2024 was a year of stability and back-to-basics for the mobile gaming industry. We saw more developers and publishers prioritize successful live titles within their genres of expertise, instead of launching new titles in different categories.
This focus transformed the 2024 landscape, driving record-breaking growth for evergreen titles and making reliance on established IP and strong branding essential for capturing growth. In 2024, the Apple App Store & Google Play store topped 80 billion USD in consumer revenue, representing 4% YoY growth. We also saw double digit global growth in the 3 core genres of casual, casino, and strategy games, signaling healthy consumer demand for mobile games. This hyper focus on live titles led to fewer publishers taking the lion’s share of revenue in a given category. In casual games, the top 5 publishers generated 62% of total revenue, while in casino games, the top 5 publishers accounted for 72% of total revenue.
What’s in store for the year ahead? We project a continuation of 2024 trends, with steady growth led by evergreen and pre-established brands. We expect that better market conditions and more title releases in the coming year will continue to boost publishers' confidence.
Below, industry leaders dive into their 2025 predictions, from advances in user-level customization, and AI’s growing role in game development, to which genres are positioned to gain traction, and more.
Hybrid-casual monetization will drive a shift toward user-level customization
Traditionally, monetization strategies have been designed based on game genres. For example, idle games often leverage rewarded videos (RV), hyper-casual games focus on interstitials, and 4X games emphasize in-app purchases (IAP). However, with the maturity of hybrid monetization systems, the next evolution will drive a shift towards user-level customization.
By leveraging contextual data gathered early in a user’s journey, publishers can dynamically adapt and balance the monetization experience for each individual. This approach utilizes the full spectrum of monetization options available, including RV, interstitials, IAP, subscriptions, offerwalls, audio ads, in-game advertising, and more. This user-specific strategy will ensure a more personalized experience, enhancing engagement while optimizing revenue potential across diverse user segments.
IP games are set to surge
Intellectual Property (IP) games will witness heightened success in the charts for 2025, exemplified by the continued dominance of Monopoly Go!. Hasbro and Mattel in particular have experienced significant success in 2024, showcasing the convergence of games and other entertainment forms in transmedia.
This provides studios with even more strategic opportunities, leaning on brand recognition and large existing audiences to reduce CAC (increase in organics + reductions in CPI’s). Equally the rise in "integrations," or limited timed IP events, have been big wins for the likes of Supercell (Godzilla) and Voodoo (Transformers), creating spikes in re-engagement, short term retention and percentage of paying users for unique event driven IAP's.
Puzzle games will be an unstoppable force in Vietnam
Puzzle games have risen to dominate Vietnam’s gaming market, which saw a 17% YoY increase in IAP generated revenue, fueled by the shift to merge mechanics and genre blending. This evolution has broadened their appeal, attracting a wider audience.
In 2025, puzzle games are set to continue their profitable trajectory, with developers fine-tuning monetization strategies and user acquisition approaches. Thanks to solid retention rates and strong ad revenue potential, puzzle games are positioned not just to maintain their dominance but to experience even greater growth in 2025, further solidifying their place as a powerhouse in the gaming industry.
Growing maturity in Programmatic TV streaming will lead to greater accountability
Programmatic CTV is nearing maturity, with steady advances in available inventory, bid density, and measurement. AdExchanger notes that according to the IAB, about three-quarters of all CTV transactions have been programmatic in 2024, as advertisers sought greater scale, optimization, and ROI.
Advertisers want to use their preferred demand-side platforms to find their customers on TV streaming platforms. In turn, these content distributors have responded by bringing more premium inventory to the biddable marketplace, along with the data and insights needed to enhance targeting and deliver more transparent and performant results.
Waves of technology innovation—like clean rooms and data partnerships—have elevated reach and transparency in the TV streaming ecosystem, supporting programmatic growth. Advertisers now routinely require that data be applicable and akin across platforms. With this progression, the programmatic benefits marketers have yielded in digital and online video are now easily accessible on the TV screen. Broad availability and access to these benefits will put pressure on the major walled gardens in TV to become more transparent. A growing maturity means growing accountability. In 2025, we predict advertisers will demand to understand their streaming campaigns’ real contribution to marketing KPIs—and plan future investments accordingly.
AI will redefine game design, offering personalized gameplay experiences
In 2025, AI will revolutionize gaming, unlocking real-time, player-driven experiences such as dynamic content, adaptive levels, and storylines that evolve to match each player’s unique playstyle. At Block Blast!, we’re fully embracing AI to push the boundaries of game design and A/B testing, delivering more engaging and personalized experiences for our players.
As AI continues to evolve, it will become an increasingly powerful tool for enhancing efficiency and unlocking groundbreaking development capabilities in the gaming industry. By combining creativity with cutting-edge technology, we’re not just envisioning the future of gaming—we’re actively creating it.
Interested in more 2025 insights? Check out what Unity experts have to say in the second part of this blog series here:
2025 Mobile gaming trends: Unity perspectives
