Unity releases 2024 game industry report, advertising monetization becomes new engine for mobile game growth

The "2024 Unity Game Industry Report" found that although user retention and in-app purchase revenue have declined, advertising revenue has increased by 26.7%, and the game industry still has huge revenue potential.

Recently, Unity, the world's leading creator tool platform, released the "2024 Unity Game Industry Report", which provides an in-depth analysis of the development status of Unity developers and the entire game industry. The report is based on feedback from 5 million Unity engine developers and data from 342 billion ad views. It combines industry research, insights from partners and senior experts to provide valuable industry insights for game developers and publishers. , helping practitioners grasp industry dynamics and trends and formulate smarter strategic plans.

The report points out that in the challenging year of 2023, game developers are increasing revenue by expanding IP value, using AI tools to improve productivity, and implementing diversified advertising strategies. , and put more emphasis on strategies such as multiplayer gaming and multi-platform coverage. In terms of game revenue growth, Unity found that although in-app purchases decreased and player retention also declined, developers successfully increased revenue and player engagement through diversified monetization methods.

The number of mobile game players continues to grow, but retention and in-app purchase revenue have declined slightly

In 2023, the number of mobile game players continues to rise. However, the dramatic increase in the number of games on the market and the increasing competition have created unprecedented challenges for developers to continue to attract and retain players. According to data from Unity, the 1-day and 7-day retention rates of global mobile game players dropped by 1% and 0.1% respectively.

In addition, the proportion of paying players has also declined. Compared with 2022, overall in-app purchase revenue has decreased, and the average revenue from in-app purchase daily active users (ARPDAU) has decreased by 13%. This change not only reflects that players’ willingness to spend in games is weakening, but also means that developers need to re-examine and adjust the game’s monetization strategy and implement an in-app advertising monetization strategy.

In-app advertising monetization revenue has increased significantly year-on-year

Although players’ spending on games has decreased and new user retention is facing challenges, in 2023 The average daily number of mobile users still achieved a growth of 4.1%, and this growth momentum continues. This gives developers more opportunities to display ads. Therefore, many developers are actively adopting diversified advertising monetization strategies as new sources of income to achieve continued business growth. Unity data shows that in-app advertising monetization ARPDAU will increase by 26.7% year-on-year in 2023.

The report also found that different game types perform differently in terms of advertising monetization. Simulation games lead in in-app advertising revenue, with a year-on-year increase of 41%, followed by casual games and puzzle (puzzle) games, with increases of 33% and 31% respectively.

Diversified advertising strategies improve user engagement and retention

Unity’s survey results show that games that adopt diversified advertising monetization strategies are more likely to benefit from advertising mix obtain maximum benefit. For example, games that launch rewarded video ads and point walls at the same time have higher user engagement and player retention indicators than games that do not use reward-based advertising monetization strategies.

In addition, developers are more inclined to increase player engagement and loyalty by setting daily rewards and tasks. In a Unity survey of 300 respondents, 67% of developers tended to set daily rewards and tasks, and 59% tended to provide players with achievements and challenges to attract players to keep coming back to the game.

Amid economic uncertainty in 2023, game developers and studios are increasing revenue by actively adopting innovative technologies to improve efficiency, implementing diversified monetization strategies, as well as multi-platform releases and multiplayer game features and engagement and other strategies to achieve steady growth. Looking forward to 2024, when innovation is accelerating, Unity believes that the game industry will seek change while maintaining stability. Developers and studios will further increase their investment in new technologies and multi-platforms, and continue to explore new business models and revenue sources to respond to the changing advertising market and changes in player consumption trends.

About Unity

Unity (NYSE: U) is the world's leading creator tools platform, empowering creators to develop and grow cross-platform real-time games, applications and experiences. Supported platforms include mobile phones, PCs, game consoles and spatial computing. For more information, visit Unity.com.

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