Why RPG games have more loyalty and other mobile gaming insights | Mistplay

Role-playing games garner the most loyalty. Strategy games drive repeat purchases. And lifestyle games see the highest average sessions per user.

Those are some of the insights from Mistplay’s Mobile Gaming Loyalty Report. The report from Montreal-based Mistplay, a loyalty app for gaming, delves into the drivers of loyalty among mobile gamers.

Mistplay analyzed millions of players in over 500 mobile games, based on data pulled from the first half of 2023, and it also used Sensor Tower Taxonomy to categorize games by genre before analyzing overall averages in each category.

The report said that RPGs ranked the highest in the Mistplay Loyalty Index with a loyalty rating of 75 out of 100 . Deep gameplay experiences and compounding monetization systems drive players to spend more money in a single transaction, spend more often, and play more often than nearly any other genre.

Meanwhile, the strategy genre ranks second out of 13 categories for both average sessions per user and average playtime. Strong spending mechanics with socialization and customization gameplay features fuel user progress and competitiveness.

And lifestyle games also drive strong monetization by ranking first for share of spenders by day 30 (after download) and third for repeat purchases. With bite-sized and compellingly-repeatable gameplay tasks, these games are designed to bring players in multiple times throughout the day and spend incrementally to achieve their aspirations.

Jason Heller, CEO of Mistplay, said in a statement, “Player loyalty is the cornerstone of long-term success for gaming publishers. It’s a multifaceted aspect that goes beyond a single metric, and our Loyalty Index aims to provide a holistic view of what drives player allegiance.”

The survey also said players enjoy multiple games at once, but only spend money on a few. It said 77.3% of spenders rotate between two to seven games at any given time throughout the week, but only 53% only spend money on a single game.

And 71.7% of respondents said it’s important to see actual gameplay footage in ads when deciding to install a game or not.

The report also said that more than a third of players — 36.7% — ignore mobile ads while 25.7% actively pay attention no matter what type of game is advertised.

Word of mouth is a top-three acquisition source. While ads and app stores reign supreme, 35% of respondents said they discover new mobile games to play through recommendations from friends and family.

The report also said negatively-received updates can impact player retention. Some 39% of respondents said they will quit playing a mobile game if the publisher releases a poorly received update that isn’t fixed within a week.

App store ratings and reviews are crucial deciding factors for game installs. Over 60% of respondents believe that star ratings and written reviews are more important when considering downloading a new title from the Google Play Store — with over 30% rating them as very important.

Meanwhile, the motivations and behaviors of high-value spenders, those spending over $100 on mobile games, offer unique insights into gameplay patterns and spending habits.

The desire for progression and the inclination to preserve in-game achievements emerged as top reasons for mobile gamers to continue playing, highlighting the significance of a sense of accomplishment in retaining player engagement.