Project Makeover
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Documents about Project Makeover
Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review September 2022
This analyst bulletin provides a review of the mobile game market for September 2022, focusing on key updates, events, and top-grossing chart entrants across the US, China, and Japan.
- Mobile developers are increasingly adopting aggressive monetization strategies, such as adding new or additional battle passes, in anticipation of Apple's price hikes in European and select Asian markets.
- League of Legends: Wild Rift saw a nearly 10x revenue spike in China following a September update that introduced a 1v1 PvP mode and new gacha monetization mechanics.
- Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle achieved the top-grossing position on the iOS Store in both Japan and the USA in September, driven by the success of its 'Worldwide celebration: The Strongest in the Universe' campaign.
Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review June 2022
June 2022 in mobile gaming was defined by minigame event modes, anniversary celebrations, and a strong showing from RPGs, according to this monthly analyst bulletin covering the US, China, and Japan markets.
- The global launch of Diablo Immortal in June 2022 propelled the title into the top 10 grossing games in the US market.
- RPG elements are increasingly being integrated into non-RPG titles, as seen in Rise of Kingdoms' narrative-driven 'Words of Eternity' event and the introduction of minigame mechanics in titles like Game of Sultans.
- Anniversary events served as major revenue drivers in June, notably causing significant spikes for The Seven Deadly Sins and Dragon Ball Legends.
U.S. Mobile Puzzle Game Spending: Year-Over-Year Analysis
U.S. mobile Puzzle game player spending grew 4.2 percent year-over-year to roughly $5 billion for the April 2021 to March 2022 period, according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates.
- U.S. mobile puzzle game spending increased by 4.2% year-over-year to $5 billion between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, making it the No. 1 revenue-generating genre in the U.S. during this period.
- Classic Match 3 games, including Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Soda Saga, generated $1.6 billion, representing a 12.3% year-over-year increase, and led all 11 Puzzle subcategories in revenue.
- Candy Crush Saga was the top-grossing Puzzle game in the U.S. during the last year, generating $845.5 million.
Hybrid-Casual Games: Recipe for Long-Term Engagement
Hybrid-casual games blend a simple hyper-casual or casual core, such as match-3 or shoot-'em-up mechanics, with mid-core meta layers, live operations, and combined ad and in-app purchase monetization.
- Hybrid-casual games combine simple hyper-casual or casual core gameplay with mid-core meta layers to significantly improve retention beyond the 7-day mark typical of hyper-casual titles.
- Hybrid-casual games demonstrate superior engagement metrics compared to hyper-casual titles, with players spending nearly double the amount of time in-session.
- The genre enables higher monetization potential, with publishers like Voodoo projecting one-year lifetime values (LTV) of approximately $3 per user through a combination of in-app ads and in-app purchases.
2022 Predictions: The King Is Back, Merge Overheats and Hypercasuals Falter
Western mobile casual gaming entered 2022 as a mature, increasingly top-heavy market in which revenue growth outpaced install growth.
- The Western mobile gaming market is becoming increasingly top-heavy, evidenced by a decade-low in new game launches and a deceleration in overall in-app purchase revenue growth.
- King has reclaimed market leadership in the puzzle genre from Playrix, driven by the sustained performance of its core portfolio and the success of new titles like Royal Match.
- Despite IDFA-related privacy restrictions, the hypercasual sector saw a 15 percent increase in downloads and a 50 percent surge in in-app purchase revenue during 2021.
Switchcraft Monetization: Tactics for Match-3 Games
Switchcraft, a match-3 title launched globally in October 2021 by Playtika-owned studio Wooga, is analyzed here for its monetization design.
- Switchcraft utilizes a hybrid monetization model centered on in-app purchases (IAP) for premium currency (coins) and rewarded video ads to drive engagement.
- The game features a $1.99 entry-level price point for coin packs, which is identified as the best-selling offer on the US App Store.
- Interactive storytelling serves as a primary retention driver, allowing players to make choices that influence the narrative flow and character relationships.
Mobile Game Market Review: August 2021
August 2021 in mobile gaming was defined by live-ops experimentation, heavy use of licensed collaborations, and anniversary-driven monetization across the US, China, and Japan.
- In the US market, Project Makeover introduced a Battle Pass with a premium tier that removes 5-hour wait timers for challenge progression, incentivizing monetization through time-gating.
- New mobile titles saw significant traction in August 2021, with Marvel Future Revolution debuting in the top 30 grossing US charts and NetEase’s Infinite Lagrange entering the top 20 grossing in China.
- Collaboration events remain a primary engagement strategy, exemplified by PUBG Mobile’s Tesla partnership, Roblox’s physical-to-digital Nerf gun integration, and various anime-themed events in the Japanese market.
What Has Happened in the Mobile Games Industry So Far: 2021
Mobile gaming in the first half of 2021 was defined by regional genre shifts, hybridization, and a market that grew less open to global competition.
- In the Chinese mobile market, the battle royale subgenre has captured approximately 98% of revenue market share, while 4X strategy games have experienced a slight decline of 2–3%.
- Action RPGs are gaining significant traction in the Western market, evidenced by the strong launch of 'My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero' following the success of 'Genshin Impact,' which previously accounted for 80% of the subgenre's US revenue.
- The 4X strategy genre is increasingly adopting hybrid mechanics, such as integrating puzzle RPG elements or merge mechanics, to broaden their appeal beyond traditional 4X audiences.
No IDFA? No Problem! Apple Can’t Kill Gaming
Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) rollout and the loss of the IDFA have been framed as a "Ragnarok of Gaming," but this July 2021 opinion piece by Tiffany Keller, Director of Product for Subway Surfers at Sybo Games, argues the impact is real but manageable.
- The mobile gaming industry has proven resilient to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) implementation, with revenue impacts for most studios limited to single-digit percentage points.
- Gaming maintains an average ATT opt-in rate of 47%, which is higher than the average across other industry sectors.
- The actual loss of trackable users is modest because a significant portion of the user base was already excluded from tracking due to existing privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA.
How Zombies Are Shaking Up the Puzzle Genre
Zombie and post-apocalyptic themes are emerging as a notable growth area within the mobile puzzle genre, which has been dominated by lifestyle and decoration concepts.
- Worldwide consumer spending in zombie and post-apocalyptic themed games reached $180 million in May 2021, marking a 47 percent year-over-year increase.
- 37Games' title 'Puzzles & Survival,' launched in September 2020, generated over $30 million in global revenue across the App Store and Google Play in May 2021.
- Zynga's 'Puzzle Combat,' released globally in April 2021, surpassed $1 million in consumer spending by May 2021, signaling a successful entry into the zombie-themed puzzle niche.
U.S. Mobile Puzzle Game Spending Rockets 30% Year-Over-Year to $4.6 Billion
U.S. player spending on mobile Puzzle games climbed 31.4 percent year over year to more than $4.6 billion between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021, according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates.
- U.S. mobile puzzle game spending grew 31.4% year-over-year to reach $4.6 billion between March 2020 and February 2021.
- The 'Puzzle & Decorate' subgenre was the top revenue generator and fastest-growing category, with spending rising 65.6% to $1.6 billion.
- Candy Crush Saga (King) led the market in total player spending with over $643 million, followed by Playrix titles Homescapes and Gardenscapes.
Mobile Game Taxonomy Report 2021: Hypercasual Accounts for Nearly One-Third of Downloads
Hypercasual has become the dominant force in mobile game downloads, while RPG and Strategy titles continue to command the bulk of player spending.
- Hypercasual games accounted for 31% of all mobile game installs in 2020, up from 17% in 2017.
- RPG and Strategy titles combined for 50% of total mobile game revenue among the top 1,000 earning titles in 2020.
- The 'Fashion' theme was the fastest-growing trend in 2020, with downloads for the top 100 titles using the theme increasing by 109% to 991 million.
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