Games Marketing Insights for 2021

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Games Marketing

Insights for 2021
Insights to Inform Game Development,
Growth and Monetization
January 2021
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Table of contents
Page 3 Page 4 Page 5
Page 11 Page 16 Page 18
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GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Introduction
When we published the inaugural Facebook Gaming report in November 2019, our goal was to offer
insights and analysis on key trends, and ultimately provide a trajectory for the year ahead. However,
with the COVID-19 outbreak, the gaming industry, like all industries, faced formidable challenges.
We saw an unprecedented surge in consumer demand and disruption to previous consumption habits
as people looked for new forms of entertainment and ways to stay connected with others. More
people were playing, watching and streaming than ever before, bringing in new gamers as well as re-
engaging lapsed players.
Developers, publishers and marketers have sought to understand evolving gaming motivations, drive
new user acquisition, retain player engagement and ultimately understand how this global macro shift
will affect gaming business health long term.

To help address these goals and provide insights to inform the year ahead, we conducted new
research into player behavior, including their motivations, preferences and habits. We illustrate the
increasingly important role of community, especially in the current landscape. Finally, we take a
broader look at general consumer behavior and how, in a world that’s becoming increasingly platform
agnostic, gaming companies must meet the players where they are.
Although we may face more uncertainty in the months ahead, now more than ever, we look forward to
continued work with our gaming industry partners as we build the world’s gaming community.
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Executive summary
SECTION
TITLE
• The number of people playing mobile games significantly increased across the globe as a result of
COVID-19.
• The increase doesn’t seem temporary.
• Many mobile gamers who started playing after the initial COVID-19 outbreak are still playing today.
• 70% of people report spending more time on mobile devices.
• In all countries, new mobile gamers spend more money in-game than existing players.
• Existing gamers are more engaged than before COVID-19, yet less likely to report spending money
on mobile games compared to before the outbreak.
• Online purchases grew as consumers expressed concern about going into physical stores.
• New mobile gamers (people who started playing after the outbreak) are significantly younger than
existing players (people who were playing before) in the US, UK and Germany.
• New mobile gamers show more “core” behaviors in terms of genre preferences, engagement, and
propensity to play non-mobile games.
• South Korea is an anomaly; new mobile gamers are older and prefer more casual genres.
• Familiarity is becoming increasingly important for mobile game discovery with only a quarter (or
less) of people saying they’ve tried mobile games they’ve never heard of.
• Community activities outside of gameplay increased throughout 2020 with streaming platforms
seeing record viewing hours.
• New mobile gamers still prefer to play solo, but they’re more likely to engage with multiplayer and
social features than existing players.
2020 brought new and different gamers
Demographics, behaviors, and preferences change
Purchasing behavior shifts
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The influx of new
mobile gamers
With new and existing players turning to gaming en masse, we wanted to
understand more about these players. How old are they? Why did they start
playing games? What genre do they prefer? Are they spending more or less now
than they did before COVID-19?
To answer these questions we commissioned a survey across 9 markets, to
determine behavioral trends since the onset of COVID-19.
Throughout this section, we’ll look at the findings; habits, motivations, and
preferences of new* and existing players** across 4 key markets (UK, US,
South Korea and Germany) including time spent across other gaming devices,
monetization behaviors, and social engagement.
SURVEY RESPONDENTS
COUNTRIES ANALYZED
TIME PERIOD
COUNTRY DATA PRESENTED IN REPORT
COHORTS
13,246
United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada (CA), France (FR),
Germany (DE), South Korea (KR), Japan (JP), Vietnam (VN), Brazil (BR)
July 2020 (except for Brazil when data was collected in October 2020)
Germany (DE), South Korea (KR), United States (US), United Kingdom (UK)
All participants were divided into one of 2 cohorts:
• *New players: Didn’t play mobile games before the initial peak of the
pandemic, and continued to play at least an hour a week (July 2020)
• **Existing players: People who played mobile games both before the
initial peak of the pandemic and continued to play at least an hour a week
(July 2020)
Study design/methodology
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Shelter-in-place and physical distancing measures have led to a surge of new gamers as people look for
new forms of entertainment. To understand the impact, it’s important to look at how many more people
are playing games since the beginning of COVID-19.
• In the US, UK, and Germany, new gamers are significantly younger than existing players. In South
Korea on the other hand, new gamers are significantly older than existing.
• The gender distribution of both cohorts is similar in all markets.
• In the US, new gamers are more likely to own a gaming console (new gamers 64% v. existing gamers:
58%) This is also true in Germany (55% and 50%). There were no differences in the UK (66% v. 64%),
and in South Korea existing players were more likely to own one (34% vs. 42%).
• In the US and UK, new gamers were more likely to spend time playing video games on a PC or
gaming console.
GAMING AUDIENCES GROW SINCE MARCH 2020
There are millions more players
NEW GAMERS: A SNAPSHOT
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online
survey of 13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
28M
US UKS.KOREA GERMANY
8.6M9.4M 6.5M
mobile gaming
audience growth mobile gaming
audience growth mobile gaming
audience growth mobile gaming
audience growth
NEW GAMERS NEW GAMERSNEW GAMERSNEW GAMERS
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Although new and existing gamers report playing a similar number of sessions per week, new gamers
play more hours per week than existing players in all markets.
New gamers New gamers
New gamers
Existing gamers Existing gamers
Existing gamers 0%0%
0% 100%100%
100%
UK mobile gaming sessions per week US mobile gaming sessions per week
South Korea gaming sessions per week
US UKS. KOREA GERMANY
SESSIONS PLAYED PER WEEK
HOURS PLAYED PER WEEK
35%
37%
39% 33% 36%
36% 31%
30%
26%
33% 32%
29% 19%
18%
18% 18% 16%
16% 6%
8%
7% 8% 8%
7% 9%
7%
11% 9% 8%
13%
11.1
13.8
10.9
1 3.1
9.0
9.9
10.0
11.8
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online
survey of 13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
New gamers play more hours a week
than existing players
1-5 sessions per week 6 to 1011 to 19 20 to 29 30 or more
0% 100%
Germany gaming sessions per week
28%
32% 35%
33% 18%
19% 12%
6% 8%
10%
New gamers
Existing gamers
New gamers Existing gamers
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New gamers’ favorite genres skewed significantly more core than existing players in the US and the UK,
compared to Germany and South Korea, where they liked similar genres.
New gamers like “core” genres
FAVORITE GENRES NEW GAMERS EXISTING GAMERS
Puzzle
Shooter
Card/Casino
Racing
RPG 23%
33%
33%
17%
8%
8%
8%
7%
7%
33% 41%
24%
13%
13%
10%
10% 9%
9%
9%
7%
7%
6%
22%
24%
12%
11%
8%
8% 13%
9%
9%
8% 12%
9%
8%
7% 20%
15%
6%
6%
Puzzle
Shooter
Simulation
Sports
Strategy
Puzzle
RPG
Simulation
Card/Casino
Racing
Puzzle
Simulation
Shooter
Strategy
Card/Casino Puzzle
Card/Casino
Shooter
Simulation
Strategy
Puzzle
Simulation
Shooter
Sports
Strategy
Puzzle
RPG
Shooter
Strategy
Sports
Puzzle
Card/Casino
Simulation
Strategy
Hypercasual
US
UK
SOUTH
KOREA
GERMANY
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online
survey of 13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Players across all markets say they prefer single player mobile gaming experiences to multiplayer.
Nonetheless, new gamers are more open to cooperative, multiplayer experiences and chatting with
others in-game compared to existing players.
Across the US, UK, and Germany, new gamers were significantly more likely to engage in social
activities within the game, such as playing with others online, participating in in-game tournaments,
or getting/giving advice on how to play better. In South Korea, the cohorts engaged equally in these
types of activities.
New gamers are open to social activity
PLAYERS’ SOCIAL PREFERENCES
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online
survey of 13,246 mobile games ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
US UKSOUTH KOREA GERMANY
I prefer playing multiplayer/
online modes to single player
I prefer being part of a team
when playing against others
87%
87%
50%
49% 49%
36%
44%
36%
I prefer chatting with others
when playing games
Playing single player/by myself
Playing with friends/family online Playing with strangers online
Connecting my social media account to the game Playing with friends/family in the same room
Participating in a limited-time event in a game
Sending requests for help/items to others from the game
Using a standalone app to talk with friends/family online while playing Participating in in-game tournaments
Getting advice from others on how to play better Giving advice to others on how to play betterJoining a club, team, guild, or clan in a game
33%
54% 38% 29% 32%24% 33%26% 29%19%
41%
49%42% 44%39% 50%45%
25%
30%21% 41%34% 33%24%
WEEKLY GAMING ACTIVITIES
33%
41%
31%
40%
26%
36%
23%
38%
23%
34%
34%
28%
17% 22%
18%
US
32%
New gamers Existing gamers
New gamersExisting gamers
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online
survey of 13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
Playing single player/by myself
Playing with friends/family online Playing with strangers online
Connecting my social media account to the game Playing with friends/family in the same room
Participating in a limited-time event in a game
Sending requests for help/items to others from the game
Using a standalone app to talk with friends/family online while playing Participating in in-game tournaments
Getting advice from others on how to play better Giving advice to others on how to play betterJoining a club, team, guild, or clan in a game
Playing single player/by myself
Playing with friends/family online Playing with strangers online
Connecting my social media account to the game Playing with friends/family in the same room
Participating in a limited-time event in a game
Sending requests for help/items to others from the game
Using a standalone app to talk with friends/family online while playing Participating in in-game tournaments
Getting advice from others on how to play better Giving advice to others on how to play betterJoining a club, team, guild, or clan in a game
Playing single player/by myself
Playing with friends/family online Playing with strangers online
Connecting my social media account to the game Playing with friends/family in the same room
Participating in a limited-time event in a game
Sending requests for help/items to others from the game
Using a standalone app to talk with friends/family online while playing Participating in in-game tournaments
Getting advice from others on how to play better Giving advice to others on how to play betterJoining a club, team, guild, or clan in a game 86%
72% 68%
35%
37%
30%
33%
27%
28%
26%
27%
22%
20%
15%
22%
15%
25%
18%
23%
15%
23%
12%
16% 23%26%
76%
81%
37%
37%
42%
40%
38%
37%
32%
31%
43%
40%
32%
28%
25% 27%
22%
20%
28%
26%
23%
30%
27%
21% 89%
40%
32%
39%
31%
40%
31%
31%
29%
36%
28%
33%
31% 31%
25%
16%
26%
14%
24%
15% 22%
25%
25%
UK
SOUTH
KOREA
GERMANY
WEEKLY GAMING ACTIVITIES
New gamers Existing gamers
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Across all markets, new and existing gamers cited similar reasons for playing mobile games. Relieving
stress, passing time, and generating a sense of accomplishment were consistently the top 3 reasons,
and reflected what we found in our Genre and Great Games report , published in 2020.
Perhaps understandably, the main reason new gamers started playing during the pandemic was because
they had more free time (41%). Other reasons included looking for ways to destress (16%), and it was
simple and easy to start playing (11%).
Both cohorts play for similar reasons
WHY PEOPLE PLAY MOBILE GAMES
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
US UKSOUTH KOREA GERMANY
Relieving stress Relieving stress Relieving stress Passing time
Passing time Passing time Feeling accomplished Relieving stress
Feeling accomplished Feeling accomplished Passing time Feeling accomplished
Being dazzled by
something unique Defeating others in
competition Being dazzled by
something unique Immersing myself in a
world
Immersing myself in
a world Immersing myself in
a world Connect me to a
passionate subject Defeating others in
competition
68% 62% 52%60%
62% 55% 34%56%
57% 51% 31%46%
46% 38% 26%36%
46% 38% 25%34%
NEW GAMERS’ TOP 5 REASONS FOR PLAYING MOBILE GAMES
What new and existing
mobile gamers have in
common
While there are 2.5 billion gamers in the world, representing a diverse range of
interests, behaviors and attributes, our research found some interesting similarities
among new and existing gamers. It also highlighted regional nuances, especially
when it comes to the reasons people spend money on mobile games.
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Relieving stress Passing time Relieving stress Passing time
Passing time Relieving stress Passing time Relieving stress
Feeling accomplished Feeling accomplished Feeling accomplishedFeeling accomplished
Defeating others in
competition Immersing myself in a
world Being dazzled by
something unique Immersing myself in a
world
Being dazzled by
something unique Defeating others in
competition Defeating others in
competition Being dazzled by
something unique
62% 52% 49%57%
56% 51% 28%43%
43% 38% 26%36%
33% 30% 22%26%
31% 26% 22%26%
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
Compared to existing players, new gamers were significantly more likely to report spending money on
mobile games after the initial COVID-19 peak in all markets. They also reported spending more money
per month on mobile games. However, when it comes to the reasons why people spend money, there
was more variety across markets than between the cohorts, some of which was tied to genre. In the US
and UK, people were particularly motivated to pay to remove ads. In South Korea and Germany, people
said they pay to avoid waiting or to skip difficult points (more typical of puzzle games).
Spending habits vary more by market than cohort
41%
23% 35%
21% 43%
33% 38%
24%
New gamers
Existing gamers
PERCENTAGE OF GAMERS WHO SPEND MONTHLY
WHY PEOPLE PLAY MOBILE GAMES
US UKSOUTH KOREA GERMANY
EXISTING GAMERS’ TOP 5 REASONS FOR PLAYING MOBILE GAMES
USUKS. KOREA GERMANY
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
To personalize my character/ account To remove ads
To make the
game exciting again
To make the
game exciting again
To personalize
my character/ account
To stay
competitive
against others
To complete
a game item/
gear collection To not have to
wait to keep playing To complete
a game item/
gear collection To complete a
game item/
gear collection
To complete
a game item/
gear collection
To advance, beat, or skip a difficult point
To advance, beat,
or skip a difficult point
To remove ads
To advance,
beat, or skip a difficult point To complete
a game item/
gear collection To make the
game exciting again To make the
game exciting again
To remove ads
To not have to wait to keep playing
To complete
a game item/
gear collection
To make the
game exciting again
To not have to wait to keep playing
To advance,
beat, or skip a difficult point
NEW GAMERS TOP 3 REASONS FOR SPENDING EXISTING GAMERS TOP 3 REASONS FOR SPENDING
43%41%
39%36%
36% 45% 45%
34%
42%
41%
40%
40%
40%
31%
31%
31%
33%
32% 36%
34%
36%
37%
TOP REASONS FOR SPENDING MONEY ON GAMES
US UK
GERMANY
$27.20 $17.00 $16.62
$4.20 $20.58
$16.41 $32.45
$17.21
AVERAGE MONTHLY SPEND (USD)
US UKS. KOREA GERMANY
SOUTH
KOREA
New gamers Existing gamers
50%
43%
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Previous research has shown that people are open to seeing ads in games. In our survey, mobile gamers
across all markets said they prefer free-to-play, ad-supported games. In the US, UK, and Germany, the
preference for ad-supported models was stronger in existing players. New players, on the other hand,
were more open to alternative monetization models such as in-app purchases.
All players prefer
ad-supported games
PLAYERS’ MONETIZATION PREFERENCES
US UKSOUTH KOREA GERMANY
Ad-support models
Free-to-play with IAP
Game purchase, no ads
Battle pass
Monthly fee for game bundles 35%
25% 19%13% 8% 42%
24% 15%
14% 5% 35%
30% 17%11% 8% 39%
21%
16%
20% 4%
43%
24% 16%12% 6% 48%
19%
15%
14% 6% 34%
31%17%
13% 5% 49%
21%
16% 12% 3%
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
New gamers Existing gamers
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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When it comes to gaming ads, both cohorts of gamers have similar preferences: everyone prefers to
see the main gameplay and characters/story. There are some nuances by market consistent with what
we saw in our Genre and Great Games report. For example, in South Korea – a strategy and RPG-heavy
market – players prefer to see character progression.
Gamers want to see gameplay in ads
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
AD PREFERENCES
US
UK
GERMANY SOUTH
KOREA
Showcases the characters/ story Showcases
the game’s art style
Showcases
the game’s art style
Showcases the
high scores you can achieve
Showcases the
progression of
your characters
Showcases
the game’s art style
Showcases the control mechanics
Showcases the
progression of
your characters Shows the
high scores your can achieve Showcases the
characters/ story
Showcases the characters/ story
Showcases the characters/ story
Showcases the
characters/ story
Showcases the
characters/ story
Showcases the characters/ story
Showcases the
characters/ story Showcases the
main gameplay Showcases the
main gameplay
Showcases the main
gameplay
Showcases the
main gameplay Showcases the
main gameplay
Showcases the
main gameplay
Showcases the
main gameplay Showcases the
main gameplay
55%
43%
44%
44% 46%
49%
40%
24%
24%
25%
26% 20%
20%
20% 21%
21% 23%29%
27%
31%
31%
30%
32%
34%
NEW GAMERS’ TOP 3 REASONS FOR SPENDING
EXISTING GAMERS’ TOP 3 REASONS FOR SPENDING
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“Instead of meeting friends in person, I’ve been
connecting with them through mobile games. Before
COVID, it was about 50-50 split between meeting
them in person and connecting with them online. Now,
it shifted much more towards the online hangout.”
– Participant, South Korea
– Participant, UK – Participant, Germany
– Participant, US
“I’ve started playing mobile games with my
children more as we’ve eased restrictions on
their playing time.”
“I temporarily played significantly more while
working remotely and having shorter workdays.
I played partly to kill time. I tried many new
games and different concepts. Now I am back to
normal.”
“It increased it by a significant amount.
I started to play every type of game and
explored new games on the app store.”
Existing players have
formed new habits
In addition to trying to understand the differences between new and existing
gamers, we also looked at how existing players’ behavior has shifted from before
COVID-19 to after. We asked gamers to describe the impact of the pandemic on
their gaming habits in their own words. Here are a few responses:
In all countries, gamers reported that they currently spend more time gaming than they did pre-
pandemic. A large portion of these gamers in each market also reported that their individual gaming
sessions are longer (US: 40%, UK: 40%, South Korea: 53%, Germany: 30%).
Existing gamers play more, for longer
WEEKLY MOBILE GAMING HOURS PRE- AND POST- MARCH 2020
US
9.5
9.7 7. 89.3
11.1 10.9 9.010.0
UK
SKDE
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
Pre Post
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We asked gamers to compare their behavior before and after March 2020 on a number of different gaming
activities. In all markets, many gamers reported increasing the time they spent playing single player games
specifically (US: 49%, UK: 43%, South Korea: 51%, Germany: 29%). There was also a notable number of
gamers who reported spending more time playing games with friends/family members online (US: 30%, UK:
26%, South Korea: 35%, Germany: 21%).
In the US, UK, and South Korea, more gamers reported spending money on a monthly basis before the
pandemic. Also in these countries, the gamers reported spending less money per month than before the
pandemic. On the other hand, Germans reported being equally likely to spend pre- and post-COVID-19,
and actually reported spending more money per month after the pandemic.
Existing players enjoy solo play
Existing players are spending less
PERCENTAGE OF GAMERS WHO SPENT MONTHLY PRE- AND POST-MARCH 2020
AVERAGE MONTHLY SPEND PRE- AND POST-MARCH 2020 (USD)
PRE POST
23%
31%
29%
38%
25% 21%
33%
24%
Source: “Mobile Gaming Behavior Post COVID-19” by Interpret (Facebook IQ-commissioned online survey of
13,246 mobile gamers ages 18+ across BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, UK, US, VN Jul/Oct 2020)
23.3
17
6.984.2 22.17
16.41
8.7417.21
US
US
UK
S.KOREA
GERMANY
UK S. KOREA GERMANY
PrePost
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Live streaming has been on the rise for many years, including non-gaming content. But just as the
number of new gamers increased during the pandemic, the live-streaming sector also saw exponential
growth. Streaming platforms such as Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming all clocked record
viewing hours as people went online to seek alternative entertainment.
Facebook Gaming hours
surpassed 1 billion for the
first time in Q3 2020. Hours
watched were at half a billion
in Q4 of 2019, and were at 269
million in the quarter prior. YouTube Gaming hours
watched continued to
steadily rise to 1.7 billion in
Q3, up from 1.5 billion in the
prior quarter and up from 724
million in Q3 of last year. Twitch hours watched in
July through September of
2020 reached 4.7 billion,
up from 2.8 billion hours
watched in the same
quarter last year.
Achieving headline-grabbing numbers is one thing, but maintaining momentum is another. The
appetite for live-streaming remains strong. From July to September 2020, people watched 7.46 billion
hours of content across all live streaming platforms, according to Streamlabs, who reported that the
live-streaming industry grew by 91.8% year over year.2
Live-streaming sites surpass records
STREAMING NUMBERS INCREASE1
Momentum maintained past the initial peak
Gaming communities
gather in Groups and live
streams
Community has always been a huge part of gaming. As we saw in our research,
millions more people are playing games and this, in turn, is contributing to an even
greater gaming community. With the influx of new players, general gaming activity
outside of in-game saw an uptick in tandem. Even in the sunset year of the current
generation of consoles, the number of gaming Facebook Groups grew, streaming sites
saw unprecedented surges and anticipation for new releases reached fever pitch.
Source: 1,2”Streamlabs & Stream Hatchet Q3 2020 Live Streaming Industry Report,”
by Ethan May, October 2020
1 billion 1.7 billion 4.7 billion
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Active members in gaming Groups on Facebook, as well as the number of Groups, grew during the months
following the outbreak as people connected with their gaming communities. Currently, there are more
than 230 million people who are active members in over 630,000 gaming Groups on Facebook per month.1
The increasing engagement with Groups is an opportunity to create two-way dialogue with players,
and foster and encourage community while creating organic conversations. It’s a low-cost way to
engage with users to monitor engagement and title resonance.
From January to August 2020, over 185,000 new gaming Groups were created and over 130 million
members joined gaming Groups. In the US, UK, and Germany, this increase was largely composed of 25-
34 year olds while in South Korea, more than half of new members were between 18-24.2
Gaming Groups grow
NUMBER OF GAMING GROUPS CREATED IN 2020
NUMBER OF CONSUMERS WHO JOINED GAMING GROUPS IN 2020
Source: 1Facebook Internal Data, August 2020
Source: 2Facebook Internal Data, January – August 2020
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCHAPRILM AYJUNE JULYAUGUST
15,000
15.0 14.720.02 8 .1
29.4
26.025.3 28.7
15,000
24,000
30,000
28,000
25,00023,000 25,000
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCHAPRILM AYJUNE JULYAUGUST
10
0
20
30
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Shifts in discovery and
purchase behaviors
Technology developments in recent years have led players to expect seamless
experiences, regardless of the device. As a result, gaming companies are constantly
innovating, whether it’s through cloud gaming, supporting cross-platform play, or
expanding a console title or franchise to mobile and PC. In this section, we look at how
consumer behavior in general changed in 2020 and what impact physical distancing
and shelter-in-place measures have had on e-commerce.
US2 UK3SOUTH KOREA4 GERMANY5
Computer
Mobile
Smart speaker
On a game console while using it
Over the phone
In-person
Other 42% 33% 14%
48%
44% 16% 0% 43%
29% 9%
40% 35% 9%1% 56%
52% 19%
39%
30% 12% 0% 42%
31% 9%
47%
42% 8%
0%
DEVICE WHERE CONSOLE GAMERS PURCHASE GAMES
So while in-person game sales continue, the general shift to online shopping (not just gaming) will
continue and console marketers should meet the players where they are…online. In fact, 49% of people
say they expect to shop online more frequently after the pandemic is over.6 When we look at game sales, we know that digital sales have been growing in recent years. However,
shelter-in-place measures emphasized the fact that people can and will buy online.
Despite safety measures being put in place in stores, 89% of consumers globally – not just gamers – say
they are at least somewhat concerned to go into a physical retail store to shop because of the pandemic.
This has naturally led to a rise in online shopping and 37% of consumers globally say they’ve ordered
products online that they would have typically purchased in a store1 .
Rise of online purchases
1”Industry Micro-Shifts Monthly Tracker” by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 96,938 adults across AU, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, HK, ID, IT, JP, KR, MX, TW, UK, US),
May-Aug 2020. Unless otherwise specified, data is a cross-country average across all 16 markets.
2US: Console Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 1067 respondents ages 18-64, United States 2020)
3UK: Console Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 1012 respondents ages 18-64, United Kingdom 2020)
4South Korea: Console Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 1032 respondents ages 18-64, South Korea 2020)
5Germany: Console Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 1051 respondents ages 18-64, Germany 2020)
6Global Web Index Coronavirus Research July 2020
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21
Not only have online shopping behaviors shifted, 70% of people reported spending more time on their
mobile devices since the start of COVID-19.1 As consumers spend more time searching and discovering
products through mobile, navigating shopping risks remain key as consumers face new friction points in-
store and online making an always-on mobile-first presence imperative for discovery.
People spend more time on mobile devices
DEVICE(S) PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SPENDING MORE TIME USING SINCE THE
START OF COVID-192
Source: 1,2Coronavirus Research, by Global Web Index, July 2020
GAMES CONSOLE
SMART
SPEAKER
SMARTWATCH LAPTOP
SMART TV/MEDIA
STREAMING DEVICE
TABLET PC/DESKTOP
SMARTPHONE/
MOBILE PHONE
OTHER
NONE OF THESE
18%
14%
9% 47%
32%
23% 33%
70% 1%
6%
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

22
With more than 350,000 mobile games available to download1, getting your game discovered is no easy
feat. Only a quarter of people in the UK and Germany reported trying a game they had never heard of,
and this figure continues to decline in the US (23%) and South Korea (11%). This all shows that while title
familiarity is a key factor for console gaming, it’s just as important for mobile.
Storytelling and familiarity fuel growth
HOW LONG BEFORE PEOPLE TRIED A MOBILE GAME VERSUS WHEN THEY
FIRST HEARD OF IT BY NAME
US2 UK3SOUTH KOREA4 GERMANY5
Over 5 years before I tried it
1 to 5 years before I tried it
3 to less than 12 months before I tried it
1 to less than 3 months before I tried it
1 to 6 days before I tried
1 to less than 4 weeks before I tried
I had never heard of this mobile
game before the day I tried it 7%
10%
10% 12%
15%
22% 23% 5%
11%
13%
12%
14% 21%
25% 9%
16%
14%
14%
14%
23% 11% 7%
10% 11%
10% 15%
22%
25%
1Number of available gaming apps in the Apple App Store from 1st quarter 2015 to 2nd quarter 2020, Statista, September 2020
2Mobile Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 3073 respondents ages 18-64, United States 2020)
3Mobile Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 3072 respondents ages 18-64, United Kingdom 2020
4Mobile Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 3079 respondents ages 18-64, South Korea 2020
5Mobile Games Consumer Journey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 3087 respondents ages 18-64, Germany 2020
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Not only can title/brand recognition lead to discovery, it also drives sales. Mobile gaming can learn more
from console gaming where we already see sequel and title familiarity among top influential factors
when deciding to purchase a new game.
And we see this pay off with console gamers saying the most recent game they purchased was the
latest edition of a game franchise owned before.
Familiarity also drives purchases
SEQUEL AND TITLE FAMILIARITY, AS WELL AS STUDIO AND IP RANK AS
FACTORS INFLUENTIAL TO CONSOLE GAMERS WHEN PURCHASING A NEW
CONSOLE GAME
THE MOST RECENT GAME PURCHASED WAS THE LATEST EDITION OF A GAME
FRANCHISE YOU HAD OWNED BEFORE
US
Rank RankRank Rank
% %% %
UK
SOUTH KOREA GERMANY
Game Developer/Studio
Based on IP I know
Sequel familiarity
Title familiarity
*Ranking is out of 14 influential factors 10 12 53 10
12 3
6 9
11 7
5 11
12 3
4
29%
22%
36%
48% 26%
19%
35% 32% 28%
23% 31%
33% 23%
16%
40% 34%
34% 42%43% 27%
US UKS. KOREA GERMANY
Source: Console Games Consumer Survey by Kantar Profiles (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 1067
respondents ages 18-64)
GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021

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Design and develop your games with these new audiences in mind, taking into account their core
tendencies (in all markets except South Korea). This also means marketers need to think about how
their marketing activities and strategies should shift to reach these new audiences such as broadening
campaign targeting and developing creative that will capture and engage to speak to a broader audience.
COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented surge in the number of people playing mobile games compared
to pre-pandemic, but decreased gamers’ likelihood to spend money. Given gamers are open to seeing
ads, as well as make in-app purchases, consider adopting a mixed monetization model to take advantage
of this increased engagement.
More people are taking part in in-game events and out-of-game activities, especially among the new
gamer cohort. This creates new opportunities for you to embrace a constant beat in your marketing
strategies. Join the conversations where gaming communities are gathering to keep your audiences
engaged via in- and out-of-game activities.
Mobile game marketers can learn from the console industry when it comes to storytelling, taking
into consideration that people like to see gameplay in ads. By telling rich stories through immersive
experiences and new formats, you can create familiarity, which we know drives discovery. Consider
the creative elements in your ads with other creative means of engaging players such as streamer
partnerships which have the potential to influence prospective gamers.
Connect with new gamers, they’re here to stay
Takeaways
Meet behavior shifts with a mixed model
Explore opportunities out of game
Create familiarity through awareness, recognition, and distinction
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02
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GAMES MARKETING INSIGHTS FOR 2021