Devtodev is helping you keep in touch with what’s happening in the game market. Every month we publish an overview of reports on the most popular games worldwide, top-grossing games, successful releases, favorite video game types, trends, etc.
Get the April 2025 GameDev Report
What’s Inside This Edition
The April edition of our GameDev Report offers a comprehensive analysis of the gaming industry, compiling insights from over 15 authoritative sources, including GameDiscoverCo, AppMagic, modl.ai, Newzoo, Adjust, and Konvoy VC.
Key topics covered:
- Top-grossing and most-downloaded games across mobile, PC, and console platforms
- Breakthrough new releases and IP performance
- User behavior trends and genre engagement
- UA benchmarks, monetization models, and retention metrics
- QA process transformation and AI adoption
- Market investment trends, M&A activity, and public market movements
Key Highlights from the Report
Platform and Player Insights
- Chinese has become the most popular language on Steam, surpassing English (33.7% vs. 33.5%).
- Early Access titles exhibit higher refund rates compared to full releases (12.4% vs. 8%).
- Steam users display a more diverse engagement across titles, while PlayStation users concentrate on a few top games.
Quality Assurance and AI Integration
- 94% of developers utilize automation in QA processes; 86% believe AI will significantly expedite testing.
- Despite the interest in AI, only 16% fully trust its outputs.
- Challenges to AI adoption include cost, setup complexity, and internal resistance.
Mobile Market Metrics
- Last War: Survival led global mobile revenue in March with $147.5 million.
- Average CPI decreased to $0.36, though hybrid-casual games experienced cost increases.
- Hyper-casual games continue to lead in installs, but monetization metrics like ARPM and ARPMAU are declining across most regions.
Investment Landscape
- Q1 2025 witnessed $6.6 billion in M&A deals, marking the strongest quarter in recent years.
- Private investment volume dropped to a five-year low at $0.4 billion.
- Bitkraft and a16z remain the most active venture investors in early-stage gaming startups.
Why This Report Matters
This report serves as a valuable resource for product teams, marketers, analysts, and executives aiming to stay ahead in the gaming industry. Whether you’re optimizing UA strategies, analyzing platform dynamics, or exploring new markets, the insights provided can inform data-driven decisions.
Get the April 2025 GameDev Report
Stay tuned for more updates next month!
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