Rise
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Documents about Rise
Plus: The Rise of the Mobile/PC Simu-launch?
This analysis examines the emerging trend of simultaneous multi-platform launches for free-to-play (F2P) titles and provides a comprehensive performance review of the PC and console gaming markets for mid-October 2022.
- Asian-published free-to-play titles are increasingly utilizing simultaneous mobile and PC 'day and date' launches to maximize reach, despite frequent negative feedback from core PC audiences regarding monetization and technical requirements.
- The Korean ARPG Undecember reached a peak of 45,000 concurrent users on Steam and entered the top ten global grossing charts, even while maintaining a 'Mostly Negative' user review score.
- Torchlight Infinite demonstrated the effectiveness of hybrid distribution by securing 17,000 concurrent users on Steam alongside hundreds of thousands of downloads on the Google Play Store.
Rise of The Mega-Investors: Tencent & Savvy Gaming Group - The Metacast by Naavik
The global gaming industry is currently undergoing a period of intense consolidation and strategic realignment, driven by the emergence of mega-investors such as Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Gaming Group and the international expansion efforts of Tencent.
- The gaming industry is shifting toward a centralized model driven by mega-investors like Tencent and Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Gaming Group, which prioritize large-scale asset accumulation over traditional competitive dynamics.
- The failure of Google Stadia demonstrates that massive financial backing cannot overcome a fundamental lack of alignment with gaming-specific consumer behaviors and technical ecosystem requirements.
- Supercell maintains a high-threshold development culture that prioritizes multi-billion dollar hit potential, strictly abandoning projects that fail to meet extreme user retention standards.
Genshin Impact Remains 3rd Highest-Grossing Mobile Game Globally
Two years following its global launch, the mobile title Genshin Impact has solidified its position as a top-tier financial performer in the gaming industry.
- Since its September 2020 launch, Genshin Impact has generated $3.7 billion in global player spending, ranking as the third highest-grossing mobile game behind Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile.
- The game leads the gacha-monetization category, significantly outperforming competitors like Rise of Kingdoms and Three Kingdoms Strategic, which have each generated $1.7 billion.
- Revenue is geographically distributed with China accounting for 33% ($1.2 billion), Japan for 24%, and the United States for 17%.
Genshin Impact: $3.7 Billion Generated on Mobile in First Two Years
Genshin Impact has established itself as a dominant force in the mobile gaming sector, generating $3.7 billion in global player spending across the App Store and Google Play during its first two years of operation.
- Genshin Impact generated $3.7 billion in mobile player spending globally across the App Store and Google Play during its first two years following its September 28, 2020, launch.
- The title ranks as the No. 3 highest-grossing mobile game worldwide since its release, trailing only Tencent’s Honor of Kings ($5.5 billion) and PUBG Mobile ($4.9 billion).
- Genshin Impact is the top-earning mobile game utilizing gacha monetization, significantly outperforming competitors like Rise of Kingdoms and Three Kingdoms Strategic, which each generated $1.7 billion in the same period.
How to Build Your Next IAP Offer: Part 2
In-app purchase (IAP) offers serve as a foundational monetization strategy for free-to-play mobile games, requiring constant innovation to maintain player engagement and revenue growth.
- Garena Free Fire increases bundle engagement by allowing players to control item pools and discount percentages through 'Change Your Fate' shuffle and refresh mechanics.
- Royal Match utilizes a 'progressive' IAP ladder where players receive free rewards but must make a purchase to unlock deeper tiers, leveraging the psychological desire to complete visible reward sequences.
- Merge Fables drives immediate conversions by presenting players with a choice between earning event rewards through gameplay or paying for an instant, boosted reward bundle.
VIP Subscriptions & The Recurring Revenue Revolution
VIP subscriptions represent a critical, often overlooked component of modern free-to-play (F2P) mobile game monetization.
- VIP subscriptions increase player lifetime value (LTV) and average revenue per user (ARPU) by securing recurring income, which is more stable than relying solely on individual in-app purchases.
- Once a player makes an initial purchase, they have a 60-70% probability of becoming a repeat customer, making the conversion to a subscription model a highly effective strategy for long-term revenue growth.
- Subscriptions can be designed to enhance other revenue streams, such as offering store discounts to boost in-app purchase (IAP) volume or removing ads to capture the maximum potential ad revenue per user.
Global Mobile Apps in June 2022: Pan Entertainment Apps' Revenue Is Back on Rise
The June 2022 analysis of non-game mobile applications reveals a continued dominance of entertainment and social platforms in revenue generation, with notable shifts in download patterns and advertising spend.
- HBO Max revenue on iOS grew 16.6% month-over-month in June 2022, driven by the launch of Westworld Season 4.
- Social app Bigo Live experienced significant revenue volatility, declining 6.8% on iOS and over 25% on Google Play.
- BeReal emerged as a leading U.S. social app, achieving a 40% month-over-month increase to reach 11.6 million monthly active users.
Capcom 1st Quarter Report: Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2023
Capcom’s first-quarter report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, outlines the company’s financial performance and strategic outlook.
- Capcom reported Q1 net sales of 25,232 million yen and an operating income of 12,061 million yen, maintaining its full-year forecast despite a year-over-year decline caused by the absence of major new title releases.
- The 'Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak' expansion served as the primary performance driver, surpassing 2.5 million units sold during the quarter.
- Catalog game sales showed resilience, increasing to 9 million units compared to 8.8 million units in the same period of the previous year.
Capcom Consolidated Financial Results: Q1 Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2023
Capcom’s financial results for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, reflect a period of strategic investment and year-over-year contraction following a high-performance baseline in the previous year.
- Capcom reported a significant year-over-year contraction for Q1 FY2023, with net sales falling 47.9% to 25,232 million yen and operating income dropping 48.9% to 12,061 million yen.
- The decline in quarterly performance was primarily driven by the absence of major title releases compared to the prior-year period, despite the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion selling 2 million units.
- The Digital Contents segment, Capcom's primary revenue driver, experienced a 54.8% year-over-year sales decline to 19,860 million yen, though catalog titles and digital events helped sustain momentum.
Open Economies, Social Connectivity & Play - The Metacast by Naavik
Pocket Worlds is actively reshaping the landscape of mobile-first social metaverses by transitioning its flagship platforms, Highrise and Everskies, into a decentralized, community-driven ecosystem.
- Pocket Worlds is decentralizing its flagship platforms, Highrise and Everskies, which currently serve over 24 million users.
- Highrise generates $30 million in annual revenue and supports $100 million in secondary market volume for virtual goods.
- The new Highrise World framework allows third-party brands and communities to build their own branded social spaces, shifting the platform toward a decentralized, Discord-like ecosystem.
Will Dislyte Become Lilith’s Third Billion Dollar Hit?
The analysis evaluates whether Lilith’s title, Dislyte, possesses the long-term potential to become the publisher’s third billion-dollar hit following the success of Rise of Kingdoms and AFK Arena.
- Dislyte is unlikely to reach billion-dollar status, as its initial success was driven by aggressive user acquisition rather than long-term player retention.
- The game generated $25 million in net revenue and 6 million downloads within its first two weeks following its mid-2022 launch.
- Revenue experienced a significant decline approximately ten days post-launch, indicating a failure to sustain the initial player base.
Plus: Klonoa & Gwent Top a Slow-ish New Steam Week
This analysis examines global video game market performance and upcoming release trends for the week of July 4, 2022.
- Subscription services significantly impacted console charts, with Arcadegeddon leading PlayStation downloads via PlayStation Plus and WIN Reality topping the Meta Quest store.
- New Steam releases saw modest engagement post-Summer Sale, led by Sword and Fairy Inn 2 with 7,000 concurrent users, while Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series and Gwent: Rogue Mage reached 750 and 1,200 concurrent users respectively.
- DLC content proved to be a strong revenue driver, as Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course performed well on both Xbox and Nintendo Switch, while Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak also dominated Switch third-party downloads.