Reports: Ubisoft

Though parts of the games industry still stigmatise in-game purchases, the business model is a fundamental part of a successful and sustainable growth formula for games companies. The current macroeconomic climate will only catalyse their importance. Diving into the nuances of in-game spenders’ behaviours and attitudes unlockssignificant growth and conversion optimisation opportunities for games companiesthat are already in pursuit of this business model.

As games subscriptions grow, understanding gamers through the lens of their subscriptions becomes crucial. Monitoring the growth of games subscription services and the behavioural makeup of segments that emerge with them is becoming increasingly important for developers and publishers alike – be it to make decisions around platform prioritisation and planning, or localising and laser-targeting marketing campaigns.

Streaming is rewriting the games market rulebook. The games subscription landscape is undergoing foundational changes driven by a growing list of new market entrants including tech majors, telcos, leading games developers and publishers. The rise of games streaming opens doors to device- and platform-agnostic solutions all across the attention economy, as companies look to capture the engagement of valuable gamer segments for their respective ecosystems and business objectives.

Tencent, currently the fifth most valuable public company in the world, saw income from ‘other gains’ increase in Q4 2017 by 800% on Q4 2016 figures, going $149.6 million to $1.2 billion. These other gains comprised one-off gains from IPOs, tax rebates and investment subsidies.