Hardly out-of-pocket, in all sense of the term
Mobile gaming, which has continued to grow from strength to strength on an annual basis, saw its first decline in revenue for some time in the first half of 2022. The slump in overall sales and in-game transactions hit most genres, although many of the most popular titles continue to hold steady.
The new data, published by the industry analysts over at Sensor Tower, shows that only the “Arcade” genre saw any significant growth, with a raise of around 14% year-on-year, which equates to somewhere in the region of $176 million USD. Almost all other genres — from racing games to puzzlers, RPGs to shooters, and even the cash cow of casino games — all saw a hefty decline in sales figures.
Overall, the US mobile gaming market was down by almost 10% over the previous year. This won’t find the industry on the ropes just yet, however, as it still raked in somewhere in the region of $11.4 billion. Astounding. The decline in mobile gaming revenue has been equated to both the increased cost of living, economic issues, and the softening of COVID-19 restrictions, which has seen more people out and about, rather than sitting at home idly on their phones.
Mobile gaming is just one of a number of industry sectors that have reported a revenue decline in 2022. Publishers such as PlayStation, Activision Blizzard, and Nintendo have all seen either hardware, software, or operating income fall when compared to the same period the previous year. While none of these slumps are big enough to cause any sweats, it is clear that the gaming industry as a whole is entering something of a down period, one very likely to continue as 2022 progresses.
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse