Over the past decade, mobile games have been the undisputed king of the app economy. At SuperScale, we’ve had a front-row seat to this evolution, working with some of the world’s top gaming studios to help them maximize revenue, optimize user journeys, and grow their audiences with our analytics engine, SuperPlatform.

But today, the app economy is undergoing a transformation—and so are we.

The shift in mobile revenue: How non-gaming apps are closing the gap

In 2019, mobile gaming accounted for roughly 74% of all consumer app spending globally. Fast forward to 2023, and that share has dropped to 63%. Not because games are shrinking—in fact, mobile games still generated over $107 billion last year—but because non-gaming apps are growing faster than ever before.

In the same period, revenue from non-gaming apps—categories like entertainment, social, health, fintech, and productivity—has nearly tripled. These apps now account for 37% of consumer spend on app stores and represent the majority of global mobile engagement time. In 2023 alone, users spent over 5 trillion hours in apps, with non-gaming apps like YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Netflix leading the charge.

What’s driving this shift?

  1. Subscriptions are the new IAP: While gaming pioneered in-app purchases, non-gaming apps are now monetizing effectively through subscriptions. Think Netflix, Spotify, Duolingo, and Calm—all driving recurring revenue at scale.
  2. Ad monetization maturity: Social and utility apps are masters of attention and therefore ad revenue. TikTok and Instagram monetize not just through volume, but through deep engagement and targeting.
  3. Consumer behavior normalization: Post-pandemic, users have integrated non-gaming apps into their daily routines. Fitness, finance, productivity—these apps aren’t just useful, they’re essential.
  4. Emergence of hybrid business models: Apps now combine subscriptions, ads, in-app purchases, and even e-commerce, creating more complex—and potentially more profitable—monetization paths.

Revenue growth: Mobile app spending surges

Consumer spending on mobile apps (inclusive of in-app purchases, subscriptions, and paid apps) climbed dramatically from 2019 to 2021, fueled by expanding smartphone adoption and a pandemic-driven usage boom, before stabilizing in 2022–2023. The table below summarizes the global mobile app revenues from 2019 through 2023, split between gaming and non-gaming apps:

Table 1: Global consumer spend on mobile apps, 2019–2023 (gaming vs. non-gaming). Percentages indicate share of total. 2019–2020 figures from Sensor Tower (App Store + Google Play), 2022–2023 from data.ai. 2021 is an estimate based on 2022 YoY trends.

 

What this means for SuperScale—and why we’re expanding beyond games

At SuperScale, we’ve always been about one thing: unlocking growth through data. SuperPlatform was built to help mobile-first businesses understand their user base, forecast revenue, and scale efficiently. Originally designed for the fast-paced, high-competition world of mobile gaming, it’s become a powerful toolkit for any app looking to optimize performance.

And now, the world of apps is catching up.

Non-gaming app developers are now facing the same problems that gaming studios have been solving for years:

  • How do I increase retention without annoying users?
  • Which acquisition channels bring high-LTV users?
  • Where are users dropping off in the funnel?
  • What’s the ROI of my UA campaigns?

These are questions SuperPlatform answers every day—for games, and now increasingly, for non-games too.

A strategic expansion: powering growth for every app, not just games

SuperScale is expanding beyond gaming.

Our tools, insights, and growth services are already helping streaming apps, health platforms, and fintech products find and scale their most valuable users. We see tremendous potential in these verticals—and we believe our game-tested methodology gives us an edge.

We’re not abandoning gaming. Far from it. Games will always be in our DNA. But just like the industry, we’re evolving. We’re building a future where data-driven growth isn’t just for games—it’s for every app.

If you’re building a non-gaming app and ready to scale smarter, let’s talk.

SuperScale is a growth platform trusted by top developers to scale mobile games and apps profitably. Learn more about SuperPlatform at superscale.com/superplatform.