How to research the market to create a mobile hit: tips from AppQuantum

Contents:

• What is market research
• Testing an existing idea
• Finding something new

A producer at AppQuantum, a mobile game publishing company, plays a key role in the development and promotion of successful projects. In this position, he is responsible for coordinating all stages of game production, from concept to marketing. Thanks to a deep understanding of the mobile games market and current trends, the producer ensures the high quality of the final product and its meeting the audience's expectations. The AppQuantum team strives to create a unique gaming experience that will attract users and increase the popularity of games in the App Store and Google Play.

What is market research

Market research is a process aimed at identifying and analyzing existing trends. The main goals of such research include finding niches and genres for the project, as well as analyzing competitors and their products. Research can be used to confirm current trends or, conversely, to assess the viability of the team's new ideas. The market is highly dynamic: what was recently popular can lose its popularity in a very short time. Therefore, thorough market research is a key element of a successful project development strategy.

When conducting analysis, avoid rushing and approach this process carefully and deliberately. Usually, a few hours are enough to study a known trend. However, if the trend has not yet been identified, the research may require significantly more time - days or even weeks. Qualitative analysis requires attentiveness and a deep understanding of the subject, which will ultimately lead to more accurate and useful results.

Validating an Existing Idea

Among the readers of this article, there are likely those who have already developed a concept for a mobile game. They want to understand the likelihood of their idea's success in today's market conditions. Let's consider the viability of such an idea from a marketing perspective, using a PvP crossword as an example.

Mobile gaming is becoming increasingly popular, and users have a wide range of options to choose from. Therefore, to successfully launch a new game, it is necessary to consider the competition and target audience. PvP crosswords, as a genre, can attract the attention of players seeking intellectual challenges and competition with others.

To assess the chances of success, it is important to conduct a market analysis, identify the unique features of your game, and develop a promotion strategy. It is also important to consider current trends in the gaming industry, such as the integration of social features and the possibility of cross-platform play.

Creating high-quality content and regularly updating the game will help retain user interest and attract new audiences. Therefore, before implementing your idea, it is important to carefully analyze all aspects and develop a strategy that will contribute to the success of your PvP crossword in the mobile gaming market.

To achieve your goals, you need to complete the following steps. First of all, it is important to identify keywords and phrases that will attract the target audience. Next, optimize your content by incorporating these keywords into your text, headings, and meta tags. Additionally, ensure high-quality internal and external linking to improve your site's indexing by search engines. Don't forget the importance of creating unique and useful content that meets user needs. Regularly updating information and monitoring search engine algorithm changes is also recommended to maintain a high ranking in search results.

• Study the current state of PvP crosswords in the App Store and Google Play;
• Analyze the state of the genre using specialized services;
• Determine the feasibility of creating a game and draw conclusions.

At this stage, it is important to enter the most precise search query possible in Google Play or the App Store. To ensure that the games found meet the specified criteria, you should either try each one or at least review their descriptions and screenshots. This is the most time-consuming stage of the work, but it should not be underestimated. At this stage, there is a risk of including games in the sample that are not relevant to the topic under study. This can negatively impact the results of the analysis. To improve the quality of your selection, it is recommended to pay attention not only to the number of games found, but also to their relevance and quality.

To proceed to the next stage of development, you need to create A list of games that match the chosen concept. In the context of PvP crosswords, Pictawords and Kryss would definitely be included in this list. It's also worth paying attention to the collections of similar apps offered by the store itself. Such lists often include games that are difficult to find through a regular search, but which are completely consistent with the concept we are researching. This will help expand the selection and deepen our understanding of the market.

This market research used the analytics platforms App Annie, Similarweb, Sensor Tower, and AppMagic. It is important to note that most of the capabilities of these services without premium access have significant limitations.

To determine the current state of the market, it is important to pay attention to indirect indicators. These indicators may include changes in consumer behavior, price fluctuations for goods and services, and sales volume dynamics. By analyzing these metrics, you can gain a more complete understanding of market trends and its possible changes. In addition, it is worth following industry news and reports from analytical companies, as they can provide valuable information on current market conditions. Systematic monitoring of indirect indicators will help you formulate more accurate forecasts and make informed business decisions.

• number of competitors and their growth rate;
• movement of reference games among the top rankings;
• volume of reviews for games over different periods of time.

First, we'll create a graph based on the analyzed games to compare their ratings. The most convenient tool for this is AppMagic, which allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of featuring in app stores and track games' positions in the top free apps. At this stage, you can also continue to research the competitive landscape using the "Similar" section in AppMagic or the Similarweb service. It is important to keep in mind that AppMagic has a limit on the number of projects that can be compared simultaneously — no more than ten games.

For a more accurate reflection of the market situation, we will analyze the income of competitors. According to Sensor Tower data for December 2021, these metrics can give us an idea of ​​the current trends and conditions.

• Word League. Crossword Battle - <$5,000.
• Kryss - $70,000.
• Word Wars - Word Game - $90,000.
• Word Battle - <$5,000.
• King of Words - <$5,000.
• Word Wars - pVp Crossword Game - <$5,000.
• Wordgrams - $10,000.

By analyzing the graph, several key takeaways can be identified. First, there is a clear upward trend in the metrics over the period. This indicates positive dynamics and increased activity in the area under consideration. Secondly, seasonal fluctuations can be noted, indicating the influence of external factors on the results. This data can be useful for further planning and decision-making. Furthermore, it is important to consider potential risks and uncertainties that may impact future performance. Overall, the chart provides valuable information for analyzing the current situation and forecasting future changes.

• In June 2020, the trend appeared on the radar.
• Two projects emerged, holding the majority of the market share: Kryss and Word Wars. At the same time, Kryss is a classic PvP crossword, and Word Wars is Scrabble.
• Most of the games that tried to enter the market failed or received an insignificant share of the audience.

Let's take a closer look at the leading representatives of this genre.

By analyzing the graphs, we can conclude that a certain trend exists. This data suggests that changes in the indicators may be related to various factors. It is important to consider the context and supporting information to more accurately interpret the results. Based on this information, we can make forecasts and develop strategies for further action.

• The number of reviews (and therefore installs) for WordWars is not decreasing, unlike Kryss, which is showing a slight negative trend;
• Both games have been confidently holding top positions in the free app rankings for quite some time.

Analyzing the market, we observe conflicting trends. On the one hand, the niche continues to develop: new games are released and find their audience, albeit small. On the other hand, overcoming competition in this genre is becoming almost impossible without significant investment in marketing. Therefore, to successfully promote games, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the quality of content but also to effective marketing strategies.

It is important to pay attention to the income of the leaders in this niche. It is important to keep in mind that many services do not display advertising revenue, so the actual income of projects focused on advertising monetization may significantly exceed the data presented in public sources. According to Sensor Tower, Kryss earned $70,000 on Google Play in December 2021, while Word Wars earned $90,000. Analyzing this data allows for a more accurate assessment of revenue potential in the mobile app niche. The decision to create a project with the goal of earning a small percentage of revenue depends solely on your ambitions and goals. For small teams, this income can be an excellent foundation for further development, but larger studios are unlikely to be interested in such figures and will prefer to consider alternative concepts. It's important to remember that a successful project requires not only financial investment but also a strategic approach to its development.

Finding Something New

To start exploring new ideas, it's recommended to study relevant articles on professional resources. Consider platforms like GameRefinery, App2Top, and Deconstructor of Fun, which offer up-to-date information and analysis. These sources will help you gain a deeper understanding of current trends and strategies in the industry.

At the beginning of each year, many publications publish forecasts about the development of the gaming industry and its individual genres. Their accuracy can only be verified over time, but such articles should not be ignored. They are typically based on in-depth analysis and expertise, and the authors draw well-founded and logical conclusions that can help players and developers better understand future trends in the gaming world.

Difficulties arise when a trend has already been established, but its sustainability is questionable. An example of such a genre in the mobile casual market is Merge. Experts in the gaming industry are divided on this issue: some believe that this genre should have been actively pursued immediately after the release of Merge Mansion, while others are confident that the trend is just beginning to develop and has great potential for the future.

If multiple resources and services have already begun discussing a certain trend, this may indicate that you are too late in mastering it. However, there are also situations where trends prove long-lasting. Despite frequent predictions of their imminent demise, they continue to exist. A striking example is the boom in hyper-casual games. At the time, many believed that this niche would quickly disappear. However, a look at app stores reveals that such projects are still actively developing and attracting users. This confirms that some trends can persist for a long time, despite predictions of their end.

One of the most sophisticated methods for finding ideas in the gaming industry is to study recently released games. Services like Storeglide and AppAgg can be used for this. These platforms allow you to track game releases in different countries, making it possible to spot emerging trends early. Although it may not be possible to test hypotheses about the potential popularity of games at the initial stage, it is important to rely on intuition. Despite the high risk, such approaches offer significant opportunities for those willing to be among the first to take advantage of a new trend in the gaming industry. Success in this area can provide significant advantages in a competitive market.

To test a hypothesis about a new trend, it is important to analyze the growth dynamics over the past month. For example, if we observe an increase in the popularity of a certain game, then it is likely that this trend will continue. This is especially true for titles that already occupy top rankings. However, to draw sound conclusions about trends within an entire genre or niche, a single game is not enough. It's necessary to analyze a given project's competitors to gain a more complete understanding of the market situation and identify general trends. This approach will help not only understand whether there is real growth, but also predict further developments in the gaming industry.