remained comparatively flat, even exhibiting modest positive factors. Lexi Sydow, knowledge.ai’s head of insights, advised GamesBeat in an interview, “We’re probably not seeing a slowdown by way of demand and consumption, however extra within the pockets… most of that’s occurring fore video games. They’re taking extra of that hit.”

2022 has been largely thought-about a “corrective” 12 months, after gaming boomed through the pandemic. Sydow additionally identified that, general, cell gaming spend and downloads are nonetheless greater than they have been on the finish of 2020. “We’re nonetheless ending at a excessive level, however we softened from our 2021 peaks… In some recreation genres, we’re seeing a decline in general spend. It may very well be a little bit of that reopening post-Covid that impacted gamers’ wallets, however particular person titles are nonetheless performing properly.”

Breakout hits

As Sydow mentioned, particular person titles on knowledge.ai’s report have proven large development. A number of video games turned breakout cell hits in 2022. Whereas app spend was down, sure video games like Diablo Immortal nonetheless ranked excessive — the sport’s microtransactions have been criticized by customers shortly after it launched, however its placement on knowledge.ai’s charts exhibits that it was efficient in monetizing the sport.

The chief in breakout downloads in almost each market was get together recreation Stumble Guys. The Wordle app was additionally a preferred new hit. Simulation titles (a class which incorporates Roblox) have grown in time spent, whereas RPGs equivalent to Pokemon Go and Genshin Affect are main shopper spend in a number of markets.

It’s additionally straightforward to identify the decline of genres as a complete on cell. For instance, whereas sure heavy hitters like Free Fireplace stay widespread, shooters usually declined in 2022. Puzzle video games, however, bought a serious enhance because of Wordle. In the meantime, action-runner Subway Surfers continues to be going sturdy, a truth which Sydow mentioned was a slight shock, however she attributed its success a minimum of partly to the facility of social engagement.