2021 Trends to Watch in Games, Esports & Mobile

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© Newzoo 2021The COVID – 19 pandemic certainly accelerated many trends in the
games market, helping engagement spike across the globe . Of
course, this engagement trickles into spending .
Even after the pandemic subsides, which we hope will be sooner
rather than later, we forecast most of the additional engagement
and revenues to stick . Gaming has etched itself into the habits of
people during the lockdown, and these investments into enjoying
gaming will not be easily cast aside .
However, the level of growth maintained throughout 2020 will
not be replicated next year, given the unique circumstances of
the year . Per platform, PC and console gaming has a higher
barrier to entry but therefore more sticking power .
Meanwhile, mobile gaming saw the largest positive impact from
the lockdowns, but the low barrier to entry to mobile gaming
means the lowest barrier to exit as well . Retaining the influx of
new and returning players in 2021 will be one of the key
challenges for developers and publishers . Our Global Games Market Report shows that in 2021 , 2 . 8 billion
gamers worldwide will help the global games market generate
revenues of $ 189 . 3 billion . Emerging markets will drive much of
these new revenues, as infrastructure and economies continue to
grow across regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East &
Northern Africa .1.
2.8Bn
Gamers globally in 2021
3

© Newzoo 2021Manufacturing, marketing, and launching new consoles is never
an easy feat . But orchestrating these tasks during a pandemic —
when supply chains are heavily disrupted — made things even
more challenging for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
launches .
On the hardware side, the aftermath of these challenges will
ripple into the beginning of 2021 and beyond, and it will take time
for the supply of next – generation consoles to satiate the
skyrocketing demand .
Software development will also continue to feel the impact of
lockdowns . Many of the games that were delayed in 2020 were in
post – production (meaning the lion’s share of the dev work was
already done) Next year, we’ll likely see even more delays for
AAA games that were earlier in development at the start of the
outbreak . On the upside, games like PlayStation’s Horizon Forbidden West,
many third – party games, and almost all Xbox first – party games
will be available on both generations (past and present)
Therefore, console spend will remain high in 2021 , mostly driven
by :
• The massive installed base of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
generation.
• The ongoing transition to F 2 P spending on console .
• The strong performance of the Switch .2.
4

© Newzoo 2021This year marked a key inflection point for the cloud gaming
market, with most of the major players (including Amazon,
Google, Microsoft, and Tencent) having launched their respective
services . Furthermore, stay – at – home orders sped up the adoption
of cloud gaming globally, with consumers finding themselves with
more time to invest in gaming .
In the West, workarounds for App Store challenges mean cloud
gaming apps are finally making their way to iOS (via a web app)
other platforms . Stadia already has an iOS Safari – based app
that reportedly works well . Meanwhile, xCloud’s app is due for
release on PC and iOS in the spring, and Xbox Boss Phil Spencer
has already hinted at smart – TV compatibility .
To that end, yearly cloud gaming revenues will exceed $ 1 billion
for the first time next year, and its serviceable obtainable market
(SOM) will spike . Want to learn more? Stay tuned for our Global
Cloud Gaming Report update and content next year!
Cloud gaming’s use cases — which we highlighted in our 2020
report — are now becoming more visible . Game developers have been using services like Stadia and Parsec for QA (Cyberpunk
2077 ), demoing games to the public (Immortals Fenyx Rising via
Stadia), and more . This trend will accelerate into 2021 .
Next to that, Cyberpunk 2077 ’s launch has underlined one of
cloud gaming’s biggest use cases : high – fidelity experiences
without the need for expensive hardware . The Stadia version of
the game boasts hardware – taxing fidelity and performance — all
while removing the barrier of expensive hardware .
Cyberpunk 2077 ’s reviews on previous – gen consoles were
negatively impacted by a worse – than – expected technical
performance, Therefore, cloud gaming services such as Stadia
and GeForce Now stood out as one of the best ways for gamers
to instantly experience optimized graphics .3.
$1.2Bn
Global cloud gaming
revenues in 2021
5

© Newzoo 2021Virtual and social spaces have been a growing trend in gaming
for over a decade now . However, owing to the lack of physical
gatherings this year, the use of games as a “metaverse” has
accelerated . The interest in using games as a platform for hosting
simulated activities will be one of the most impactful trends for
the coming years .
Game worlds can now closely simulate experiences such as
fashion shows, music performances, movie viewings, and more .
Notable examples include :
• Lil Nas X’s performance in Roblox .
• Travis Scott’s and other music performances in Fortnite .
• Marriages, graduation ceremonies, and even funerals taking
place in Animal Crossing.
• Countless brand, media, and content crossovers in these
shared spaces.
Despite taking place within games, these fundamentally non –
gaming experiences have the potential to draw in non – gamers
into the games space, growing the userbase for publishers . The value of such collaborations is beginning to show itself — for
publishers, artists, and brands alike . Travis Scott, for example,
reportedly grossed roughly $ 20 million for his Fortnite concert
appearance . So far, over 140 million people watched the Travis
Scott concert on YouTube, compared to approximately 12 million
who participated in – game, demonstrating both the growth
potential and demand for such content .
Even beyond the pandemic, we will likely see brands across
numerous sectors experimenting in the space . These digital
events will complement their real – world counterparts (and vice –
versa) Video games are ripe with engagement — especially with
younger audiences, so we expect to see this trend continue,
particularly as traditional ad spend is in flux .4.
140M
Views on YouTube of
Travis Scott & Fortnite
Present: Astronomical
6

© Newzoo 2021Games such as The Last of Us Part 2 , Apex Legends, and Tell Me
Why are prime examples of diversity in games, and more titles
than ever before now feature accessibility options, boosted by
releases like the Xbox Adaptive Controller and organizations
like AbleGamers and SpecialEffect .
Online platforms and ecosystems are also striving to make their
social hubs more wholesome and less toxic . To that end,
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo recently announced a collaboration
committed to safer and more responsible gaming and curbing
toxicity .
Another example from this year came from Riot Games, which
formally invested in tackling toxicity in 2020 release
Valorant , after its own developers reported incidents of
harassment . Companies’ efforts over the past few years are
certainly to be commended, but we still have a long way to go . This year also saw the games industry face a “me – too” wave of
allegations of abuse and sexual harassment . In combination with
the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the attention on
social issues will drive the industry to prioritize diversity and
inclusion efforts in 2021 .
Our recent Diversity & Inclusion Study, which is already helping
many top publishers identify opportunities to make games more
inclusive, shows that around half of players in the U . S . and the U . K
want more diverse characters in games . Many also want
publishers to take a stance on societal issues .
With game communities continuing to grow around new forms of
engagement, the responsibilities of game IP owners have become
even more complicated, leading many companies to create
internal positions and even teams dedicated to diversity and
inclusion . We will begin feeling the impact of these initiatives
more next year, and we’re excited to see the resulting game
experiences for ourselves next year .5.
7

© Newzoo 202154%
of gamers in the U.S
think that diversity is
important in game
characters.
Source: Newzoo Diversity and Inclusion study, 2020

© Newzoo 2021As we reported in our Global Esports Market Report, mobile
esports are already subverting expectations in the once – PC –
dominated esports market . Even towards the end of last year,
games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire began to generate
higher peak esports viewer counts than PC titles like CS : GO and
Dota 2 .
We expect this to continue into next year, as consumer appetite
for mobile esports continues to grow in China, South and
Southeast Asia, and Latin America . While the CS : GO and Dota
scenes boast higher overall hours watched, PUBG Mobile and
Free Fire are now top five esports titles, and they’re setting their
sights on the traditional PC giants .1.
+380%
Growth of PUBG Mobile’s
esports hours watched in
2020 vs. 2019, making it the
fourth – largest esports title
for the year.
10

© Newzoo 2021Esports teams continue to broaden their horizons and diversify
their operations . To that end, organizations will continue to
diversify beyond the model set by traditional sport
structures, putting a large focus on other initiatives, like
positioning their company as a lifestyle brand or moving toward
content – creator strategies .
When an esports company positions itself as a lifestyle brand, it
transcends esports alone and enters pop culture, diversifying an
organization’s income streams in the process . Naturally, this
lowers risk, as if one revenue stream performs worse than
expected due to unforeseen circumstances (the pandemic, for
example), a different stream could help offset the damage .
Signing content creators can also be advantageous : • It gives organizations new assets to sell to sponsors, promising
exposure and activation from pro players on the
team and individual influencers.
• It provides further leverage when negotiating with platforms,
where teams can ‘’bundle’’ these influencers and receive a fee
for exclusivity on a specific platform.
• For the influencers themselves, it’s an opportunity to leverage
the expertise and back – office capabilities of a team
organization, helping the streamer up their reach and
content production and let others handle more mundane or
administrative tasks.
Looking forward, we only expect this trend to amplify . The
pandemic has exposed some of the key challenges esports faces
when emulating the sports model, highlighting the need for
esports to evolve beyond the traditional sports framework .2.
11

© Newzoo 20213.
4. Speaking of traditional sports, we expect the market to continue taking cues from the world of esports . Traditional pro – sport events are
starting to happen again ; however, sports organizations spent 2020 accelerating their esports efforts .
While some of these experiments performed better than others, we expect to see further innovation from traditional sports
organizations as they expand their activities in the esports space .
With travel restrictions still inhibiting international play, we expect to see another year with an increased focus on league – based formats
and regional play alike .
Therefore, a major development this year will span from ecosystems that traditionally focused on international tournaments . It is possible
that these once – internationally – focused ecosystems will permanently shift to a regional league – driven format following positive results,
even after lockdown restrictions are lifted .
12

© Newzoo 2021Younger audiences are continuing to move away from traditional
TV and towards curated viewing experiences on streaming
platforms like Twitch . Many conventional players in the
entertainment sector have been slow to adapt to these formats
that appeal to younger people, leading younger viewers to
consume content elsewhere .
To that end, Twitch and YouTube have flourished into important
platforms for non – gaming content . In 2020 , we already saw in –
person event cancellations forcing many brands to look for
alternative and innovative ways to engage with their (younger)
audiences .
While Twitch began with gaming, non – gaming content is growing
on the platform . In fact, the ‘Just Chatting’ category is now one of
the most popular, and lockdown measures led to concerts,
political events, and live shows all being hosted on the platform . All of this could indicate game video – content platforms evolving
to accommodate a wider variety of live content, especially as
young people move away from cable television . We expect non –
gaming content to become even more popular this year, and
companies have already started doubling down on it for 2021 .
For example, in its latest move to challenge platforms like Twitch
and YouTube, Facebook Gaming has added a series of proven
features from other services . For example, Facebook recently
introduced a “Hanging Out” streaming category, which resembles
Twitch’s popular “Just Chatting” content (the most – streamed
category on Twitch)5.
13

© Newzoo 2021Apple’s iOS 14 changes have the potential to disrupt app
publishers’ ability to market themselves effectively and monetize
through advertising . The removal of the IDFA, or Identifier for
Advertisers, is a sweeping change that will ripple throughout the
mobile ecosystem, even beyond gaming .
IDFA shaped current user – acquisition processes and mobile
advertising platforms, so its removal will have varying impacts on
publishers and other advertising stakeholders . Notably, Google
has not announced a similar change for Android and is not
expected to in 2021 ; though, more moderate steps towards
protecting user privacy may happen in 2022 .
While it is too early to determine the changes’ exact impact, we
expect a short – term lower spend on user acquisition across iOS in
2021 . Instead, this spend may flow into Android, web, or other
channels while the industry attempts to regain its footing .
IDFA’s removal will impact all mobile genres — casual and core
alike — in some way, and we expect it to spark a revival of traditional forms of creative advertising, which are currently more
common to see among PC and console campaigns . Offline
channels may also play a greater role, and marketing creatives
and ad innovation will become even more important . To that end,
we expect to see :
• Publishers learning from more traditional brand marketers,
such as from strategies found in FMCG
• Marketers building innovative new campaign structures from
the ground up and diversifying the channel mix beyond
Google/Facebook
• And more cross – team integrations between data science,
engineering, product, and creative teams.
Above all, we foresee a more aggressive approach to FTUE (first
Time User Experience) early user flow optimization . Optimal
user – registration funnels and onboarding processes will be
paramount, as iOS 14 ’s new advertising framework SKAdNetwork
contains complex mechanisms that will drive developers to
maximize high – value event signals in the first few game sessions .1.
15

© Newzoo 2021The pandemic has impeded the rollout of 5 G, especially in the
West, and these effects will continue throughout this year . And
while 2021 will not be the year for 5 G, it will pave the way for the
exciting mobile technology .
This year will see continued improvements to network
infrastructure and increased governmental support . What’s more,
all leading smartphone manufacturers will have launched their 5 G
handsets, with Apple finally launching its long – awaited 5 G
flagship . The iPhone 12 series is expected to be a major driving
force for 5 G adoption in Apple’s key markets such as the U . S . ,
Japan, and China .
In fact, our Global Mobile Market Report shows that 16 % (more
than 700 million) all active smartphones will be 5 G – ready by
the end of this year, up from just 5 % in 2020 . By 2023 , the share
will skyrocket to 43 % — or 2 . 1 billion 5 G – ready active smartphones .2.
2.1Bn
5G – ready active
smartphones by 2023
16

© Newzoo 2021 17Global active
smartphone
CAGR 2018 – 2023+6.2%
2018 2019 2020 2023 or of all active
smartphones will be
5G – ready by 2020. By
2023, the global share
will grow to 4.8%Not Compatible with 5G
5G – Ready
57%
43%95%
5%100%
100%

© Newzoo 2021Our Newzoo Expert data shows that Genshin Impact performed
exceptionally well across mobile, console, PC, and video –
streaming platforms last year, and that strong performance is
progressing into this year . Made by Chinese company miHoYo ,
Genshin Impact has also been attracting players outside of China
(in the West and East alike)
Owing to the strict government restrictions on game licenses in
China and heavy domestic competition, Chinese publishers have
sought to target audiences outside of their home market . Genshin
Impact — with its smart mix of game mechanics, monetization, and
themes that appeal to many markets — is a successful fruit of that
labor .
Simply put, Genshin Impact successfully brought immersive and
single – player mechanics from AAA console and PC games to the
mobile platform . In a similar vein, we expect to see Chinese developers continue to
expand overseas with more AAA immersive, competitive content
not only on mobile, but also console and PC . A notable example
is the reported Lilith battle royale title for PC and mobile .3.
18

© Newzoo 2021Individual games and services are powerful, especially live
services with massive engaged audiences . Games even have the
power to disrupt game distribution . In the West, the Epic and
Apple case highlights just how much impact individual titles like
Fortnite can have .
As a response, Apple introduced the App Store Small Business
Program, reducing its revenue cut from 30 % to 15 % for
developers earning less than $ 1 million annually from the App
Store . Similarly, cloud gaming platforms have managed to
sidestep strict iOS App Store restrictions in the West, with
Amazon releasing its Luna cloud gaming service via a web app on
iOS . Microsoft and GeForce Now are following suit with Safari –
based apps for their cloud gaming services as well .
A similar trend is unfolding in China : individual games are
challenging the country’s third – party app stores to release
independently, reportedly due to publishers and platforms failing
to reach a mutual agreement on revenue shares (similar to the
Apple and Epic situation) For example, Lilith Games and miHoYo chose not to release their
newest titles — Rise of Kingdoms and Genshin Impact,
respectively — on China’s mainstream Android app stores . These
stores include Huawei AppGalary and Xiaomi’s Mi Store .
In the West, many developers and publishers are rejecting Apple
and Google’s 30 % revenue cut . In China, however, the third – party
Android app stores typically take a 50 % cut .
Recently, Huawei removed all Tencent games from its app stores
in China — again, reportedly due to a revenue – share dispute
between them . However, Tencent apps returned to the store
shortly afterward .
While we might not see such extreme measures in 2021 , one
thing is for sure : individual games, publishers, and services
will continue to change the face of game distribution on mobile —
in the East, West, and everywhere in between .4.
19

© Newzoo 2021IP – based licensed games can be traced all the way back to
the original Atari console . Yet, the relatively shorter development
timeframes and lower investment costs of mobile development
mean mobile is the platform of choice for modern – day IP – holders
looking to bring their franchises to gaming platforms .
As mobile continues to be the fastest – growing and most –
prevalent gaming platform, more and more IP holders across
various entertainment divisions are vying for a slice of the
opportunity pie . In fact, we have identified over 230
entertainment – based (from movies, TV, or books) IP games
currently available on app stores, and over 900 IP – based games
released across all platforms in the last two decades alone .
In China, leading game companies like Tencent, Yoozoo Games,
and Perfect World all have set up entertainment businesses in
areas like movies, TV shows, and literature, aiming to build giant
IP powerhouses around gaming, movies, TV, and more . Eight out
of the top 20 grossing iOS games in 2020 were based on non –
gaming entertainment IP (mostly literature) In the West, several IP – based games, including Marvel Contest of
Champions had a great year on mobile ; however, there are still
relatively few entertainment – based IP – based games cracking the
U . S . top 20 (by revenues) .
Once relegated to medium – or lower – budget attempts to quickly
capitalize on the popularity of the underlying franchises, IP games
today are increasingly complex, top – rated, and sometimes even
surpass the original formats in terms of engagement .
We expect this trend to continue, and IP specialist Scopely has
soft launched an Avatar game while an Aliens game is currently in
development . Meanwhile, Dragon Ball Z : Dokkan Battle has
already generated over $ 2 billion in lifetime revenue .
IP recognition provides a strong organic pathway to user
acquisition, which will become even more important in a post –
IDFA world, thus motivating publishers to seek out these types of
advantages . And it’s not just TV, movie, and literature IP holders
which are coming to the mobile platform .5.
20

© Newzoo 2021In recent years, the largest PC and console publishers are also
ensuring their mega franchises find a home on mobile . Notably,
Blizzard’s Diablo Immortal entered the technical alpha base last
month, and Riot Games released League of Legends spinoff Wild
Rift in October 2020 . In August 2020 , The Witcher franchise also
announced a mobile title : The Witcher : Monster Slayer .
Advances in mobile phone technology, the rise of 5 G & cloud
gaming, and platform agnosticism trends are leading PC/console
publishers to ensure the mobile platform plays a strong role —
whether through native mobile experiences or streamed mobile
experiences .
On the other hand, game franchises popularized on mobile
are expanding their reach outside of the gaming ecosystem .
Tencent introduced the Infinite Kings group — a virtual men’s
group featuring five game characters from the publisher’s leading
mobile title Honor of Kings — more than a year ago . The virtual idol group has accumulated over 2 . 3 million followers
on Weibo and collaborated with several consumer brands such as
M . A . C and Nivea in China . What’s more, The Infinite Kings has
even released music singles in China and performed on stage
with a real – life Chinese idol using AR technology at Honor of
Kings’ 5 th – anniversary celebration event .
It’s not just the boundaries between PC, console, and mobile
gaming blending into each other . To that end, we will see more
and more entertainment – based IPs (including gaming) flourishing
across all industries, appealing to audiences across the globe .
21$2Bn
Lifetime revenues for
Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle

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