Mobile Game Markets Analysis and Development Trend in Southeast Asia 2022

According to SensorTower, the global mobile game market maintains stable growth in 2021. With relevant privacy policies rolling out in 2021 and the epidemic becoming normalization in countries and regions, the global mobile game download volume sees a slight decline in 2021. However, the overall revenue continues to grow.

The total number of mobile game downloads worldwide in 2021 reached 55.6 billion, a 1.1% decrease compared to the year 2020. Google Play downloads sit at 46.8 billion with a 1.5% increase while App Store downloads gain 8.8 billion with a 15.8% descent. As to the revenue, global mobile game revenue totals US$88.8 billion in 2021, up 11.4% from 2020. Google Play and the App Store gain $36.7 billion and $52.1 billion respectively.

Asia is the leading player in terms of growth by region, while Southeast Asia and Latin America witnessed the fastest enhancement which is mainly driven by Google Play, advancing 7.6% and 5.6% respectively. The US accounts for 29% in revenue, followed by China, Japan, and Korea.

An Overview of Mobile Game Market in Southeast Asia

Let's take a look at the performance in the mobile game sector in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia countries boast a huge internet population, enabling players to call it the "most promising market" in recent years. The data from Statista indicates that many countries in Southeast Asia are ranked among the top 15 Asian countries in terms of smartphone users in 2021, with Indonesia surpassing Japan to rank third in Asia. It's expected to reach more than 550 million people in Southeast Asia countries by 2025.

South East Asia's mobile game market will become a major player in the following few years. As per the current status, the major mobile market in Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, for example - is still slightly behind the global average in terms of players' affordable to purchase. It's sure that the mobile device and network technology environment play key parts in the sector as well.

According to Ookla's ranking of APAC countries in terms of mobile internet download speeds, Singapore performs best with the rest of the major countries in Southeast Asia ranking in the mid-range and even below. Even so, users in South East Asia are still showing great demand and penetration in the APAC region. According to the average time of online users by country, mainland China only ranks 10th; while the top 4 belong to Southeast Asia countries.

Data from SensorTower shows that total mobile game downloads and revenues in Southeast Asia grow by 6% and 15% respectively in 2021 compared to 2020. And the trend will maintain due to the epidemic lasting in the long term. Android users continue to be the largest source of downloads and revenue in Southeast Asia. In terms of downloads, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are among the top 10 countries in 2021.

As per the revenue in Southeast Asia in this industry, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam rank at the top, with Thailand being the highest revenue player in the market in 2021. In terms of revenue composition, nearly 70% comes from IAP revenue. With the development of the IAA industry in recent years, more players pay attention to the mobile game market in Southeast Asia.

Incredible Mobile Game Downloads & Tiktok

It can be also seen in Mintegral's data. Taking Indonesia for example, with more game developers putting emphasis on Android games in Southeast Asia since 2021, the overall Indonesian market has seen an increase in traffic and budget. In particular, Indonesia's eCPM data in 2021 nearly double those of 2020.

In addition, media channel plays an essential role in boosting the development of mobile games in Southeast Asia. TikTok has become the most important social entertainment platform for Southeast Asian users. According to its official data, most Southeast Asian countries have ranked in the top 10 countries in users. Indonesia in particular ranks second with nearly 100 million users. As such, TikTok provides a great platform for major developers and brand owners to enable more users in Southeast Asia to know.

With over US$8.43 billion in total user spending in 2021, MMORPG is growing at a very fast rate and is ranked second in the category by segment. However, MMORPG-typed games gain various popularity in Southeast Asia. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% in 2021-2026. The growth of online gaming among millennials has led to the creation of a virtual world for video gamers. The increasing gamer, investments in the global gaming market are also contributing to the growth of the MMORPG market. 

In Conclusion

Southeast Asia boasts great potential in the development of the mobile game market. There is no reason for game developers to ignore the market. What's more, players in Southeast Asia are more likely to favor MMORPG-typed games. It coincides with the users' behaviors when using Redfinger cloud phone. If users are devoted to playing MMORPG, redfinger is a sound platform for them to download and enjoy games.