Mobile gaming could clear $100 billion spent in 2020

Last year, mobile earnings were 25 percent higher than console and PC combined.

Mobile gaming has taken off over the past few years, generating billions of dollars in revenue with hits like Angry Birds and Fortnite. But new data suggests that 2020 could be its biggest year yet.

Earnings for the new year in the mobile gaming market could reach $100 billion, according to a new report from App Annie, a company that tracks analytics and data about apps. This is coming off of estimates that came from the previous year, in which earnings were 25 percent higher than both console and PC spending combined.

​Part of that success will generate from the popularity of franchises that have established a following on mobile. Games like Mario Kart Tour and Call of Duty Mobile have each attained millions of downloads and made huge money with microtransactions. And with technical improvements to hardware, including 5G adaptation and improved technology, App Annie believes that mobile devices are becoming more of a “core” device for gamers in general.

While the report does note the steady reception of casual and puzzle games, titles like the ones mentioned above keep gamers around for the long-term. Players are also more likely to spend money on microtransactions with titles like these, App Annie says. It notes that puzzle and arcade games are actually in the minority, with only 1 percent of total downloads overall.

The battle royale game PUBG Mobile got the most attention from players last year in terms of replayability; while another battle royale entry, Garena Free Fire, ended up being the most downloaded, though specific numbers weren’t provided.