European mobile game downloads growing faster than spending
Sensor Tower finds March new installs were up 19% over February while spending grew 12%
Marketing intelligence firm Sensor Tower is on the record as being bullish about mobile gaming's prospects during the pandemic, and today it released some information backing up those calls in the short-term.
According to a Sensor Tower blog post, mobile gaming metrics across Europe were up significantly during March, when much of the continent was locked down due to COVID-19.
Sensor Tower said March was the best-ever month for game downloads, with new installs across Europe up 19% over February and closing in on 1.2 billion.
User spending was also up for the month, but not quite as much. Sensor Tower said Europeans spent $740 million on mobile games in March, up 12% month-over-month.
It wasn't just games that were breaking records last month. Sensor Tower said it was the best month ever for downloads and user spending across every app category.
"Over the next few months, as life starts returning to normal, it's likely that some of the new habits -- such as remote working and online shopping -- could remain in place for many, now that consumers have become more accustomed to these platforms and services," said Sensor Tower EMEA mobile insights strategist Craig Chapple.
"While the mobile app economy has been large and growing for a long time, apps are set to become even more important to our daily lives than ever before."