COVID-19's App Impact: One Year Later Assessing the State of the Mobile App Ecosystem One Year into the Pandemic - Sensor Tower
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COVID-19’s App Impact: One Year Later — Assessing the State of the Mobile App Ecosystem One Year into the Pandemic
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved Table of Contents 03 - App Trends: United States 08 - App Trends: Europe 13 - Category Trends: Non-Games 18 - Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 25 - Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 32 - Conclusion
App Trends: United States — The Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Games
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
A Significant Fraction of COVID-19’s Impact Persists
Year-over-year U.S. download growth by category
Early Pandemic Early 2021
Business, News, and Education apps saw
Mar-Apr 2019 vs. Mar-Apr 2020 Jan-Feb 2020 vs. Jan-Feb 2021
historic download growth in the early months
Business 148% Business 49%
of the pandemic, with downloads in each of
News 106% Finance these categories doubling year-over-year.
Education 105% Medical 23% Medical and Health & Fitness also saw strong
Medical 79% Sports 19% growth, while Navigation, Sports, and Travel
Health & Fitness 59% News 18% downloads decreased as stay-at-home orders
Food & Drink Social Networking
were enacted and sports games were cancelled.
Books Lifestyle
Social Networking Education 11%
Finance Books
A significant fraction of the impact from
Shopping Utilities COVID-19 persisted into early 2021, with
Reference Shopping Business downloads still up and Navigation
Productivity Entertainment and Travel installs below the usual levels. The
Photo & Video Reference effect is less pronounced than in early 2020,
Utilities Health & Fitness 0.4% however, and some categories like Sports had
Entertainment Food & Drink
completely recovered by 2021.
Lifestyle Photo & Video
Weather Weather
Music Productivity
Navigation -39% Music
Sports -50% Navigation -28%
Travel -53% Travel -31%
-100% -50% 0% 50% 100% 150% -100% -50% 0% 50% 100% 150%
App Trends: United States 4
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Business Is Booming While Travel Adoption Remains Low
Monthly year-over-year U.S. download growth by category
All Categories Business Sports Education Health & Fitness Travel Navigation In the U.S., Business apps like Zoom and
200%
Google Meet saw the largest boost following
COVID-19. These apps also retained the most
growth into 2021, with downloads still up nearly
150% 50 percent Y/Y a year into the pandemic.
Other categories saw downloads return
100% towards pre-pandemic levels. Education and
Health & Fitness had much lower growth by
early 2021. Meanwhile, Sports bounced back
50%
Business
as leagues re-opened by summer 2020.
Sports
Education
0% All Categories
Health & Fitness
Travel
Navigation
-50%
-100%
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App Trends: United States 5
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
U.S. Revenue Has Surged During the Pandemic
Quarterly year-over-year U.S. revenue growth by category
All Categories Entertainment Social Networking U.S. app revenue spiked following the spread
125% 125% 125% of COVID-19, with year-over-year growth
100% 100% 100% jumping from around 20 to 25 percent before
75% 75% 75% the pandemic to nearly 50 percent in Q2 2020.
62%
55% 57%
50%
48%
40% 38% 50% 42% 40% 50% 44% Growth hovered around 40 percent for the
35%
26% 22% 21% 27% 22% remainder of 2020.
25% 25% 15% 25%
8%
0% 0% 0%
-3% Revenue growth varied substantially across
-25% -25% -25%
top categories. Entertainment, Social
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Networking, and Photo & Video apps did very
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20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
Q3
Q3
Q3
well in late 2020, while Music revenue actually
declined Y/Y.
Photo & Video Lifestyle Music
125% 125% 125%
100% 100% 100%
72%
75% 65% 75% 75%
58%
52%
50% 44% 39% 50% 50%
25%
25% 25% 16% 25% 19%
13%
6%
0% 0% 0%
-2% -0% -2%
-8% -12% -16% -15%
-25% -25% -25%
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
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20
20
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20
20
20
20
20
20
20
Q3
Q3
Q3
Q4
App Trends: U.S. 6
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Education, Business Revenue Skyrocketed in Late 2020
Quarterly year-over-year U.S. revenue growth by category
All Categories Health & Fitness Productivity Some of the top growing categories by
125% 125% 125% downloads also saw a significant rise in
100% 100% 100% revenue during the pandemic. While Education
75% 75% 75% and Business app revenue was still low relative
50%
48%
40% 38% 50% 46%
55%
44% 50% 46% 45% 47% to other categories, both categories experienced
39% 36% 36%
26% 22% 21% 22% rapid growth during Q2 to Q4 2020.
25% 25% 25% 16% 21%
0% 0% 0%
Sports app revenue growth in the U.S. was
-25% -25% -25%
halted by the pandemic. Some positive growth
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
returned with the resumption of live sports in
20
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20
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Q3
Q3
Q3
the later quarters, and these apps will look to
make up ground in 2021.
Education Sports Business
125% 125% 125% 114%
109%
103%
100% 100% 100%
84% 82% 89%
78% 77% 76%
75% 75% 75% 71%
50% 45% 50% 50%
33% 38% 30% 34% 28%
25% 25% 12% 25%
0% 0% 0%
-14%
-25% -25% -25%
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
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19
Q1 19
Q2 20
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Q3
Q3
Q3
Q4
App Trends: U.S. 7
App Trends: Europe — The Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Games
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
European Business Downloads Still Up More than 100%
Year-over-year Europe download growth by category
Early Pandemic Early 2021
Business app download growth was even
Mar-Apr 2019 vs. Mar-Apr 2020 Jan-Feb 2020 vs. Jan-Feb 2021 more pronounced in Europe than in the U.S.
Business 252% Business 109%
Year-over-year growth peaked at more than 250
Health & Fitness 88% Weather percent in the months immediately following
Books Medical 83% the spread of COVID-19 and remained high for
Medical 80% Finance the following year.
Education 71% Lifestyle
News 70% Shopping
Health & Fitness apps also saw a larger boost
Productivity Food & Drink
in Europe than in the U.S. While U.S. download
Social Networking Health & Fitness 23%
Food & Drink Books
growth was near zero by early 2021, European
Lifestyle Education 19% downloads were up 23 percent.
Shopping Entertainment
Photo & Video Photo & Video
Utilities Utilities
Finance Social Networking
Reference Sports 2%
Entertainment Reference
Music Productivity
Weather Music
Navigation -27% News -16%
Travel -38% Travel -18%
Sports -41% Navigation -21%
-100% 0% 100% 200% 300% -100% 0% 100% 200% 300%
App Trends: Europe 9
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
COVID-19’s Impact was Evident in Winter Months
Monthly year-over-year Europe download growth by category
All Categories Business Health & Fitness Education Sports Travel Navigation European download trends mirrored patterns
350%
of COVID-19 case numbers. Category growth
regressed towards pre-pandemic levels in the
300% summer months as some countries began to re-
open, but reversed course as cases increased
250% again in the winter months. This gives us a sense
of what to expect as countries begin to re-open
200% again in 2021.
150% Sports downloads returned early into the
pandemic and actually made up for some of
100% Business the losses in the spring. By 2021, Sports installs
were similar to the pre-pandemic numbers.
50% Health & Fitness
Education
All Categories
0% Sports
Travel
Navigation
-50%
-100%
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App Trends: Europe 10© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Entertainment, Health & Fitness Apps are Flourishing
Quarterly year-over-year Europe revenue growth by category
All Categories Entertainment Social Networking While the revenue increase was not as large as
125% 125% 125% in the U.S., year-over-year growth did
100% 100% 100% increase in Europe following the spread of
75% 75% 63% 75% COVID-19. Y/Y growth peaked in Q2 2020 at 40
50% 50%
49% 49%
50% 40%
percent and was above 30 percent for the next
40% 37% 37%
18% 23%
25% 30% 32%
22%
31% 28% 30%
20% 18%
two quarters.
25% 25% 25%
0% 0% 0%
Entertainment and Health & Fitness were
-25% -25% -25%
some of the highest gainers among top
Q4 19
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categories by revenue in Europe. Health &
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Q3
Q3
Q3
Fitness revenue growth surged to more than 70
percent Y/Y during the pandemic.
Lifestyle Health & Fitness Photo & Video
125% 125% 125%
98%
100% 100% 100%
79% 83% 80%
72% 71%
75% 75% 75% 62%
52% 50%
50% 50% 43% 46% 50%
35% 33%
23% 22% 25%
25% 10% 16% 25% 25%
0% 0% 0%
-25% -25% -25%
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
Q4 20
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Q3
Q3
Q3
Q4
App Trends: Europe 11© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Sports Bounced Back After a Rough Q2 2020
Quarterly year-over-year Europe revenue growth by category
All Categories Education Productivity Among some of the lower-revenue categories,
125% 125% 125% Education and News apps performed well
100% 100% 100% during COVID-19. These were also among the
75% 75% 64% 75% top categories by download growth in the first
50% 50%
54% 55%
50%
few months of the pandemic.
40%
25% 30% 32% 30% 34% 32% 28%
25% 29% 28%
25% 18% 23% 25% 22%
25% 14%
Sports revenue in Europe followed a similar
0% 0% 0%
pattern to that seen in the U.S. Revenue
-25% -25% -25%
growth was solid in the second half of 2020 but
Q4 19
Q1 19
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Q3 20
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20
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
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Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
Q3 20
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was still below pre-COVID-19 levels.
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Q3
Q3
Q3
Music News Sports
125% 125% 125%
100% 100% 100%
75% 75% 71% 75%
60% 56%
53%
50% 50% 50% 45% 50%
37%
22% 22% 27% 25%
25% 15% 12% 25% 25%
4% 7% 9%
0% 0% 0%
-5%
-14%
-25% -25% -25%
Q4 19
Q1 19
Q2 20
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20
Q4 19
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Q3
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Q4
App Trends: Europe 12Category Trends: Non-Games — A Look at the Apps Impacted Most by COVID-19
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Top Business Apps’ MAUs Grew More than 20x in the U.S.
Indexed monthly active users (MAU) among the top five business apps
MAU (indexed to January 2020) Monthly active users for top Business apps in
20
the U.S. spiked almost immediately as
COVID-19 created office closures. MAUs
reached nearly 14 times the January total by
April, and grew again in the later months of 2020
15
as U.S. cases climbed.
MAUs decreased somewhat in early 2021, but
were still more than 18 times higher than they
were a year prior. Expect Business app usage to
10 remain near this level until offices across the
country re-open. The possibility that some
companies may stay remote could mean MAUs
for these apps will remain significantly higher
than before COVID-19.
5
Note Regarding Monthly Active Users:
Monthly active users are aggregated for a cohort of top apps (Zoom,
Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp Business, and Cisco Webex
0 Meetings). MAU are indexed vs. January 2020.
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Category Trends 14© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Sports Revenue Growth Starts to Return
Quarterly consumer spending for ESPN and DAZN
U.S. Worldwide Europe North America Japan The top two sports apps, ESPN and DAZN,
$50M $50M
experienced rapid revenue growth before the
ESPN DAZN pandemic. ESPN’s revenue grew from $10
million in Q1 2019 to more than $43 million in Q1
2020, while DAZN’s revenue climbed from $16
$40M $40M
million to $38 million over the same period.
ESPN and DAZN revenue dipped substantially
in Q2 2020 as COVID-19 forced live sporting
$30M $30M events to be postponed or cancelled.
Revenue bounced back somewhat in the second
half of 2020. DAZN’s revenue reached an all-
$20M $20M time high in Q4 2020 off of strong growth in
Europe and Japan, showing the benefits of
having its revenue distributed across multiple
regions. More than 99 percent of ESPN’s
$10M $10M
revenue was from the U.S., and North America’s
growth lagged behind that of the other regions.
$0 $0
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Category Trends 15© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Outdoor and At-Home Workout Apps Showed Strength
Top Health & Fitness apps by worldwide revenue
2019 2020 Jan-Feb 2021 Top Health & Fitness revenue gainers
following the pandemic included outdoor and
Calm Calm Calm at-home workout options like Strava and
1 Calm
1 Calm
- 1 Calm
-
Peloton. Strava moved up four spots from 2019
MyFitnessPal MyFitnessPal MyFitnessPal to 2020 off of 142 percent growth year-over-year.
2 2 - 2 -
Under Armour Under Armour Under Armour
Strava revenue in Q3 2020 was more than it
Headspace Headspace Headspace earned in all of 2019.
3 Headspace
3 Headspace
- 3 Headspace
-
Sweat Strava WW Fitbit rolled out its subscription option, Fitbit
4 4 +4 4 +1
Kayla Itsines Strava Weight Watchers
Premium, in September 2019. Its revenue
5 WW 5 WW - 5 Fitbit +2 climbed from $6.6 million in Q1 2020 to more
Weight Watchers Weight Watchers Fitbit
than $17 million in Q4 2020, and it was among
6 BetterMe: Home Workout 6 Sweat -2 6 Strava -2
the top five Health & Fitness apps by revenue in
BetterMe Kayla Itsines Strava
the first two months of 2021.
7 30 Day Fitness 7 Fitbit NEW 7 Flo +1
Bending Spoons Fitbit Flo Health
8 Strava 8 Flo NEW 8 Sweat -2
Strava Flo Health Kayla Itsines
9 Lifesum 9 Muscle Booster NEW 9 Peloton NEW
Lifesum A.L. Amazing Apps Peloton
10 Freeletics 10 30 Day Fitness -3 10 Muscle Booster -1
Freeletics Bending Spoons A.L. Amazing Apps
Category Trends 16© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Revenue Growth Accelerated for Key Apps
Revenue and download trends for top Health & Fitness apps
While many top Health & Fitness apps
$125M
maintained strong revenue growth in 2020,
outdoor and at-home workout apps
Calm in 2020
flourished during the pandemic. Revenue and
MyFitnessPal
downloads spiked for Strava, AllTrails, and
$100M
in 2020 Peloton as consumers looked to alternative
2019
workout options during gyms closures.
2019
Headspace in 2020 Early 2021 data suggests that growth has
Yearly Gross Revenue
$75M
2018
slowed as consumers adjust to pandemic life
2018
Strava in 2020 and gyms begin to re-open. However, retaining
2019
even a fraction of the increased user base gained
Sweat in 2020
$50M
Fitbit in 2020 during the pandemic puts these apps in a great
2019 2018 position for 2021 and beyond.
2018
2019
$25M Peloton in 2020
2018
2019
2018
2018 2019 AllTrails in
2020 2019
2018
$0
0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M
Yearly Downloads
Category Trends 17Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends — The Impact of COVID-19 on Mobile Games
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Mobile Game Revenue Growth Remains High
Monthly year-over-year mobile game revenue growth by region
Worldwide U.S. Europe Asia Global mobile game year-over-year revenue
70%
growth increased from about 15 to 20 percent
before the pandemic to nearly 40 percent in
60%
May 2020. Growth has remained high since,
hovering between 25 and 35 percent.
50% Revenue growth was highest in the U.S.,
peaking at 64 percent Y/Y in May 2020. U.S.
revenue growth remained higher than Europe
40%
and Asia for the rest of the year. By early 2021,
growth rates were similar between the regions.
Europe
30%
U.S.
Worldwide
Asia
20%
10%
0%
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Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 19© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Nearly All Game Genres Saw Growth Accelerate in 2020
Yearly U.S. mobile game consumer spending by game genre
2018 2019 2020 Out of the top 10 game genres, only Strategy
$5B
saw a lower year-over-year growth rate in
+49%
2020 than it did in 2019. U.S. revenue for all
+28% other genres spiked during the pandemic.
Simulation, propelled by games like Roblox, had
$4B
the highest Y/Y growth at 62 percent, followed by
+25%
Action at 51 percent.
+22%
+29%
$3B Casino overtook Puzzle to become the top
+28%
+39%
genre by U.S. revenue in 2020. Coin Master was
the top earner in the Casino category and only
+62%
Roblox had more revenue growth in 2020.
$2B +29%
+24% +43%
$1B +41%
+43% +23%
+39% +51% Note:
+11% +11%
+33% +18% Consumer spending data includes the top 100 games by U.S. revenue
each month for each game genre.
$0
Casino Puzzle Strategy RPG Simulation Shooter Lifestyle Sports Tabletop Action
Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 20© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Some Genres Experienced a Larger Boost
Quarterly year-over-year U.S. consumer spending growth by game genre
All Games Simulation Casino RPG Strategy Puzzle While each of the top five game genres saw
120%
U.S. consumer spending spike in Q2 following
the spread of COVID-19, the magnitude of
growth varied. Simulation consumer spending
100% more than doubled year-over-year in Q2 2020,
followed by Casino with 75 percent year-over-
year growth and RPG at 64 percent.
80%
Revenue growth fell from its peak in Q2 2020
but was still above the pre-pandemic level for
60% each genre in Q4 2020. While Strategy growth
Simulation lagged behind the other genres in Q2 2020, it
was able to maintain that growth throughout
40% Casino
the rest of 2020.
All Games
RPG
Strategy
20% Puzzle
Note:
Consumer spending data includes the top 100 games by U.S. revenue
each month for each game genre.
0%
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Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 21© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Social Games Tended to See Higher Growth
Average monthly U.S. consumer spending in the top 10 games of 2020, Q1 vs. Q2 to Q4 2020
Q1 2020 Q2-Q4 2020 Revenue growth following the COVID-19
$80M
outbreak varied substantially across top U.S.
games. Many of these top performing games,
+67%
$70M such as Roblox and Call of Duty: Mobile,
provided ways for consumers to play together
$60M safely during social distancing. Pokémon GO
+45%
+5% also had a surprise resurgence during the
pandemic thanks to the integration of play-at-
$50M
+117% home features and numerous special events.
$40M
Not all single player games struggled during
+39%
$69M +4% the pandemic. Coin Master was the No. 2 game
$30M
$57M -7%
by revenue growth during COVID-19. Other
$54M -8% +16%
$52M +98% single player games like Candy Crush Saga,
$46M
$20M $41M
$39M
Gardenscapes, and Slotomania saw lower
$34M
$31M $32M growth during Q2 to Q4 2020.
$28M $26M $27M
$24M $25M $24M $23M
$10M $21M $21M
$11M
$0
Roblox Coin Master Candy Crush Pokémon Homescapes Gardenscapes Clash of Slotomania PUBG Mobile Call of Duty:
Saga GO Clans Mobile
Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 22© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Sandbox Game Roblox Saw the Highest Growth
Growth in U.S. consumer spending in Q2 to Q4 2020 vs. the prior three quarters
Simulation Casino Geolocation AR Strategy Shooter Puzzle RPG The top 10 games by U.S. revenue growth
during the pandemic represented seven
Roblox
distinct genres, including five different genres
among the top five games. Playrix had two
Coin Master
Puzzle and Decorate titles among the top 10
Pokémon GO
with Fishdom and Homescapes, though revenue
growth for these titles slowed by Q4 2020.
State of
Survival
Two shooter genre games were among the top
Garena
10 by revenue growth, including the battle
Free Fire
royale title Garena Free Fire and FPS/3PS
Call of Duty:
Mobile game Call of Duty: Mobile. Fortnite’s revenue
also spiked in Q2 2020 prior to it leaving the App
Fishdom Store and Google Play later in the year.
MARVEL
Strike Force
The Seven
Deadly Sins Note: Excludes games launched in 2020.
Homescapes
$0 $50M $100M $150M $200M $250M $300M
Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 23© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Roblox Ranked No. 1 for Spending During the Pandemic
Quarterly U.S. consumer spending for top games
Roblox and Coin Master revenue surged past
Candy Crush Saga in Q2 2020. Revenue growth
Roblox Coin Master Candy Crush Pokémon GO Gardenscapes PUBG Mobile
Saga plateaued over the next two quarters, but they
$250M
remained the top two games in the U.S. Other
top titles like Candy Crush Saga and PUBG
Roblox Mobile didn’t see the same level of growth
$200M during the pandemic.
Coin Master
Candy Crush Saga
Pokémon GO
Pokémon GO’s ascent continued into the
$150M second half of 2020. Its U.S. revenue climbed
from $64 million in Q1 2020 to $166 million in Q4
2020, its highest total since it surpassed $220
million during its launch quarter in Q3 2020.
$100M
Gardenscapes
PUBG Mobile
$50M
$0
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Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends 24Mobile Gaming: Download Trends — The Impact of COVID-19 on Mobile Games
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
The Mobile Game Download Boost Was Temporary
Monthly year-over-year mobile game download growth by region
Worldwide U.S. Europe Asia Mobile game download growth spiked in the
80%
first few months of the pandemic from 26
percent year-over-year in January 2020 to 63
70% percent Y/Y in April as consumers looked for
new ways to entertain themselves. Download
60% growth fell back towards January’s total by
June, and it continued to decline during the rest
50% of the year.
40% Trends were similar in the U.S., Europe, and
Asia, with Asia’s download growth remaining
30% consistently higher than the other two
regions. Y/Y growth was lower during January
20% 2021 than it was in January 2020 before the
pandemic began.
Asia
10%
Worldwide
0% Europe
U.S.
-10%
20
0
0
0
0
20
0
0
20
0
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21
1
-2
-2
r-2
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ar
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Ap
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No
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Ja
Fe
Fe
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Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 26© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
App Adoption Fell Among Some Top Genres
Yearly U.S. mobile game downloads by game genre
2018 2019 2020 Much of the decline in U.S. download growth
1.2B
in the second half of 2020 was explained by
+40%
Hypercasual games. U.S. installs for the top 100
-4%
Hypercasual games grew 40 percent from less
1.0B than 800 million in 2018 to more than 1.1 billion
in 2019, before falling 4 percent year-over-year in
2020. Tabletop game downloads also fell in 2020
800M after strong growth in 2019.
Not all genres saw downloads decline in 2020.
600M Puzzle game downloads grew 11 percent Y/Y,
+11% and Simulation had 13 percent growth. Arcade
-4% installs also grew 4 percent Y/Y, though it’s worth
400M noting that Arcade installs actually decreased
+3% +4%
Y/Y if the top game, Among Us, was excluded.
+13%
+8% +4%
+9%
+20%
200M -10% +30%
-19% -8% Note:
-1% -2% -3% -4% -6%
Download data includes the top 100 games by U.S. downloads each
month for each game genre.
0
Hypercasual Puzzle Arcade Simulation Lifestyle Tabletop Casino Shooter Strategy Sports
Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 27© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Among Us Downloads Dwarfed All Other Games
Growth in U.S. downloads during Q2 to Q4 2020 vs. the prior three quarters
Arcade Lifestyle Simulation Puzzle Casino Strategy Hypercasual Among Us from InnerSloth was the clear
standout in the last three quarters of 2020.
Among Us
The multiplayer social deduction game was
released in 2018, but its popularity soared
Toca Life Word
during the pandemic as it provided a way for
Roblox
friends to stay connected.
Fishdom Some of the top revenue gainers during the
pandemic were also among the top games by
Coin Master U.S. download growth, including Roblox,
Fishdom, and Coin Master. Nintendo’s Animal
Evony Crossing: Pocket Camp saw a boost when its
publisher released the hit Animal Crossing: New
Word Collect Horizons on Nintendo Switch in March 2020.
Subway Surfers
Animal Crossing:
Pocket Camp Note: Excludes games launched after Jun. 30 2019.
Snake.io
0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M
Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 28© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Hypercasual Downloads Fell During the Pandemic
Quarterly year-over-year U.S. mobile game download growth
All Games Hypercasual Other The pandemic halted the rapid Hypercasual
50%
adoption boom seen over the past several
years. With significant reductions in commuting
40% and travel in response to COVID-19, demand for
these simple games fell and Hypercasual genre
30%
downloads decreased year-over-year each
quarter between Q2 and Q4 2020.
20%
Other genres outside of Hypercasual saw
growth accelerate in Q2 2020. This lift did not
10% last, however, and mobile game downloads
decreased Y/Y in Q4 2020.
0%
Other
-10%
All Games
Note:
-20%
Download data includes the top 100 games by U.S. downloads each
Hypercasual
month for each game genre.
-30%
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Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 29© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Hypercasual Had a Lower Ceiling During COVID-19
Top mobile games by U.S. downloads in 2020, by quarter
No. 5 Hypercasual Game
Q1 2020 Q2 2020 In Q1 2020, the Hypercasual genre accounted
for a larger share of top games than in the rest
Woodturning 10.6M Save The Girl 10.3M of 2020, and these top games were able to
Brain Test 10.0M Roblox 8.6M
achieve higher download totals than later in
Johnny Trigger 9.3M Go Knots 3D 8.5M
Draw Climber 8.3M Coin Master 7.9M
the year. Woodturning and Save The Girl
Park Master 7.3M Hypercasual Fishdom 6.9M Hypercasual surpassed 10 million installs in Q1 and Q2,
Other Other
Call of Duty: Mobile 6.9M ASMR Slicing 6.5M respectively. The best quarter for a Hypercasual
ID Please 6.9M Tangle Master 3D 6.4M
Dentist Bling 6.8M Call of Duty: Mobile 6.2M
game in the second half of the year was Shortcut
Slap Kings 6.7M Wobble Man 6.1M Run at 8.3 million.
Sort It 3D 6.5M Brain Test 5.3M
0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M Much of the decline in Hypercasual genre
game installs came from lower totals for the
Q3 2020 Q4 2020 top games. The No. 5 hypercasual game in Q1
2020, ID Please, had 6.9 million U.S. installs. The
Among Us 23.4M Among Us 24.2M
Subway Surfers 7.9M Shortcut Run 8.3M number of downloads needed to rank No. 5 fell
Scribble Rider 7.9M Chat Master 7.2M each quarter since, dropping to 6.1 million in Q2,
Tie Dye 7.8M Roblox 7.0M
5.6 million in Q3 and 4.3 million in Q4.
Cube Surfer 7.6M Hypercasual Project Makeover 6.5M Hypercasual
Roblox 7.0M Other Acrylic Nails 6.2M Other
Color Roll 3D 6.2M Roof Rails 5.4M
Tangle Master 3D 5.6M Call of Duty: Mobile 4.6M
Fruit Clinic 5.5M Match 3D 4.3M
Doctor Care 5.3M Let's Be Cops 3D 4.3M
0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M
Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 30© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Top Hypercasual Publishers Had Mixed Results in 2020
Quarterly U.S. downloads for top hypercasual games publishers
Despite the hit taken by the U.S. Hypercasual
game market, some top publishers were able
Voodoo AppLovin Crazy Labs Supersonic Good Job SayGames
Studios Games to perform well even during the pandemic.
80M
Voodoo’s downloads dropped off from their all-
time high from Q1 2020 but remained above 65
Voodoo million for each of the next three quarters.
+1% Y/Y in Q4 2020 Meanwhile, Supersonic Studios launched with
60M
successful Hypercasual titles like Join Clash
3D and Sort It 3D to rank among the top 10
AppLovin
-18% Y/Y publishers by U.S. downloads in 2020.
40M AppLovin, with the vast majority of its installs
coming from its Hypercasual genre games
Crazy Labs
+32% Y/Y publisher Lion Studios, saw its U.S. installs
Supersonic Studios plummet in Q2 2020. Its installs started to
Good Job Games
20M -15% Y/Y recover in Q3 and Q4 though downloads were
SayGames still down 18 percent year-over-year in Q4 2020.
-47 % Y/Y
0
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Mobile Gaming: Download Trends 31Conclusion — Key Takeaways from the Report
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved Conclusion 1. Certain app categories are still experiencing the effects of school and office closures a year into the pandemic. ● By February 2021, Business app installs are still up close to 100 percent year-over-year in Europe and nearly 50 percent in the United States. ● Meanwhile, Travel, and Navigation app adoption remains low. ● The Sports category has recovered from the hit it took early in the pandemic as live games were cancelled or postponed. Sports installs returned by late 2020, although the rapid Sports app revenue growth seen prior to the pandemic has yet to return completely. Conclusion 33
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved Conclusion 2. Mobile game revenue boomed during the pandemic and has stayed high into early 2021. ● Mobile game revenue, sitting comfortably with 15 to 20 percent year-over-year growth prior to the pandemic, saw growth accelerate in the last three quarters of 2020. Worldwide revenue growth peaked at nearly 40 percent Y/Y in May 2020 before settling in at 25 to 35 percent for the rest of the year. ● While many of the top growing games had a strong social component, revenue growth was pronounced across top genres in 2020. ● Even if pre-pandemic growth rates return in 2021, mobile games have experienced a substantial and lasting boost. Conclusion 34
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved Conclusion 3. The pandemic appears to have halted the rapid growth in adoption for Hypercasual genre games. ● U.S. Hypercasual downloads had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46 percent between Q1 2018 and Q1 2020. ● Following the spread of COVID-19, however, downloads fell in three consecutive quarters. ● Hypercasual remains a huge market, but with growth stalled during the pandemic plus uncertainty around IDFA’s impact on the genre, it is unclear whether it will see a return to pre-pandemic trends. Conclusion 35
© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved
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