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GameMakers
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The game's average daily revenue increased from $1,075 in its first three months to over $264,000 by January 2018. This represents a substantial compound annual growth rate.
Idle Heroes, launched in June 2016 by little-known Chinese publisher DH Games, grew from an unremarkable debut into a global hit with an estimated $70MM in accumulated net revenue as of early 2018. Average daily revenue rose from about $1,075 during the first three months to $264,663 in January 2018, across iOS and Google Play worldwide. The analysis argues that this success, achieved without prior genre experience or a strong IP, rests on three strategies.
The first is the "Meta Wrap" approach: copying the metagame systems popularized by Heroes Charge (itself derived from the China-only DOTA Legends) and wrapping them around a differentiated core, here turn-based auto-battle, as Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes did. The second is integrating idle progress collection into the core loop on the campaign battle screen rather than at app open, which encourages activity and retention. Despite its name, the game is not truly an idle game, since only one or two of its seven or eight systems are idle-influenced and most are RPG-style stat checks. The third is an exceptionally deep character upgrade and collection system.
That system spans levels, stars up to 10 with gacha-based fusion, a six-slot equipment setup with a hero-specific upgradable stone, and faction auras and battle-triangle bonuses. PVE modes such as Celestial Island and Tower of Oblivion, along with an arena requiring three full teams, push players to collect and upgrade a diverse roster. Every gacha pull remains useful later, addressing a common weakness of gacha RPGs.
Expert systems designer Jeff Witt, formerly of Funzio, notes that moving from 5 to 10 stars may require 400-500 four-star characters. He argues that the absence of a prestige mechanic forces players to engage with metasystems and spend, so monetization outperforms idle RPGs like Tap Titans and Nonstop Knight. He also believes it may monetize more per player than Summoners War or Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. The author concludes that Western audiences are increasingly accepting complex Chinese-style metasystems, and expects these strategies to recur in future F2P mobile hits.
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