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Sensor Tower
Consumer spending in mobile games surged, influenced by strategic in-game events and global shifts in consumer behavior due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Revenue Surge. Mobile gaming experienced a significant increase in consumer spending during March 2020.
The primary objective of this analysis is to identify the highest-grossing mobile games worldwide during March 2020. The findings highlight a significant surge in consumer spending within the mobile gaming sector, driven by a combination of strategic in-game events and the global shift in consumer behavior resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
PUBG Mobile emerged as the top-earning title, generating over $232 million in gross revenue, which represents a three-fold increase compared to the same period in the previous year. Honor of Kings followed as the second-highest earner with $112 million, with other notable performers including Monster Strike, AFK Arena, and Candy Crush Saga. Data indicates that titles capable of adapting their gameplay mechanics to indoor environments or hosting successful digital events—such as Roblox’s Bloxy Awards and Pokémon GO’s ticketed events—maintained or increased their revenue despite the broader challenges posed by global lockdowns.
The scope of this analysis covers worldwide mobile game revenue across the Apple App Store and Google Play for the month of March 2020. The data is derived from the Store Intelligence platform, which tracks gross user spending. It is important to note that these rankings exclude revenue generated from third-party Android marketplaces. The findings suggest that mobile games are highly resilient to external market disruptions when developers proactively adjust to changing user conditions and maintain consistent engagement through promotional activities.
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