CITIC Securities: Casual Games' Global Expansion Is Still Budding, with 'Match-3' and 'Merge-2' Genres Leading the Charge
2 day ago / Read about 0 minute
Author:小编   

According to a research report by CITIC Securities, the global mobile gaming market has transitioned into a phase characterized by intense competition for existing user bases. However, casual games have yet to reach their full expansion potential and are instead undergoing structural growth, primarily fueled by genre hybridization and the rise of the Merge-2 category. Among these, Match-3 games have sustained a substantial revenue stream, nearing US$5 billion annually, thanks to their well-established user base and strategies for long-term lifecycle management. Merge-2 games, meanwhile, are unlocking greater user value through mechanisms such as order-based economies, resource recycling, engaging narrative content, and frequent live operations (LiveOps), positioning them as the most promising growth avenue within the puzzle game genre. Presently, Chinese game developers are leveraging the numerical optimization techniques, industrialized user acquisition strategies, and global publishing expertise they honed during the SLG (Strategy Game) era, applying these capabilities to the casual game sector. Some developers have already achieved significant breakthroughs in this domain.