Trends shaping the mobile gaming industry in 2024
The mobile gaming industry is intertwined with innovations and trends in various fields. As new trends emerge, audience demands may evolve. To keep players engaged, it's crucial to promptly update strategies, test new hypotheses, and address current needs.
In this article, we explore the trends shaping the outlook for mobile game development and strategies for retaining audiences in the context of constant changes.
The landscape of mobile game development mirrors the broader economic climate. For example, recent years have witnessed record-high key rates (which determine bank lending rates and the cost of credit). As such, loans from banks are becoming more expensive and less available to businesses. With investments becoming more costly, the number of venture projects in the mobile gaming industry has declined.
Looking back, it becomes apparent that there are significantly fewer daring and innovative experiments today. Developers have shifted their focus towards tried-and-tested and highly predictable gaming models. They are gravitating towards casual genres and midcore, while stepping back from hypercasual projects. Zimad is increasingly approached with offers to sell well-established projects with a solid track record of ad monetization, which was less common a few years ago.
Live ops is a strategy that has become an integral part of mobile game development. One of the key trends in live ops will be the increasing importance of events supported by IP collaborations (which we'll cover in a moment). Another is the development of new event monetization methods. In 2024, we expect a broader range of premium reward systems and additional paid features during events. There will be a particular focus on content accessible only through payment, which opens up new monetization opportunities.
Live ops is also expected to see an increase in the use of narrative elements, social components, and meta-games, making events more appealing to players. These events evolve beyond mere
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