covid-19’s app impact: one year later

COVID-19’s App Impact: One Year Later— Assessing the State of the Mobile App Ecosystem One Year into the Pandemic

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Table of Contents03 - 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

— The Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Games

App Trends: United States


Business, News, and Education apps saw historic download growth in the early months of the pandemic, with downloads in each of these categories doubling year-over-year. Medical and Health & Fitness also saw strong growth, while Navigation, Sports, and Travel downloads decreased as stay-at-home orders were enacted and sports games were cancelled.

A significant fraction of the impact from COVID-19 persisted into early 2021, with Business downloads still up and Navigation and Travel installs below the usual levels. The effect is less pronounced than in early 2020, however, and some categories like Sports had completely recovered by 2021.

App Trends: United States 4

Business

News

Education

Medical

Health & Fitness

Food & Drink

Books

Social Networking

Finance

Shopping

Reference

Productivity

Photo & Video

Utilities

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Weather

Music

Navigation

Sports

Travel

-100% -50% 0% 50% 100% 150%

-53%

-39%-50%

59%79%

105%106%

148% Business

Finance

Medical

Sports

News

Social Networking

Lifestyle

Education

Books

Utilities

Shopping

Entertainment

Reference

Health & Fitness

Food & Drink

Photo & Video

Weather

Productivity

Music

Navigation

Travel

-100% -50% 0% 50% 100% 150%

49%

Early Pandemic Mar-Apr 2019 vs. Mar-Apr 2020

Early 2021 Jan-Feb 2020 vs. Jan-Feb 2021

A Significant Fraction of COVID-19’s Impact PersistsYear-over-year U.S. download growth by category

23%

19%18%

11%

0.4%

-28%-31%


-100%

-50%

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

Jan-20

Feb-20

Mar-20

Apr-20

May-20

Jun-20Jul-2

0

Aug-20

Sep-20

Oct-20

Nov-20

Dec-20

Jan-21

Feb-21

All Categories Business Sports Education Health & Fitness Travel Navigation In the U.S., Business apps like Zoom and Google Meet saw the largest boost following COVID-19. These apps also retained the most growth into 2021, with downloads still up nearly 50 percent Y/Y a year into the pandemic.

Other categories saw downloads return towards pre-pandemic levels. Education and Health & Fitness had much lower growth by early 2021. Meanwhile, Sports bounced back as leagues re-opened by summer 2020.

5

Business Is Booming While Travel Adoption Remains LowMonthly year-over-year U.S. download growth by category

Business

SportsEducation

Health & Fitness

TravelNavigation

All Categories

App Trends: United States


U.S. app revenue spiked following the spread of COVID-19, with year-over-year growth jumping from around 20 to 25 percent before the pandemic to nearly 50 percent in Q2 2020. Growth hovered around 40 percent for the remainder of 2020.

Revenue growth varied substantially across top categories. Entertainment, Social Networking, and Photo & Video apps did very well in late 2020, while Music revenue actually declined Y/Y.

6

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

38%40%48%

21%22%26%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

40%42%27%

15%8%

-3%-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

57%55%62%

22%35%

44%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

58%52%65%

39%44%

72%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

25%16%

-2%-8%

6%13%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

-16%

All Categories

Photo & Video

Entertainment Social Networking

Lifestyle Music

U.S. Revenue Has Surged During the PandemicQuarterly year-over-year U.S. revenue growth by category

App Trends: U.S.

-15%-2%-12%

-0%

19%


Some of the top growing categories by downloads also saw a significant rise in revenue during the pandemic. While Education and Business app revenue was still low relative to other categories, both categories experienced rapid growth during Q2 to Q4 2020.

Sports app revenue growth in the U.S. was halted by the pandemic. Some positive growth returned with the resumption of live sports in the later quarters, and these apps will look to make up ground in 2021.

7

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

38%40%48%

21%22%26%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

44%55%

46%

22%36%39%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

36%21%16%

47%45%46%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

76%77%78%

38%33%45%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

114%109%103%

71%

28%34%

All Categories

Education

Health & Fitness Productivity

Sports Business

Education, Business Revenue Skyrocketed in Late 2020Quarterly year-over-year U.S. revenue growth by category

App Trends: U.S.

-14%

30%

12%

89%82%84%

— The Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Games

App Trends: Europe


Business app download growth was even more pronounced in Europe than in the U.S. Year-over-year growth peaked at more than 250 percent in the months immediately following the spread of COVID-19 and remained high for the following year.

Health & Fitness apps also saw a larger boost in Europe than in the U.S. While U.S. download growth was near zero by early 2021, European downloads were up 23 percent.

9

Business

Health & Fitness

Books

Medical

Education

News

Productivity

Social Networking

Food & Drink

Lifestyle

Shopping

Photo & Video

Utilities

Finance

Reference

Entertainment

Music

Weather

Navigation

Travel

Sports

-100% 0% 100% 200% 300%

88%

80%71%70%

252% Business

Weather

Medical

Finance

Lifestyle

Shopping

Food & Drink

Health & Fitness

Books

Education

Entertainment

Photo & Video

Utilities

Social Networking

Sports

Reference

Productivity

Music

News

Travel

Navigation

-100% 0% 100% 200% 300%

83%

109%

Early Pandemic Mar-Apr 2019 vs. Mar-Apr 2020

Early 2021 Jan-Feb 2020 vs. Jan-Feb 2021

European Business Downloads Still Up More than 100%Year-over-year Europe download growth by category

2%

-16%

23%

19%

-21%-18%

-27%-38%

-41%

App Trends: Europe


-100%

-50%

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

300%

350%

Jan-20

Feb-20

Mar-20

Apr-20

May-20

Jun-20Jul-2

0

Aug-20

Sep-20

Oct-20

Nov-20

Dec-20

Jan-21

Feb-21

All Categories Business Health & Fitness Education Sports Travel Navigation European download trends mirrored patterns of COVID-19 case numbers. Category growth regressed towards pre-pandemic levels in the summer months as some countries began to re-open, but reversed course as cases increased again in the winter months. This gives us a sense of what to expect as countries begin to re-open again in 2021.

Sports downloads returned early into the pandemic and actually made up for some of the losses in the spring. By 2021, Sports installs were similar to the pre-pandemic numbers.

10

COVID-19’s Impact was Evident in Winter MonthsMonthly year-over-year Europe download growth by category

Business

Sports

EducationHealth & Fitness

TravelNavigation

All Categories

App Trends: Europe


While the revenue increase was not as large as in the U.S., year-over-year growth did increase in Europe following the spread of COVID-19. Y/Y growth peaked in Q2 2020 at 40 percent and was above 30 percent for the next two quarters.

Entertainment and Health & Fitness were some of the highest gainers among top categories by revenue in Europe. Health & Fitness revenue growth surged to more than 70 percent Y/Y during the pandemic.

11

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

32%30%40%

25%23%18%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

49%49%63%

37%37%22%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

18%20%30%28%

40%31%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

25%35%

16%22%23%10%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

72%83%79%

46%43%33%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

50%52%

80%62%

71%

98%

All Categories

Lifestyle

Entertainment Social Networking

Health & Fitness Photo & Video

Entertainment, Health & Fitness Apps are FlourishingQuarterly year-over-year Europe revenue growth by category

App Trends: Europe


Among some of the lower-revenue categories, Education and News apps performed well during COVID-19. These were also among the top categories by download growth in the first few months of the pandemic.

Sports revenue in Europe followed a similar pattern to that seen in the U.S. Revenue growth was solid in the second half of 2020 but was still below pre-COVID-19 levels.

12

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

55%54%64%

34%30%22%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

28%29%25%28%32%14%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

-5%

7%4%12%

22%15%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

60%71%

53%

27%22%9%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

All Categories

Music

Education Productivity

News Sports

Sports Bounced Back After a Rough Q2 2020Quarterly year-over-year Europe revenue growth by category

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

125%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

32%30%40%

25%23%18%

App Trends: Europe

-14%

37%25%

50%45%56%

— A Look at the Apps Impacted Most by COVID-19

Category Trends: Non-Games


0

5

10

15

20

Jan-20

Feb-20

Mar-20

Apr-20

May-20

Jun-20Jul-2

0

Aug-20

Sep-20

Oct-20

Nov-20

Dec-20

Jan-21

Feb-21

MAU (indexed to January 2020) Monthly active users for top Business apps in 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 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 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.

Category Trends 14

Top Business Apps’ MAUs Grew More than 20x in the U.S.Indexed monthly active users (MAU) among the top five business apps

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 Meetings). MAU are indexed vs. January 2020.


The top two sports apps, ESPN and DAZN, experienced rapid revenue growth before the 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 million to $38 million over the same period. ESPN and DAZN revenue dipped substantially in Q2 2020 as COVID-19 forced live sporting events to be postponed or cancelled.

Revenue bounced back somewhat in the second half of 2020. DAZN’s revenue reached an all-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 revenue was from the U.S., and North America’s growth lagged behind that of the other regions.

15

$0

$10M

$20M

$30M

$40M

$50M

Q1 2018

Q2 0218

Q3 2018

Q4 2018

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

U.S.

Sports Revenue Growth Starts to ReturnQuarterly consumer spending for ESPN and DAZN

$0

$10M

$20M

$30M

$40M

$50M

Q1 2018

Q2 0218

Q3 2018

Q4 2018

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

Worldwide Europe North America Japan

ESPN DAZN

Category Trends


Top Health & Fitness revenue gainers following the pandemic included outdoor and at-home workout options like Strava and Peloton. Strava moved up four spots from 2019 to 2020 off of 142 percent growth year-over-year. Strava revenue in Q3 2020 was more than it earned in all of 2019.

Fitbit rolled out its subscription option, Fitbit Premium, in September 2019. Its revenue climbed from $6.6 million in Q1 2020 to more than $17 million in Q4 2020, and it was among the top five Health & Fitness apps by revenue in the first two months of 2021.

16

Outdoor and At-Home Workout Apps Showed StrengthTop Health & Fitness apps by worldwide revenue

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2019

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2020

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Jan-Feb 2021

Calm Calm

MyFitnessPal Under Armour

Headspace Headspace

Sweat Kayla Itsines

WW Weight Watchers

BetterMe: Home Workout BetterMe

30 Day Fitness Bending Spoons

Strava Strava

Lifesum Lifesum

Freeletics Freeletics

Calm Calm


Headspace Headspace

Strava Strava

WW Weight Watchers

Sweat Kayla Itsines

Fitbit Fitbit

Flo Flo Health

Muscle Booster A.L. Amazing Apps

30 Day Fitness Bending Spoons

-3

NEW

NEW

-2

-

-

-

+4

-

NEW

Calm Calm


Headspace Headspace

WW Weight Watchers

Fitbit Fitbit

Strava Strava

Flo Flo Health

Sweat Kayla Itsines

Peloton Peloton

Muscle Booster A.L. Amazing Apps

-1

-2

NEW

-

-

+1

-

+2

-2

+1

Category Trends


While many top Health & Fitness apps maintained strong revenue growth in 2020, outdoor and at-home workout apps flourished during the pandemic. Revenue and downloads spiked for Strava, AllTrails, and Peloton as consumers looked to alternative workout options during gyms closures.

Early 2021 data suggests that growth has slowed as consumers adjust to pandemic life and gyms begin to re-open. However, retaining even a fraction of the increased user base gained during the pandemic puts these apps in a great position for 2021 and beyond.

17

Revenue Growth Accelerated for Key AppsRevenue and download trends for top Health & Fitness apps

Category Trends

Year

ly G

ross

Rev

enue

$0

$25M

$50M

$75M

$100M

$125M

Yearly Downloads

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M

Calm in 2020

2019

2018Strava in 2020

2019

2018

Headspace in 2020

2019

2018

Fitbit in 2020

2019 2018

MyFitnessPal in 2020

2019

2018

AllTrails in 2020

20192018

Peloton in 2020

2019

2018

Sweat in 2020

2019 2018

— The Impact of COVID-19 on Mobile Games

Mobile Gaming: Revenue Trends


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Jan-20

Feb-20

Mar-20

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May-20

Jun-20Jul-2

0

Aug-20

Sep-20

Oct-20

Nov-20

Dec-20

Jan-21

Feb-21

Worldwide U.S. Europe Asia Global mobile game year-over-year revenue growth increased from about 15 to 20 percent before the pandemic to nearly 40 percent in May 2020. Growth has remained high since, hovering between 25 and 35 percent.

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 and Asia for the rest of the year. By early 2021, growth rates were similar between the regions.

19

Mobile Game Revenue Growth Remains HighMonthly year-over-year mobile game revenue growth by region

U.S.

Asia

Europe

Worldwide



Out of the top 10 game genres, only Strategy saw a lower year-over-year growth rate in 2020 than it did in 2019. U.S. revenue for all other genres spiked during the pandemic. Simulation, propelled by games like Roblox, had the highest Y/Y growth at 62 percent, followed by Action at 51 percent.

Casino overtook Puzzle to become the top genre by U.S. revenue in 2020. Coin Master was the top earner in the Casino category and only Roblox had more revenue growth in 2020.

20

$0

$1B

$2B

$3B

$4B

$5B

Casino Puzzle Strategy RPG Simulation Shooter Lifestyle Sports Tabletop Action

2018 2019 2020

Nearly All Game Genres Saw Growth Accelerate in 2020Yearly U.S. mobile game consumer spending by game genre


+29%

+49%

+22%

+28%

+28%

+25%

+29%

+39%

+24%

+62%

+41%

+43%

+11%

+43%

+11%+23%

+33%+39%

+18%

+51% Note: Consumer spending data includes the top 100 games by U.S. revenue each month for each game genre.


While each of the top five game genres saw U.S. consumer spending spike in Q2 following the spread of COVID-19, the magnitude of growth varied. Simulation consumer spending more than doubled year-over-year in Q2 2020, followed by Casino with 75 percent year-over-year growth and RPG at 64 percent.

Revenue growth fell from its peak in Q2 2020 but was still above the pre-pandemic level for each genre in Q4 2020. While Strategy growth lagged behind the other genres in Q2 2020, it was able to maintain that growth throughout the rest of 2020.

21

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

All Games Simulation Casino RPG Strategy Puzzle

Some Genres Experienced a Larger BoostQuarterly year-over-year U.S. consumer spending growth by game genre

Simulation

StrategyRPG

Casino

Puzzle

All Games


Note: Consumer spending data includes the top 100 games by U.S. revenue each month for each game genre.


Revenue growth following the COVID-19 outbreak varied substantially across top U.S. games. Many of these top performing games, such as Roblox and Call of Duty: Mobile, provided ways for consumers to play together safely during social distancing. Pokémon GO also had a surprise resurgence during the pandemic thanks to the integration of play-at-home features and numerous special events.

Not all single player games struggled during the pandemic. Coin Master was the No. 2 game by revenue growth during COVID-19. Other single player games like Candy Crush Saga, Gardenscapes, and Slotomania saw lower growth during Q2 to Q4 2020.

22

$0

$10M

$20M

$30M

$40M

$50M

$60M

$70M

$80M

Roblox

Coin Master

Candy Crush Saga

Pokémon GO

Homescapes

Gardenscapes

Clash of Clans

Slotomania

PUBG Mobile

Call of Duty: Mobile

$23M$24M$25M$26M$32M$34M

$46M

$54M$57M

$69M

$11M

$21M$27M$28M

$31M$24M

$21M

$52M

$39M$41M

Q1 2020 Q2-Q4 2020

Social Games Tended to See Higher GrowthAverage monthly U.S. consumer spending in the top 10 games of 2020, Q1 vs. Q2 to Q4 2020


+67%

+45%+5%

+117%

+39% +4%

-7% -8% +16% +98%


The top 10 games by U.S. revenue growth during the pandemic represented seven distinct genres, including five different genres among the top five games. Playrix had two Puzzle and Decorate titles among the top 10 with Fishdom and Homescapes, though revenue growth for these titles slowed by Q4 2020.

Two shooter genre games were among the top 10 by revenue growth, including the battle royale title Garena Free Fire and FPS/3PS game Call of Duty: Mobile. Fortnite’s revenue also spiked in Q2 2020 prior to it leaving the App Store and Google Play later in the year.

23

Roblox

Coin Master

Pokémon GO

State of Survival

Garena Free Fire

Call of Duty: Mobile

Fishdom

MARVEL Strike Force

The Seven Deadly Sins

Homescapes

$0 $50M $100M $150M $200M $250M $300M

Simulation Casino Geolocation AR Strategy Shooter Puzzle RPG

Sandbox Game Roblox Saw the Highest GrowthGrowth in U.S. consumer spending in Q2 to Q4 2020 vs. the prior three quarters


Note: Excludes games launched in 2020.


Roblox and Coin Master revenue surged past Candy Crush Saga in Q2 2020. Revenue growth plateaued over the next two quarters, but they remained the top two games in the U.S. Other top titles like Candy Crush Saga and PUBG Mobile didn’t see the same level of growth during the pandemic.

Pokémon GO’s ascent continued into the 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.

24

Roblox Ranked No. 1 for Spending During the PandemicQuarterly U.S. consumer spending for top games


$0

$50M

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

Candy Crush SagaPokémon GO

Gardenscapes

Roblox

Coin Master

PUBG Mobile

Roblox Coin Master Candy Crush Saga

Pokémon GO Gardenscapes PUBG Mobile

— The Impact of COVID-19 on Mobile Games

Mobile Gaming: Download Trends


-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Jan-20

Feb-20

Mar-20

Apr-20

May-20

Jun-20Jul-2

0

Aug-20

Sep-20

Oct-20

Nov-20

Dec-20

Jan-21

Feb-21

Worldwide U.S. Europe Asia Mobile game download growth spiked in the first few months of the pandemic from 26 percent year-over-year in January 2020 to 63 percent Y/Y in April as consumers looked for new ways to entertain themselves. Download growth fell back towards January’s total by June, and it continued to decline during the rest of the year.

Trends were similar in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with Asia’s download growth remaining consistently higher than the other two regions. Y/Y growth was lower during January 2021 than it was in January 2020 before the pandemic began.

26

The Mobile Game Download Boost Was TemporaryMonthly year-over-year mobile game download growth by region

U.S.

Asia

Europe

Worldwide



Much of the decline in U.S. download growth in the second half of 2020 was explained by Hypercasual games. U.S. installs for the top 100 Hypercasual games grew 40 percent from less 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 after strong growth in 2019.

Not all genres saw downloads decline in 2020. Puzzle game downloads grew 11 percent Y/Y, and Simulation had 13 percent growth. Arcade installs also grew 4 percent Y/Y, though it’s worth noting that Arcade installs actually decreased Y/Y if the top game, Among Us, was excluded.

27

0

200M

400M

600M

800M

1.0B

1.2B

Hypercasual Puzzle Arcade Simulation Lifestyle Tabletop Casino Shooter Strategy Sports

2018 2019 2020

App Adoption Fell Among Some Top GenresYearly U.S. mobile game downloads by game genre

+40%-4%

-4%

+11%

+3%+4%

+8%+13%

+9% +4%+20%

-10%

-1%+30% -19%-8% -2% -3% -4% -6% Note:

Download data includes the top 100 games by U.S. downloads each month for each game genre.



Among Us from InnerSloth was the clear standout in the last three quarters of 2020. The multiplayer social deduction game was released in 2018, but its popularity soared during the pandemic as it provided a way for friends to stay connected.

Some of the top revenue gainers during the pandemic were also among the top games by U.S. download growth, including Roblox, Fishdom, and Coin Master. Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp saw a boost when its publisher released the hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch in March 2020.

28

Among Us

Toca Life Word

Roblox

Fishdom

Coin Master

Evony

Word Collect

Subway Surfers

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Snake.io

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M

Arcade Lifestyle Simulation Puzzle Casino Strategy Hypercasual

Among Us Downloads Dwarfed All Other GamesGrowth in U.S. downloads during Q2 to Q4 2020 vs. the prior three quarters


Note: Excludes games launched after Jun. 30 2019.


-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

All Games Hypercasual Other The pandemic halted the rapid Hypercasual adoption boom seen over the past several years. With significant reductions in commuting and travel in response to COVID-19, demand for these simple games fell and Hypercasual genre downloads decreased year-over-year each quarter between Q2 and Q4 2020.

Other genres outside of Hypercasual saw growth accelerate in Q2 2020. This lift did not last, however, and mobile game downloads decreased Y/Y in Q4 2020.

29

Hypercasual Downloads Fell During the PandemicQuarterly year-over-year U.S. mobile game download growth

Hypercasual

Other

All Games


Note: Download data includes the top 100 games by U.S. downloads each month for each game genre.


In Q1 2020, the Hypercasual genre accounted for a larger share of top games than in the rest of 2020, and these top games were able to achieve higher download totals than later in the year. Woodturning and Save The Girl surpassed 10 million installs in Q1 and Q2, respectively. The best quarter for a Hypercasual game in the second half of the year was Shortcut Run at 8.3 million.

Much of the decline in Hypercasual genre game installs came from lower totals for the top games. The No. 5 hypercasual game in Q1 2020, ID Please, had 6.9 million U.S. installs. The number of downloads needed to rank No. 5 fell each quarter since, dropping to 6.1 million in Q2, 5.6 million in Q3 and 4.3 million in Q4.

30

Hypercasual Had a Lower Ceiling During COVID-19Top mobile games by U.S. downloads in 2020, by quarter


Save The GirlRoblox

Go Knots 3DCoin Master

FishdomASMR Slicing

Tangle Master 3DCall of Duty: Mobile

Wobble ManBrain Test

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M

5.3M

6.2M

6.9M7.9M

8.6M

6.1M

6.4M6.5M

8.5M

10.3M

HypercasualOther

Among UsSubway Surfers

Scribble RiderTie Dye

Cube SurferRoblox

Color Roll 3DTangle Master 3D

Fruit ClinicDoctor Care

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M

7.0M

7.9M23.4M

5.3M5.5M5.6M6.2M

7.6M7.8M7.9M

HypercasualOther

Among UsShortcut Run

Chat MasterRoblox

Project MakeoverAcrylic Nails

Roof RailsCall of Duty: Mobile

Match 3DLet's Be Cops 3D

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M

4.3M4.6M

6.5M7.0M

24.2M

4.3M

5.4M6.2M

7.2M8.3M

HypercasualOther

WoodturningBrain Test

Johnny TriggerDraw Climber

Park MasterCall of Duty: Mobile

ID PleaseDentist Bling

Slap KingsSort It 3D

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M

6.9M

10.0M

6.5M6.7M6.8M6.9M

7.3M8.3M

9.3M

10.6M

HypercasualOther

Q1 2020 Q2 2020

Q3 2020 Q4 2020

No. 5 Hypercasual Game


Despite the hit taken by the U.S. Hypercasual game market, some top publishers were able to perform well even during the pandemic. Voodoo’s downloads dropped off from their all-time high from Q1 2020 but remained above 65 million for each of the next three quarters. Meanwhile, Supersonic Studios launched with successful Hypercasual titles like Join Clash 3D and Sort It 3D to rank among the top 10 publishers by U.S. downloads in 2020.

AppLovin, with the vast majority of its installs coming from its Hypercasual genre games publisher Lion Studios, saw its U.S. installs plummet in Q2 2020. Its installs started to recover in Q3 and Q4 though downloads were still down 18 percent year-over-year in Q4 2020.

31

Top Hypercasual Publishers Had Mixed Results in 2020Quarterly U.S. downloads for top hypercasual games publishers

0

20M

40M

60M

80M

Q1 2018

Q2 2018

Q3 2018

Q4 2018

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

Crazy Labs +32% Y/YSupersonic StudiosGood Job Games -15% Y/Y

Voodoo +1% Y/Y in Q4 2020

AppLovin -18% Y/Y

SayGames -47 % Y/Y

Voodoo AppLovin Crazy Labs Supersonic Studios

Good Job Games

SayGames


— Key Takeaways from the Report

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

33Conclusion


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

34Conclusion


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

35Conclusion

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36

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