The end of mobile gaming as we know it

As they face market saturation and rising marketing costs, mobile gaming marketers are finding it increasingly difficult to report healthy return on investment (ROI). Cost-per-install (CPI) is three times higher than it was in 2010, and day-one retention has dropped 50 percent. Players have plenty of choice and little attention; 74 percent won’t open a game post install.

Meanwhile, the mobile gaming industry is exploding. In 2016 mobile gaming generated $41 billion in revenue, 85 percent of total app revenue, and a 21 percent increase from 2015. By 2020 annual revenue is estimated to double to $80 billion.