The company published a report in which it surveyed 504 mobile developers from the USA and the UK. There is not much positivity in it.
Overall Picture
43% of games do not reach the release stage. 25% of those surveyed noted that the closure of an unreleased game significantly demotivates them.
83% of launched games close within 3 years. Only 5% are supported for more than 7 years. Most developers noted that they would prefer to work on new games.
In 76% of cases, the revenue peak occurs in the first year after release. In 4% - in the second.
38% of developers do not release regular updates for their games. This partially explains the above figures. Many developers simply do not know how to manage their games.
34% of developers believe that success lies in new releases; 30% are confident that success lies in managing current games. The remaining developers do not fully understand what to do in the current market situation.
Situation in Studios
32% of studios have conducted layoffs. Developers of puzzles and Match 3 games are the least affected.
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24% are on the verge of bankruptcy. Most of them work on hyper-casual projects.
29% have cut UA budgets.
40% of studios have become open to outsourcing development. For many, this is now a survival question.
Monetization and UA
62% of developers actively use LiveOps in their major projects. 37% update games on a weekly basis; 48% on a monthly basis; 14% hold special events.
Google (54%); TikTok (39%); and Meta (31%) are the most successful advertising networks, according to developers.
26% of developers do not consider either LTV or ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). Another 32% only look at the horizon for six months. Only 5% try to predict what the ROAS will be beyond a year.