Android games recorded $5.3 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2017, according to a market study conducted by app analysis firm Sensor Tower. That figure marks an 83-percent year-on-year increase, as Android games generated “only” $2.9 billion in Q1 2016, the company notes, adding that games accounted for over 91 percent of all revenue on the Google Play Store in the first three months of 2017. Subway Surfers was the most profitable Android game in this period, followed by My Talking Tom, 8 Ball Pool, Pokemon GO, and Clash Royale, the study found, though it didn’t provide specific numbers to accompany that list.
Unsurprisingly, the recently released Super Mario Run wasn’t among the top 10 most successful Android games in Q1 2017, presumably because the app wasn’t available on the Google Play Store until just a few weeks ago and didn’t have enough time to truly make an impact on Sensor Tower’s chart. The market analysis company said Nintendo’s latest mobile game will likely generate significant revenue on the Google Play Store during the second quarter of the year, but didn’t elaborate on the matter. Not a single Android game listed as one of the top 10 most successful titles in Q1 2017 is a new release that wasn’t already present on the list last quarter, the survey found, implying breaking into the top tier of the Google Play Store is now harder than it has ever been. Refer to the gallery below to see a more detailed breakdown of Sensor Tower’s latest findings, including the company’s list of the most successful Android games by downloads and revenue in Q1 2017.
The mobile gaming industry in general is projected to become even more competitive by the end of this year as market saturation becomes even more pronounced than it already is and several major players in the industry launch new flagship titles. It’s currently unclear how well will last year’s hits fare over the course of the coming months, but as seen with Pokemon GO, most of them will likely continue losing steam during this period. More details on the state of mobile gaming are expected to follow come summer, once analysts go over their Q2 2017 findings.
