蘑菇AV

Key stat: 53% of US consumers love or like playing video games, according to April 2024 data from Collage Group. Among Gen Z, that figure increased to 72%.

A 28.79% rise in stock price reflects investor confidence in AppLovin鈥檚 ability to expand beyond gaming and establish itself as a leader in digital commerce advertising.

If brands want to advertise alongside gaming content, they could just as easily turn to YouTube. The livestreaming angle, while unique, isn鈥檛 the biggest draw for marketers. Moving forward, brands investing in influencer marketing should keep an eye on Twitch if they鈥檙e looking to reach niche audiences鈥攂ut keep in mind that the platform might not have the largest reach.

Children under 14 made up 65% of Roblox players in 2024, per CivicScience, and users skewing younger adds to the complexity of securing the over 40 million games and experiences on the gaming platform. Our take: Roblox鈥檚 evolving safety measures present a test case for trust in digital ecosystems  as regulators and governments aggressively pursue child safety.

Chipotle, the brand most responsible for putting the made-up holiday on the map, is bringing back its Burrito Vault digital game. The interactive promo will dole out up to 157,500 BOGO entr茅e codes. Last year, the game helped Chipotle notch its best-ever day for both overall and digital sales. The copycats: Chipotle鈥檚 success hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed.

On April 9, Former Meta policy executive Sarah Wynn-Williams told a US Senate subcommittee that the tech company actively targeted teens based on their emotional state. 23% of 13-24-year-olds spend their screen time gaming, followed by 21% who spend it with online video, according to a January 2025 HubResearch Report.

Poland led the region in ownership of gaming consoles and smart wristbands. Some 36.8% of respondents owned a gaming console, and 20.4% owned a smart wristband鈥攂oth significantly higher than the regional averages of 18% and 16%, respectively. On-demand video streaming adoption in Poland exceeded the regional average.

The company described the updates as a 鈥渇lexible canvas鈥� that accommodates its live sports and gaming content, both of which Netflix has spent considerable resources on to develop and deploy.

Laptop and tablet prices would spike by 46%, video game consoles would be 40% more expensive, and smartphones would cost 26% more, per the CTA. That would cause spending in each category to fall by as much as 68%, 58%, and 37%, respectively. Our take: The consumer electronics industry is poised for a comeback in 2025 due to consumers鈥� need to refresh products and desire for innovation.

Despite financial troubles among some esports and gaming video platforms, ad revenues will continue to grow for both media.

Big-time tie-ups: Nvidia transferred its cloud gaming service subscribers to Stripe鈥檚 platform in a record six weeks. PepsiCo is similarly shifting paper check payments between store managers and delivery drivers to Stripe. Both Stripe deals display that it鈥檚 embedded within major American corporations.

YouTube is the dominant platform where they discover new toys, far outpacing traditional TV and gaming platforms, according to a May 2024 Precise TV and Giraffe Insights survey. It鈥檚 also Gen Alpha鈥檚 top platform by time spent, at 84 minutes daily, per Qustodio, a third-party parental control and monitoring platform offered by Qoria. Shopping independently is not commonplace.

Video game adaptations have historically presented mixed results鈥攚hile 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie鈥� was a massive hit and 鈥淭he Last of Us鈥� was well received, projects like 鈥淗alo鈥� fail to take off, while others like 鈥淢inecraft鈥� remain uncertain bets. Traditional studios must strategically acquire undervalued IP while extracting maximum value from existing franchises.

Meta鈥檚 metaverse bets, especially Horizon Worlds, stalled due to lack of daily use, clunky UX, and unclear consumer utility beyond niche gaming and fitness applications. Key stat: The number of AR users is expected to surpass 100 million this year and reach 116 million in 2028, per our forecast. While Samsung鈥檚 headset isn鈥檛 dedicated solely to AR, it can ride this momentum. A metaverse renaissance?

The ad network currently offers ads on its gambling apps and websites, with a focus on travel, restaurants within the casino, upcoming events, and nearby businesses, according to Rich Roberts, president of digital gaming at Mohegan.

The news: Despite President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariff reversal for most countries, major PC and gaming companies are reacting to a 145% duty on Chinese imports. HP, Dell, Lenovo, and others are suspending US shipments for two weeks, per Commercial Times. Framework is pausing US sales on its low-priced laptops and Razer removed the option for US consumers to preorder its upcoming Blade 16 computers.

That category peaked at $1 billion in 2022 but plummeted 21% YoY to less than $800 million in 2023, per The American Gaming Association. Trendspotting: YouTube鈥檚 move to curb online gambling content is also in line with industry pivots鈥擳witch restricted gambling streams in 2023鈥攁nd broader trends in content moderation, brand safety, and responsible advertising.

Only 28% of consumers have bought or plan to buy a wearable, and just 27% are considering video game consoles. The interest in buying phones and computers now is unsurprising, considering that major companies like Apple, Google, Huawei, and Xiaomi manufacture or source those items from China.

The app initially tested ads in the US with brands in the fashion, gaming, and beauty industries in Q3 2024, and is now expanding its ad efforts with a commercial team to support brands and partners. After its expansion in Europe and Japan, over 200 brands have run ads on BeReal, including Levi鈥檚, Nike, and Amazon. BeReal has also tested US ads from some of these brands over the previous six months.

We forecast gaming video content ad revenues to reach $3.2 billion. Nintendo said it would offer more information on the Switch 2, potentially including a release date, on April 2. This was originally featured in the 蘑菇AV Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.

Zooming out: Overall, in-app spending grew 13% YoY to $150 billion globally, with non-gaming apps outpacing gaming apps鈥�25% versus 4%, respectively. Social media ($11.7 billion) and streaming ($11.9 billion) led all mobile app revenues. Each category was driven by contrasting profit models鈥攃reator tipping and commissions for social media, and subscriptions for streaming.

Xbox didn鈥檛 necessarily need these newfound profits to compete in the gaming industry, but being free from Google鈥檚 revenue cuts on in-app purchases could enable smaller game developers to thrive.

Cardholders will earn 1 point and tier credit for every $1 spent everywhere else, including deposits on BetMGM, the company鈥檚 online sports betting and gaming platform. Cardholders will also get a $200 resort credit upon account opening and on their card anniversary each year. They can also get a complimentary night stay (up to $250) annually if they spend $25,000 or more on the card. Will it work?

Some of the prohibited services were well-known globally, including short-video apps TikTok and Kwai (also known as Kuaishou), AliExpress, Shein, WeChat, gaming app PUBG Mobile, Baidu, and UC Browser. But despite some public disappointment with the bans, time spent with digital media in India has climbed steadily since 2020, per our forecast.