Hyper-Casual Trend Digest #17

#freeplay #hypercasualdigest #marketing #trends
April 19, 2024

Hi everyone! This month, while you were hard at work, many exciting things happened: as usual, Apple was involved in some scandals, new ambitious game projects were announced, and countless new trends emerged. Dive into all of them right now!

HYPER NEWS 🗞

🔗 Could jobs platform LinkedIn be on the brink of getting into games?

LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, is venturing into gaming with plans to integrate gaming into its professional recruitment platform. The platform is working on new gaming experiences inspired by popular puzzle games like Wordle, with titles such as “Queens,” “Inference,” and “Crossclimb.”

🔗 Apple vs US antitrust lawsuit: Everything we know so far on the DOJ’s iPhone case

The DOJ is accusing Apple of operating like a monopoly, and the implications of the case stretch far beyond iOS and iPhones themselves

🔗 Epic Games Store coming to mobile by end of 2024

The Epic Games Store is set to launch on mobile for both iOS and Android by the end of 2024, announced during the State of Unreal event at GDC. Epic’s general manager, Steve Allison, highlighted the company’s struggle against mobile platform gatekeepers like Apple and Google.

🔗 Deconstructor of Fun’s 2024 predictions: AI transforms the games industry, DMA will make Apple bleed, and UA recovers

In 2024, Eric Kress and Michail Katkoff foresee gaming industry recovery despite hurdles. They criticize Apple’s response to the Digital Markets Act, and make other prognoses

🔗 Apple to allow web distribution for iOS apps in latest DMA tweaks

Apple will soon allow EU-based iOS developers to distribute apps from their websites, responding to the Digital Markets Act. Criteria and revised fees, including a “core technology” fee, apply. This follows Apple’s DMA compliance changes, dropping restrictions on alternative app marketplaces and optional in-app purchase templates.

🔗 Hypercasual developer FreePlay surpasses 1.5 billion downloads

With no extra words, we reached 1.5 billion downloads in March! We’re happy to share this milestone not only with our team but also with the readers of this Digest. Expect new games and new records from us—we’re not going to stop!

And some fresh stats for you 👀 :

According to Adjust, Hybridcasual generates 800% more revenue per user than hypercasual

32% of spending players in mobile games plan to cut back in 2024, according to 2024 Mobile Gaming Spender Report

Game development time slowed in 2023 despite AI tech, but 71% celebrate its strengths, as reported by Unity Gaming Report 2024

ATT’s impact persists: Even the most economical Apple CPI surpasses the highest-priced Android option, as stated in liftoff

HYPER TRENDS 📱

Time for movies and TV series

This month we start with an awesome example of the gaming world expanding to TV sets. The new series has received awesome critics’ reviews: ‘An adaptation that feels like a true extension of the games, Fallout is a post-apocalyptic blast for newcomers and longtime fans alike.

Next up is a callback to millennials who grew up watching the X-Men animated series. This story makes a comeback in 2024 on Disney+, meticulously crafting every detail, from character costumes to plot.

One more story with previous incarnations is a new Netflix series called ‘Ripley’. A wealthy man hires down-on-his-luck grifter Tom Ripley to travel to Italy to persuade his vagabond son to return home. Don’t you remember a similar story from ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’?

Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire is one of the big movies of this month. Despite not receiving a warm welcome from critics upon its release, fans are enjoying it.

Trends on YouTube, TikTok, Imgur, etc.

Let’s kick things off with a compilation of popular TikTok videos from this month. Enjoy!

noblepurr | chingybee.2 | snowys_life0

Next up, we’re diving into a series of different popular TikTok videos all using the same sound, which is trending this month.

airbaltic | schizoarcher | daniellamonet

And as a bonus, we have several popular videos featuring game mechanics.

tifscrafts | woodyandkleiny | games4two

New TikTok effects

Here, as usual, are several popular masks you may have missed.

juliaperkkinss | baldnewsbackup | baldnewsbackup

Trend-based projects

In this trend-based projects pack, we have some games inspired by the popularity of “business running” type of games, which have gained popularity recently.

PLAYGENES | Homa | Funcell Games Pvt Ltd

And here are several other new game examples for your inspiration.

TREEPLLA | FALCON GAMES | Ararat Games