2020 Year In Review: 10 Mobile Milestones - Sensor Tower
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
2020 Year In Review:
10 Mobile Milestones
—
Take a look back at the top insights based
on Sensor Tower data from throughout 2020
From the ascendency of conferencing
apps to mobile games hitting new records
in consumer spending, Sensor Tower
Store Intelligence data shows that the
mobile market has reflected many of the
shifts in lifestyle and consumer interest
throughout an unprecedented year.
Ahead of our upcoming market recap
analysis, we’re taking a look back at
some of these major milestones from
2020 across both mobile games and apps.
1
Consumer Spending in Mobile
Apps Reached $100 Billion
Worldwide spending across the App Store
and Google Play has climbed each year, but
it was supercharged in 2020 as many users
turned to mobile games and video-on-
demand apps for entertainment, and video
conferencing for work and school.
Year-to-date, consumer spending has now reached
approximately $106 billion globally between January
1 and December 17. This figure represents 30 percent
growth year-over-year when compared to the same
period in 2019. It’s also 24 percent greater than total
consumer spending for all of last year, which reached
approximately $85.2 billion.
About 65 percent of consumer spending so far
this year has occurred on the App Store, which has Consumers spent approximately $106 billion across the App
generated more than $69 billion. This is about 30 Store and Google Play globally from January 1 to December 17.
percent Y/Y growth from the same period last year,
when the App Store saw approximately $53 billion in
spending. Google Play has generated nearly $37 billion
in revenue, a figure that represents 30 percent Y/Y
growth from $28.4 billion in the previous year.
Mobile games accounted for 71.7 percent of spending
year-to-date, reaching $76 billion. Non-game apps
collectively reached $30 billion, led by Entertainment.
65% of consumer
spending occurred
on the App Store
2 TikTok’s Record-Breaking Year It’s been an eventful year for TikTok. which has reached nearly 2.6 billion installs globally to date, including Douyin on iOS in China. In Q1 2020, it set a new record with 315 million installs globally, the most any app has seen in a single quarter. From January 1 to December 17, the app has reached nearly 961 million installs globally this year. From January 1 to December 17, the app has generated approximately $1.2 billion in user spending, up 627 percent from $165.1 million during the same period in 2019. Bytedance is continuing to innovate on in-app commerce as well, partnering with big brands such as Walmart. The next year will likely herald even more TikTok had a record-breaking 1Q20, reaching 315 million installs brand partnerships as TikTok continues to race globally—the most downloads any app has seen in a single quarter. against competitors such as Byte and social media giants Instagram and YouTube. January 1 - December 17 $1.2B in user spending
3 Buy Now, Pay Later Apps Continue to Grow Earlier in 2020, the top BNPL apps in the U.S. saw their installs climb each month starting in June—and this trend has only continued. The top four apps of this kind in the United States, including Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay and QuadPay, have set and broken new monthly download records in October and again in November. In November, the apps collectively saw 2.6 million installs from across the U.S. App Store and Google Play, up 136 percent Y/Y from 1.1 million in November 2019. From January 1 to December 17, the four top BNPL apps have reached 14.7 million installs in the U.S., up 137 percent Y/Y from 6.2 million between January 1 and December 17, 2019. These The top BNPL apps saw their MAUs grow consistently over the last 11 months. apps’ monthly active users have also continued to steadily climb, experiencing 162 percent Y/Y growth last month compared to November 2019. Sensor Tower’s latest report on mobile retail trends revealed that e-commerce has seen a huge acceleration and shift due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in popularity of BNPL apps will likely continue into 2021. Active users grew by 162% Y/Y vs. November 2019
4 Business Boom on Mobile We revealed in our Q2 2020 Data Digest that the Business category has seen unprecedented installs this year, and, since the second quarter, first-time downloads have remained high. From January to November, Business apps saw approximately 3.6 billion installs globally from across the App Store and Google Play. This figure is more than double the 1.5 billion installs the category saw in the same period in 2019, representing 140 percent Y/Y growth. The top three apps in the category are all centered on facilitating communication between consumers. Zoom was the top downloaded app, reaching over 667 million installs between January 1 and December 17 globally. It was followed by Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, which have seen 324.5 million The growth of App Store categories following the 200th COVID-19 case. and 195.5 million installs, respectively. These tools have found widespread use this year, not only for remote work but also for distance learning and also socialization—a trend that may very well continue into the next year. Business apps saw 3.6B installs across all stores
5
Small Screen
Battles Loom Large
As consumers around the world turned to
their phones and tablets for entertainment,
various streaming services have vied for
their attention. 2020 saw the launch of
bespoke services such as Quibi as well as
network-backed platforms such as Peacock
and HBO Max.
Already established platforms have turned their eyes
to appealing to wider audiences by launching in
new markets. The Disney+ mobile app saw the most
downloads in a month ever in November when it hit
more than 25 million installs globally, largely due to
its rollout to Latin American markets. Netflix offered
free trials during its StreamFest event in India, which
led to a 200 percent W/W increase in its installs there.
Monthly installs of Disney+ jumped nearly five times month-over-month
in November.
With more services on the way in 2021 such as
Paramount+ and Discovery+, the SVOD space
will see even more fierce competition.
Netflix’s StreamFest led to
200%
W/W increase in app installs
6
A Record Five Mobile Games
Generated over $1 Billion in 2020
Player spending has risen across the
mobile games market in 2020 and as a
result of that the world’s top revenue
generating titles have also experienced
significant growth.
This year has already seen five titles surpass $1
billion, with PUBG Mobile from Tencent leading
the way at $2.6 billion, up 64.3 percent from 2019.
Another Tencent game, Honor of Kings,
has accumulated close to $2.5 billion in player
spending, up 42.8 percent from the year prior.
The titles were followed by Pokémon GO from Niantic
at No. 3, Coin Master from Moon Active at No. 4, and
Roblox at No. 5. The quintet could yet be joined by
a sixth title, with Monster Strike from Mixi having Five mobile games have already passed $1 billion in consumer spending
this year, led by PUBG Mobile with $2.6 billion.
accumulated $958 million so far this year. 2020’s
tally of five games generating $1 billion-plus in a
single year is a record, with 2019 and 2018 both
seeing three titles achieving the milestone.
5 games
in 2020
7 Roblox Passes $2 Billion in Consumer Spending After years of flying under the radar, Roblox from Roblox Corporation is now obtaining global recognition as one of the industry’s leading MMOs. Sensor Tower estimates show that the title surpassed $2 billion in player spending in October 2020. It took seven months to generate $500 million and cross the $1.5 billion mark in May 2020, and just five months after that to accumulate a further $500 million and surpass $2 billion. Lifetime player spending for the game currently stands at $2.2 billion. So far in 2020, Roblox has generated close to $1.1 billion, an almost two-times increase from 2019 revenue. Player spending surged as lockdowns were enforced across the globe during the COVID-19 Ahead of Roblox’s highly anticipated IPO, the mobile game has generated pandemic. Revenue hit a peak of $112.8 million in $2.2 billion in player spending to date. May 2020, a three-times increase year-over-year, and up 72.3 percent from January. With sales remaining strong, Roblox Corporation is well-positioned for its IPO, which is now expected in 2021. Revenue up 72.3% from January 2020 peaking in May
8
Genshin Impact is the
Biggest RPG Launch to Date
Genshin Impact from miHoYo was an
instant hit when it officially launched on
September 28.
The RPG generated approximately $60 million
worldwide from the App Store and Google Play in
its first week, and by the end of its first month had
amassed nearly $250 million. After two months,
it had picked up close to $400 million and was
averaging more than $6 million a day. The title is
currently closing in on $500 million in less than
three months after its release.
Genshin Impact is smashing records, becoming one of
the biggest mobile game launches of all time. Utilizing
Sensor Tower Game Taxonomy data, we can see that it
was the biggest mobile RPG launch ever in the United Genshin Impact rapidly climbed the charts as the biggest RPG launch
States, picking up $45 million during its first 30 days, to date.
putting it above the likes of Fire Emblem Heroes from
Nintendo and The Seven Deadly Sins from Netmarble.
The title is another example of the increasing influence
of China’s top publishers on the global mobile games
market. Not just a success at home, 69.5 percent of
player spending has been generated outside of China,
making it a true international success.
$45M during the
first 30 days
9 PUBG Passes $4 Billion Grossed, $2.6 Billion This Year Alone Currently 2020’s top-grossing mobile game, PUBG Mobile has had astonishing success this year. It’s already picked up $2.6 billion, bringing lifetime player spending to $4.3 billion. Monetized successfully through its battle pass system—known as the Royale Pass—the title is easily one of the most successful mobile games of all time. Its best month ever came at the height of initial lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, with revenue racking up $300 million in March alone. While spending has since dipped, November still saw the game generate $174.2 million, ranking as the No. 2 title by global revenue for the month, behind Honor of Kings in the top spot. PUBG Mobile was one of the five billion-dollar games in 2020. As with Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile’s success is a key example of China’s influence on the global market, with 45.7 percent of player spending coming from outside of China. 45.7% of player spending came from outside of China
10
Among Us Picks Up More
Than 275 Million Downloads
Among Us from InnerSloth has been one of
2020’s biggest breakout hits, a feat made all
the more impressive by the fact that it was
first launched in 2018 to little fanfare.
The title began to garner attention through the
influencer sphere across YouTube and Twitch, with
increasingly more creators making video content and
streaming it.
In August, downloads spiked 661 percent month-
over-month to 18.4 million, while downloads grew a
further 351 percent M/M to approximately 83 million
in September. To date, Among Us has accumulated
276.8 million lifetime downloads, with 94.7 percent
of downloads coming in 2020. Among Us is currently
Among Us has seen more than 275 million installs in 2020.
the No. 2 most downloaded mobile game of 2020, just
behind Garena Free Fire from Garena Games at No. 1.
Accelerated Growth and Changing User Needs
As platform owners such as Apple move to change their revenue-sharing model,
developers grapple with shifting consumer needs, and categories continue to
grow, the mobile landscape will continue to evolve over the next year. We will
be taking a more in-depth look at how the mobile market has changed over the
course of 2020 in our market recap post coming in early January.
Sensor Tower is the leading solution for mobile marketers, app developers, and industry analysts who demand competitive insights on the
mobile economy. Sensor Tower’s product suite includes: Top Charts, App Intelligence, Store Intelligence, Ad Intelligence, and Usage Intelligence.
Visit sensortower.com to learn more about using Sensor Tower to shape your mobile app strategy.You can also read
