Understand mobile players to make great games

Diversification is a word we use a lot in gaming. You might hear it in the context of diversifying revenue streams, media and creative diversification or even speaking about the importance of placement diversification across Facebook’s solutions.

While the words mergers and acquisitions aren't exactly synonymous with "diversification" the opposite is true in gaming. In recent years, high-profile investments and acquisitions have taken place as gaming companies seek to diversify their games portfolio. This type of diversification presents opportunities for publishers and studios to explore new genres and markets, and ultimately scale business. It has proved to be an effective strategy for many.

But, at the heart of all diversification, is people. In a world where 2.5 billion people – all with unique interests and preferences – play mobile games, the common denominator is diversity. Understanding what this diverse audience wants, and creating games with features that speak to those needs, as well as advertising that resonates is key to success.

Helping gaming companies understand audiences to create better games was the genesis of our new report, Genre and Great Games. We had first identified the trend of “genre diversification” in our inaugural Marketing Report, published at the end of 2019, where we noted that players were not fixed to any given genre. 

To further understand this trend, and to delve deeper into player behaviors, our colleagues at Facebook IQ commissioned a global study. Broken down by market and genre, they asked people why they played certain genres, why they abandoned games, what type of ads they like to see and how important social elements are to each game (among many other topics).

But what are insights without actions? That’s where our industry partner GameRefinery came in. Working closely with our team, they were able to pair the research with game feature analysis, to show what features speak to what needs. 

The report is broken down by 4 key genres across 4 diverse markets and delves into 4 major topics: 

• Genre fulfillment: What motivates people to play certain genres and how well current games deliver on those expectations
• Community: What role community features play across the genres and what features support social connection in gameplay
• Monetization: What monetization strategy is best suited to each genre and the features that support that approach
• Ad preferences: What elements of advertising resonate with players of given genres and how to entice new players or bring back lapsed players.

It’s a truly comprehensive report, packed with valuable insights and actionable takeaways that make it a great resource for all gaming designers, developers and marketers. I look forward to hearing what you think and continuing to support the growth and diversification of the gaming industry.  

You can get hold of the report today at this link.