Sensor Tower: Mobile game spending hit $48.3 billion in 2017

Mobile spending was up across the board globally in 2017 mostly due to games. Total app spend was up 35 percent year-over-year, reaching $58.6 billion on the Apple App Store and Google Play according to mobile market analyst Sensor Tower. The bulk of that was from mobile games, which accounted for 82 percent of all revenue and rose 30 percent year-over-year to reach $48.3 billion.

The top-grossing title worldwide on the Apple App Store and Google Play was Mixi Inc.’s Monster Strike. It launched in 2013 and amassed a dedicated fanbase in Japan but had trouble gaining traction abroad, which makes it even more impressive that it topped the charts last year. Sensor Tower notes that its numbers don’t account for China’s Android app stores, which is the likely reason that Tencent’s massively popular Honor of Kings places at No. 2 instead of No. 1. Other top titles include Aniplex’s Fate/Grand Order, Supercell’s Clash Royale, and King’s Candy Crush Saga.