The DAU of the Yahoo Games web platform has increased by 60% since the beginning of the year
This year, the number of gaming clicks within the platform has increased by a quarter.
This was shared in a conversation with our colleagues from Mobile Gamer by Andrew Pedersen, head of Yahoo's gaming division, who previously oversaw mobile at EA.
Indeed, Yahoo has chosen an experienced industry manager. Pedersen launched the web portal Pogo.com for EA, managed operations at GSN, served as vice president of game design at Big Fish Games, and was responsible for its restructuring within Aristocrat.
Regarding Yahoo's gaming section, it has an intriguing history. The American search engine was one of the pioneers in web gaming. The gaming portal appeared on the site back in 1998. However, during the rise of mobile games, development of the platform was halted. In 2014, it was completely shut down.
In 2023, it was relaunched quietly, without any major announcements, solely in the United States.
In January of this year, under Pedersen's management, it underwent a relaunch. Yahoo Games remains available only to U.S. residents. However, it has now positioned itself clearly towards a casual audience, featuring a major exclusive—Crushable, a match-three game from King.
Apparently, a rebranding focusing on original content has allowed the platform to grow both its user base and their engagement.