According to a report released by Sensor Tower, the total downloads and user spending of Korean mobile games will decline in 2022. Coupled with the continuous launch of high-quality mobile games, game publishers will face both opportunities and challenges in key tracks such as RPG and action. .
South Korean mobile game user spending to decline slightly in 2022
2021 is the best year for the South Korean mobile game market in the post-pandemic era, with annual user spending reaching US$5.8 billion, an increase of 45% compared to 2019 before the pandemic. However, the data shows that the overall revenue of Korean mobile games will begin to decline in 2022, reaching US$5.3 billion. The decline in spending by Android users was most pronounced at 12%.
In terms of revenue share, the expenditures of iOS users and Google Play users accounted for 20.4% and 79.6% respectively.
In terms of downloads, the South Korean mobile game market will have 520 million downloads in 2022, a year-on-year decrease of 5.2%. Mobile game downloads on Android devices fell by 8.3%, while mobile game downloads on iOS devices increased by a further 8.3%.
At the same time, the share of iOS and Google user downloads is 21.1% and 78.9% respectively. Compared with 2021, the iOS market share has increased.
RPG mobile games contribute more than 60% of revenue share
As the largest mobile game market in South Korea, RPG games will contribute more than 60% of the local revenue share in 2022, and the MMORPG sub-category has the most outstanding performance.
In terms of revenue growth, AR positioning, action, simulation, and chess and card games all increased by more than 10%. Thanks to the update of the new season and the success of the Pokemon Go Fest event, the revenue of the AR positioning category represented by “Pokémon Go” surged by 55%. The revenue growth of action mobile games was mainly due to the outstanding performance of various new games such as “Dungeon and Warriors Mobile Games”.
The data shows that the most downloaded game category in South Korea in 2022 will still be ultra-casual mobile games. However, compared with 2021, the download volume of ultra-casual games has dropped significantly, exceeding 20%.
Although the downloads of RPG mobile games have declined slightly year-on-year, the continuous launch of high-quality new products in the Korean market shows the great vitality of the track, and the competition will also become more intense. Also remaining active is the action mobile game market. Driven by a number of new games such as “Bullet Squad”, its downloads increased by 20.2% year-on-year. In addition to action games, the AR positioning and chess and card game market will also see growth in downloads in 2022.
Korean publishers dominate the revenue charts in the local market, and a variety of new games have achieved outstanding revenue growth
Korean publishers are still strong in the local market. A total of 14 local mobile game products have been shortlisted for the top 20 mobile game best-selling list in 2022, including the top three “Paradise W”, “Paradise M” and “Odin: Rebel”.
As a well-known Korean game IP, “Dungeon and Fighter Mobile Game” quickly rushed to the fifth place in the Korean mobile game best-selling list once it was launched, which shows its popularity. In addition, there are 4 other new games shortlisted in the top 20 of the Korean mobile game best-selling list in 2022, namely “HIT2”, “Racing Horse Girl Pretty Derby”, “Bullet Squad” and “MU Origin 3”.
In 2022, among the 7 mobile games with a market revenue exceeding US$100 million in South Korea, there are as many as 5 MMORPG games, 1 action game and 1 sports game.
The rougelike lawn-mowing game “Bullet Squad” under Haibi was quickly sought after by Korean players, and it successfully rushed to the top of the 2022 Korean mobile game download list in just half a year. The game has received nearly 5 million downloads in South Korea. “Pokémon Go” and “ROBLOX” ranked 2nd and 3rd in the download ranking respectively.
Among the top 20 mobile game download lists in 2022, Xinyou occupies 5 seats, involving multiple categories of action, RPG and strategy. On the one hand, this has something to do with Korean players’ pursuit of current trends and their willingness to try new games. On the other hand, it also reflects the importance and confidence of game publishers in the Korean market.
In 2022, the revenue growth of various new games in South Korea is outstanding, and 7 of them have successfully entered the top 10 revenue growth list. Among them, the revenue of “Dungeon and Warriors Mobile Game” increased by more than 100 million US dollars.
“Song of Cloud City” has successfully increased its income through celebrity endorsements and lucky roulette lottery activities, and its growth ranking has risen to No. 5.
In terms of download growth, the new games “Bullet Squad” and “Dungeon & Warriors Mobile” took first and second place respectively. The social gathering mobile game represented by “Goose Goose Duck” has become very popular in Korea and is expected to become another potential track.
Chinese publishers in South Korea focus on the medium-to-heavy mobile game market
In 2022, there are 34 Chinese overseas mobile games that will break into the Top 100 best-selling Korean mobile games list, with a total revenue of 850 million US dollars, accounting for 21.7% of the total revenue of the Top 100 mobile games.
MMORPG mobile games have always been an important track for Chinese publishers to go overseas to South Korea, and their overall performance has lived up to expectations. A total of 6 MMORPG mobile games, including “Song of the Cloud City” and “Sword of Miracle”, will advance to overseas Korean mobile games in 2022 The Top 20 best-selling list. 4X strategy games also performed well, with 5 shortlisted products.
As Korean players are particularly keen on mid-to-heavy mobile games, Chinese overseas publishers also pay more attention to the layout of South Korea’s mid-to-heavy mobile game market. In 2022, among the Top 20 shortlisted overseas Korean mobile game download list, medium and heavy products accounted for 75%.
Hibi’s roguelike lawn mowing game “Bullet Squad” quickly became popular, surpassing “PUBG MOBILE” to become the most downloaded overseas mobile game in the Korean market in 2022. The strategic mobile game “Valor Legends”, which used the protection of the dog’s head as the advertising material, performed well in terms of popularity, ranking third on the list of overseas downloads. Another ultra-casual mobile game “Save the Doge”, which focuses on protecting dog heads, is also on the list.
Korean players have a high degree of acceptance of IP-licensed mobile games, representative games include “Diablo: Immortal” and “League of Legends Mobile Games”.
