Go Global at Ramadan
Learn about mobile game players in the Middle East, Turkey, and Southeast Asia, and how to connect with them during the holy month of Ramadan
7 min read
·
Mar 23, 2022
Developers from around the world have found that during Ramadan they see an increase in activity from people in the many countries where the holy month is observed. This provides a significant opportunity to engage with players from the Muslim world.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and engaging with the community. As the Muslim calendar is lunar, the dates of Ramadan in the Western calendar vary. In 2023, Ramadan starts on March 22 and finishes on April 20. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al-Fitr on April 21, 2023, a national holiday in 19 countries.
According to
World Population Review
,
in 2020 some
1.9 billion people were followers of Islam, meaning that approximately 24% of the world’s population observes Ramadan. Most Muslims live in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Indonesia, for example, is the world’s largest Muslim country and home to 13% of all Muslims.
How games are affected
During Ramadan, people abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset to cleanse the soul and practice self-restraint and control. They also stay at home more and work less, meaning they often have more free time. This behavior results in higher digital activity in many countries, often focusing on games. For example, according to eMarketer, 44% of Indonesians choose online gaming as their preferred digital activity in the first week of Ramadan.
The market is also significant. According to Newzoo in 2021, Islamic Asian & Middle Eastern countries (ID/MY/PK/BD/SA/TR/UAE/EG) generated $4.32 billion in mobile revenue and had about 300 million mobile players.
On Google Play we have seen a 20% YoY growth in people who spend on games in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. When we look at the effect of Ramadan (2022) we see that compared to the 31 days before Ramadan games show a:
- 40% MoM growth in new paying users (NPUs).
- 11% MoM growth in games revenue.
In 2020, we noticed a higher growth, which was most likely driven by Covid lockdowns.
Looking at regional performance, in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan during Ramadan:
- Installs grew by over 10%
- Spending grew by over 40% in 2021 and over 10% in 2022.
- New Paying Users grew by over 40% in 2022
In Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar during Ramadan:
- Spending grew by 14% in 2021 and around 10% in 2022.
Therefore, looking for ways to engage with players from the Muslim world during Ramadan has the potential to be rewarding.
Ways to engage players
Optimizing your player engagement during Ramadan starts with getting the basics right. Then look for ways to give your players something extra and put promotion in place, so players know what you’re offering.
Get the basics right
Before you can engage with players over Ramadan, you need to ensure that they can find your game and use it to its full extent. So:
- Make sure your store listing, game, and LiveOps are localized. In your game, pay attention to the UI, especially for Arabic, as it is written from right to left.
- Localize your pricing. Many Muslim gamers are in markets that monetize well on Google Play ? such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. However, you also have large potential audiences in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Egypt, where the habit of paying for game content is still developing. To appeal to more people in these markets, consider using Google Play’s
Sub Dollar pricing
option to offer your players more affordable purchases.
Give players a treat
The best way to engage with players during Ramadan is to offer them something extra during the month. For example:
- Offer gifts that celebrate the month of Ramadan, such as unique skins, boosters, and alike.
- Add a Ramadan theme to your game, including new or time-limited characters and content. The theme could include historical figures, localized characters, or items such as clothing and content including special mini-games or levels.
- Offer Ramadan-themed creatives; typical Ramadan motifs include the moon, stars, lanterns, and minarets.
- Allow users to play more without additional payment.
- Create special offers and sales.
Enhance your promotion
When you do something special for Ramadan, make sure your audience knows about it. So, in addition to in-game promotion, consider:
- Using your social media channels and videos featuring the new offerings on YouTube to spread the word.
- Consider partnering with local payment partners and carriers. These partners look for special offers they can share with their customers.
- Use push notifications for Ramadan events, particularly for daily events and perks.
Tip
: Through all of these activities be mindful that players are fasting during Ramadan, so avoid showing food and beverages.
How other developers found success
Tamatem created an overall look for Ramadan
For Ramadan 2020,
Tamatem Inc
. adapted
Fashion Queen
’s environment and promotions to increase engagement and revenue. They changed the game’s icon, Play Store previews, loading screen, background music, outfits, and neighborhood decorations to celebrate Ramadan. They also ran LiveOps for the month that included exclusive Ramadan-themed outfits and events.
