Homescapes
Documents about Homescapes
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Episode #4: Nintendo's mobile growth, Summer Game Fest, Skate 3 rumours
The gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental structural transformation, characterized by a move away from centralized trade shows like E3 toward decentralized, digital-first publisher showcases.
- Playrix has reached a market inflection point with its portfolio, led by Gardenscapes and Homescapes, which have collectively surpassed 1.1 billion downloads to challenge the dominance of Candy Crush Saga.
- Nintendo maintains a conservative mobile strategy where mobile revenue accounts for only 4% of its total earnings, relying on established titles like Mario Kart Tour and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp rather than aggressive expansion.
- The gaming industry is shifting from centralized trade shows like E3 toward decentralized, digital-first publisher showcases to maintain direct control over marketing narratives.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide: January 2020
The mobile gaming landscape in January 2020 was defined by high-volume installs across global markets, with Johnny Trigger leading the industry as the most downloaded title, securing 44.5 million installs.
- Johnny Trigger by SayGames was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in January 2020, reaching 44.5 million installs.
- Brain Out by Eyewind secured the second position with over 41.5 million installs, driven primarily by users in Indonesia and Vietnam.
- Playrix titles saw significant growth, with Gardenscapes achieving its best month ever for downloads at 20.9 million and record revenue of $67.6 million.
Black Friday Spurs Mobile Game Revenue to Single-Day Record of $70 Million: USA
Black Friday 2019 served as a record-breaking day for the United States mobile gaming industry, with consumer spending reaching an estimated $69.7 million across the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- U.S. mobile game revenue reached a single-day record of $69.7 million on Black Friday 2019, representing a 25% year-over-year increase.
- App Store spending accounted for 60% of the total revenue at $42.1 million, while Google Play generated $27.6 million.
- Google Play experienced a 34% year-over-year growth in game spending, significantly outpacing the App Store's 20% growth.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: November 2019
The mobile gaming landscape in November 2019 was characterized by significant revenue growth among top-tier titles, with Tencent maintaining a dominant market position.
- PUBG Mobile was the highest-grossing mobile game worldwide in November 2019, generating approximately $158 million in user spending, a 5x increase compared to November 2018.
- Honor of Kings ranked second with nearly $120 million in gross revenue, maintaining a 94% revenue concentration within the Chinese market.
- Coin Master achieved its best-ever monthly revenue performance in November 2019, earning more than $63 million.
Playrix Annual Revenue to Surpass $1 Billion for First Time in 2019
The mobile game publisher Playrix is projected to surpass $1 billion in annual revenue from in-app purchases for the first time in 2019.
- Playrix is projected to surpass $1 billion in annual mobile revenue from in-app purchases for the first time in 2019.
- The company's core revenue is driven by four titles—Homescapes, Gardenscapes, Township, and Fishdom—each generating over $10 million monthly.
- Gardenscapes and Homescapes have achieved lifetime revenue milestones of $1.4 billion and $1 billion, respectively.
Candy Crush Soda Saga Surpasses $2 Billion in Player Spending
King’s mobile puzzle title, Candy Crush Soda Saga, has achieved a significant financial milestone, surpassing $2 billion in lifetime player spending across the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Candy Crush Soda Saga has surpassed $2 billion in lifetime gross revenue across the App Store and Google Play since its mid-2014 launch.
- The United States is the primary market for the game, accounting for $1.1 billion or 55% of total lifetime player spending.
- In Q3 2019, Candy Crush Soda Saga generated $85 million in revenue, contributing 19% of King’s total $450 million quarterly earnings across all its titles.
Playrix Revenue from In-App Purchases Will Exceed $1 Billion in 2019
Playrix is projected to exceed $1 billion in annual revenue from in-app purchases across the Apple App Store and Google Play by the end of 2019.
- Playrix is projected to exceed $1 billion in annual revenue from in-app purchases across the App Store and Google Play by the end of 2019.
- The company’s revenue growth reached approximately $20.4 million per week as of April 2019.
- Playrix prioritizes in-app purchases over advertising as its primary monetization strategy to avoid distracting users from gameplay.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide: October 2019
The mobile gaming landscape in October 2019 was defined by the massive debut of Call of Duty: Mobile, which secured the top position in global downloads with approximately 146 million installs.
- Call of Duty: Mobile was the most downloaded game worldwide in October 2019, securing approximately 146 million installs with 16% of its traffic originating from the United States.
- Mario Kart Tour ranked as the second most installed game globally with 40.3 million downloads, led by the U.S. market at 19% of total volume.
- The top five most downloaded mobile games for October 2019 were Call of Duty: Mobile, Mario Kart Tour, Sand Balls, PUBG Mobile, and Fun Race 3D.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: October 2019
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue shifts in October 2019, characterized by the dominance of established titles and the rapid ascent of new market entrants.
- PUBG Mobile by Tencent was the highest-earning mobile game in October 2019, generating $153.9 million in worldwide revenue, a 7x increase compared to October 2018.
- Honor of Kings, also from Tencent, ranked second with $116.2 million in gross revenue, with 92% of its earnings originating from the Chinese market.
- Moon Active’s Coin Master entered the top 10 global revenue rankings for the first time in October 2019, generating $63.1 million.
Playrix Games Have Better Average Session Length Than Social Media and Messengers Do
Playrix mobile games demonstrate superior user engagement compared to major social media platforms and messaging applications, specifically regarding average session length.
- Playrix games Gardenscapes and Homescapes achieve higher average daily session lengths than major social media and messaging apps, with users spending 46 and 41 minutes per day respectively.
- While social media and messaging apps maintain higher overall daily and monthly active user counts, Playrix titles capture more time from the 12–64 age demographic in cities with populations over 100,000.
- Gardenscapes and Homescapes generated approximately $45 million in in-app purchases over a one-month period, accounting for 67% of Playrix's total revenue.
Casual Games are “Guilding Up”
Social features have become a cornerstone of mobile game design, with guild mechanics emerging as a primary method for fostering community and driving player retention.
- Casual mobile games are increasingly adopting guild mechanics—traditionally reserved for midcore genres—to drive player retention and loyalty through communal engagement.
- Top-grossing casual titles, including Playrix’s Homescapes, Gardenscapes, and Fishdom, are leading this trend by integrating guild features to foster social communities.
- Developers typically follow a two-stage rollout: launching with a simple foundation (chat and gifting/lives) before introducing deeper co-op tasks or competitive tournaments months later.
Matchington Mansion: You Won't Believe the Truth
Matchington Mansion serves as a case study in the hyper-competitive mobile "Match & Blast" puzzle category, which generated $3 billion in 2018 with nearly 30% year-over-year growth.
- The 'Match & Blast' mobile puzzle category grew by nearly 30% year-over-year in 2018, reaching a total market value of $3 billion.
- Firecraft Studios achieved $15 million in monthly net revenue for Matchington Mansion by utilizing aggressive, misleading ad creatives to maximize installs per 1000 impressions (IPM).
- Matchington Mansion successfully challenged industry leader Playrix by replicating the core mechanics of Homescapes while prioritizing immediate, 'blasty' level satisfaction over tactical complexity.