Study: SEA makes up 55% of global in-app promos on mobile games

The mobile gaming market in Southeast Asia (SEA) is experiencing phenomenal growth, driven by its advancing mobile networks, widespread smartphone adoption, and robust mobile payment systems. In fact, the region currently ranks first in ad views. 

This is according to a recent study titled "The state of media buying in H1 2024 - SEA spotlight" programmatic and interactive advertising platform Mintegral. Coming second in ad views ranking is the US, followed by the Middle East and India. 

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As for ad media buying volume, SEA remains the second-largest market after the United States (excluding China). This reflects the region's dynamic growth and strategic importance in the mobile gaming industry, said the report.

In addition, ad creative volume has exceeded two million in SEA. This represents a year-on-year growth of 11% compared to other regions. The proportion of mobile games with ad media buys has also increased by 4%, according to the report. 

Currently, Southeast Asia makes up approximately 55% of global in-promotion mobile games compared to global figures. Countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam lead in market size and revenue, with Indonesia emerging as the largest single market.

The region's mobile game revenue distribution shows Thailand and the Philippines as the most lucrative markets, with gaming revenues expected to see substantial growth by 2027, according to Mintegral.

Where's the money?

In the first half of 2024 alone, over 35,000 mobile games purchased advertising. This is an increase from 33,257 in the second half of 2023, and from 31,053 in the first half of 2023. 

Of these games, sports, social and match games top in ad campaign duration ranking. Meanwhile, puzzle, match and simulation-management games are the top three in ad views ranking. 

Rebounding from last year, action and puzzle games are particularly prominent in the region, both in terms of the number of games promoted and the volume of ad creatives produced.

Meanwhile, playable ads are slowly gaining traction where over 10% of creatives for hypercasual, puzzle, shooting and simulation-management games are playable ads, said the report. 

This trend is particularly strong in markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, where playable ads have become a crucial component of user acquisition and engagement strategies, underscoring the region's robust demand for mobile gaming and its burgeoning advertising ecosystem

Earlier in March this year, it was reported that the Asia Pacific (APAC) region scored the highest shares of organic gaming app installs at 48%. 

Countries such as Singapore (38%), Indonesia (35%), Japan (35%) and Philippines (33%) were noted as the largest contributors to the region. 

This is according to measurement and analytics company Adjust's gaming app insights report, a resource for studios developers and mobile marketers. 

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