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Unity Technologies released a report on how Covid-19 lockdown has impacted user acquisition and monetization in the gaming industry. The data comes from games made with Unity or using the Unity Ads network.
- Overall use
- 46% DAU increase in HD gaming (i.e. console, PC, VR) and 17% in mobile gaming
- Weekend and weekday differences in gaming behavior narrowed by 63%
- User acquisition
- Mobile gamers are installing 84% more apps
- Click-through rate (CTR) for mobile gaming ads went up 34% compared to 2019
- Average cost per install (CPI) for mobile games dropped by 33%
- “Pandemic gamers” — gamers who joined only since the start of the pandemic — convert 27.5% more often to paying users, but generate 8% less daily revenue.
- Retention
- In HD gaming, D1 retention is up by 11% and D30 retention is up by 8.8%
- Monetization
- In-app purchase (IAP) revenue for mobile games increased by 24%
- Mobile gaming ad impressions increased by 57%, and ad revenues surged by 59%
- Among mobile game players who watch ads, average number of ads watched increased by 14%
- Individual average eCPM decreased by 3% compared to 2019