Hyper-Casual Trend Digest #11

Hey! This month has been so packed with news that we’ve prepared a special edition of Trend Digest. Discover the top trends, a timeline of Unity Runtime Fee events, and an expanded “Food for thought” segment about preparing for the Halloween holiday.

HYPER NEWS 🗞

🔗 China Implements Ban on Foreign-Made Mobile Phones for Government Officials

China has prohibited government officials in central agencies from using foreign-made phones for work. The move is part of Beijing’s cybersecurity measures and efforts to reduce reliance on foreign tech. The ban’s timing affected Apple’s stock ahead of the iPhone 15 reveal.

🔗 Meta May Introduce Ad-Free Subscriptions for EU Users

Meta is considering offering ad-free subscriptions for EU users on Instagram and Facebook, responding to growing data privacy regulations. This move could help address regulatory concerns but may not be universally embraced. Europe is a significant market for Meta, making compliance with EU regulations essential.

🔗 Apple allows developers to offer regional pre-orders for games

Apple now allows developers to offer region-specific pre-orders for new and existing apps. This feature ensures automatic downloads on launch day, even if the app isn’t available in a user’s region. Developers can tailor release schedules for various markets and gauge early interest, helping plan post-launch updates.

🔗 Youtube begins testing game-playing feature on its platform

YouTube is in the experimental phase with its “Playables” feature, enabling selected users to play games directly on its platform. Desktop users can access games through browsers, while mobile players will primarily utilize the YouTube app on iOS and Android. Game progress in Playables can be managed through YouTube History, suggesting the possibility of resetting games.

So much was said about Unity Runtime Fees last month that it’s impossible to summarize in just a few words. That’s why we’ve compiled the complete timeline of events and announcements regarding this news to help you quickly catch up on everything that has happened in just a few minutes.:

• 9th September – The President and CEO of Unity Software Inc, John Riccitiello, sells 2,000 shares
• 2th September – Unity announcing pricing and packaging updates
• 14th September – Unity closes offices following death threat
• 15th September – Developers have collectively issued an ultimatum to Unity, insisting on a review of RunTime conditions before they contemplate using ironSource or Unity Ads once more. Simultaneously, experts in the gaming industry, including AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi and Miniclip Senior Executive Vice President Sérgio Varanda, have expressed their positions.
• 18th September – Unity backtracking on new fees
• 19th September – AppLovin releases tool to switch from Unity to Godot or Unreal
• 22nd September – An open letter to the community by the President of Unity Create.
• 10th October – Unity CEO John Riccitiello resigns after backlash over runtime fees

And some fresh stats for you 👀 :

• How Will Generative AI Change the Video Game Industry?
• 71% of the biggest mobile games use a Unity SDK
• Gaming is the fastest growing app category worldwide
• Meta owns all four of the top ad networks for mobile games in Q2 2023
• Mobile puzzle games have earned $42 billion in 11 years
• Chile leads the way in installs in Latin America with a 35% increase

HYPER TRENDS 📱

Time for movies and TV series

Some of the premieres were postponed due to the strikes, but recently there have been reports of the strikes ending after 5 months.

What movie news and premieres to pay attention to?

At the close of Season 1, we saw Loki and Sylvie spark a multiversal disaster spearheaded by variants of He Who Remains.

Coriolanus Snow mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12 tribute during the 10th Hunger Games.

A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. During his first night on the job, he realizes that the night shift won’t be so easy to get through. Pretty soon he will unveil what actually happened at Freddy’s.

Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.

Trends on YouTube and TikTok

We’ve noticed that bloggers and popular accounts have gone back to old tried-and-true trends and challenges in September. We’ve collected a selection of examples of such videos.

gettishow | woodyandkleiny | woodyandkleiny

Also of course we’re already seeing a big impact of Halloween on the content being posted on social media.

gettishow | alternatebazaarart | birikol23

Shorts/Videos with popular characters/trends:

Familia Diamond | Dangie Bros | Matt Larose

New TikTok effects

We found some interesting game-style effects, so let’s take a look!

munchie.michelle | zayfoh | francisamen

Trend-based projects

We were delighted with the number of trend-based projects that appeared. We see that so far studios are still using partially spring-summer trends — Grimace, Banana Cat and a Cat playing tennis, as well as cans & bottles that are broken in different ways.

But we’re also seeing smaller old/new trends that developers have used to create games based on.

Bottle Break: Stair Merge ASMR → Trend | Bottle Versus Stair → Trend | Cardboard Makeover DIY → Trend

Power Wash Challenge → Trend | Street Artist DIY → Trend | Swipe Challenge → Trend

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 🤔

The Halloween season is just around the corner, and that’s why we’ve chosen to inquire with our ASO Team, Creative Team, and UA Team about their plans and preparations for the holiday.

“Think of it as curating a complete Halloween experience for your users. This alignment ensures that your app not only presents a Halloween-ready appearance but also offers a cohesive and immersive user journey. Additionally, it’s vital to assess regional relevance, ensuring that your Halloween-related terms and imagery align with the preferences of your target regions. You wouldn’t want your well-intentioned Halloween efforts to go unnoticed.

In summary, while seasonal ASO can bring enchanting results, a complex approach is the key to a successful Halloween marketing strategy” Daria Pisareva, ASO Lead, FreePlay.

“Here are a few ideas and elements to consider in your holiday creatives:

1. Eerie Decorations: The video should be filled with Halloween symbols. To achieve this, we gather thematic settings, such as dark forests, graveyards, or houses adorned with pumpkins and candles.
2. Dark Atmosphere: Use dark colors, fog, candles, and other elements to create a mystical and atmospheric image.
3. Skins: Customize our characters in Halloween costumes. These can be scary or fun skins, like witches, zombies, vampires, etc. We can not only adapt in-game characters but also use classic monsters in their place.

I’d like to specifically emphasize animations, sounds, and effects, as they play a crucial role in creating a horror atmosphere. Here are a few good examples that we use:

• Bat animations, various ghosts.
• Sounds: indistinct whispers, magical incantations, laughter, and screams.
• Spooky music.
• Lighting effects: flickering lights, flashes, and glowing elements.

It’s essential to create creatives that will appeal to the target audience while allowing players to experience the fun and magic of Halloween within the context of the game” Sergey Tarliuk, Lead Creative Producer, FreePlay.

“To prepare effectively for this period, it’s important to:

• Approximately one week before Halloween, review bids in advertising campaigns and, if possible, adjust bids to be highly competitive in auctions.
• It’s best to start testing thematic creatives early in October so that as the event draws closer, all high-performing creatives have passed learning phase and been uploaded across all channels.
• Remember that Halloween is not celebrated worldwide. It is most actively celebrated in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – so focus on these geo-locations” Regina Lurye, Head of Marketing, FreePlay.