Hyper-Casual Trend Digest #4
Hey there! January was full of exciting events and explosive statements. Our team invites you to stay informed and form your own opinion about the hottest topic: Is HC really dead, or is there still hope for the future? ๐ค Stay tuned for the latest news!
HYPER NEWS ๐
1. ๐ Why are people uninstalling games ahead of other apps?
Why do people tend to uninstall games from their phone before other apps? AppsFlyer researched the topic.
2. ๐ Mobile ad spend predicted to hit $362bn in 2023.
The “State of Mobile Advertising” report from Data.ai indicates a steady rise in mobile ad spending over the past four years and provides valuable insights into the entire mobile gaming industry.
3. ๐ Action game installs grow 49% in Q4 of 2022 according to new data.
Action games remain in the top three gaming genres, growing 49% and competing with music (43% growth) and arcade games (42% growth).
4. ๐ In-game ad company Anzu patents tech to measure viewability of intrinsic ads.
What impact will the revised method of measuring the viewability of ads in 3D games have on their popularity?
๐ One story we’re keeping an eye on in Trend Digest is the development of Netflix’s Games department.
What’s new? While most tech companies are closing down their offices and cutting their staff, Netflix Games is actively hiring in their California office and offering salaries up to $1 million! ๐ฑ
HYPER TRENDS๐ฑ
If you want to go viral, create a trend with animals!
The Borzoi trend has turned out to be both adorable and viral: you can find photos and videos with your pets and more (different elongated objects, etc.) on various platforms. Thereโs even an effect on TikTok. On Instagram and Twitter, youโre more likely to see photos, but there are Reels too.
And Maxwell the cat, for example, was trending on TikTok relatively recently, and now that era has dawned on Instagram as well.
The history of the cat meme goes back more than one year, but in November and December 2022, videos of a 3D model of a cat wiggling in different directions were viral on TikTok. A duo with a capybara is also a frequent sighting.
There are several projects based on this.
Lato-Lato, or the trend that suddenly exploded on TikTok
The Lato Lato toy has a long history in the entertainment world. But the digital trend spread quickly in Indonesia and Malaysia: people filmed the use of the toy not only in its classic form, but also using different creative solutions. Now, according to TikTok, the trend is slowly decreasing, but in January, projects on this theme had already appeared. We decided to collect a few to demonstrate the mechanics.
Big news in the film world
Season 1 of The Last of Us premiered. Episode 1 is said to be HBOโs second most successful premiere in the last 10 years.
A new animated film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, has also been popular. The premieres have stretched across the winter months in various countries, so its relevance still lingers.
The project has a TikTok account, where you can find funny videos and a mix of trends with the main character.
Trend-based projects
Once again, we have compiled a selection of projects based on a variety of trends to show how one idea or another can be realized.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT ๐ค
In our previous articles, we discussed the changing dynamics of game genres and the evolving market scenario. In this article, however, we want to focus specifically on the trend dynamics. In recent years, we have seen the strong impact of trends such as ASMR, cleaning, organizing, and more. Recently, the team at AppMagic released a report on the most viral trend-based projects.
We also keep track of the trends and observe how they have changed over the past year. Although TikTok still holds a strong position as a trendsetter, we have noticed an increase in the influence of movies, fashion, and current news on trends. For instance, remember the spray dress trend, the popularity of Wednesday, and the eco-activism project we discussed earlier? That’s exactly what we’re referring to ๐
Certainly, the number of these games is incomparable to the number of ASMR games released, and considering the strong change in the gaming market, the appearance of a large number of such projects is unlikely. When creating a project, relying solely on a trend is no longer an option, but it’s still an excellent opportunity to engage the audience through ASO, production, and subsequent promotion of the project.
