Project Makeover
Game
Documents about Project Makeover
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.
Casual Puzzle Category Review 2021
Casual Puzzle is a large, still-expanding mobile category, and the 2021 review traces how fresh entrants and decoration-based metagames are reshaping it.
- The Puzzle & Decorate sub-genre has overtaken Classic Match-3 as the primary revenue driver, led by titles like Project Makeover and Royal Match that utilize narrative-driven 3D customization.
- The Merge sub-genre is the fastest-growing segment, achieving a 498% four-year compound annual growth rate and a 44% revenue increase over 18 months.
- Market consolidation remains high in the Puzzle & Decorate segment, where Playrix and AppLovin control 88% of total downloads and revenue.
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.
Match3 Genre Snapshot: US iOS (May 2021)
Match3 remains the largest subgenre in the US iOS market, generating roughly 16% of revenue (bubble shooters excluded) as of Q1 2021.
- As of May 2021, the Match3 subgenre accounts for approximately 16% of total US iOS mobile gaming revenue.
- No new Match3 titles entering the top 500 grossing rankings over the last 18 months utilize standard swapping mechanics, indicating a shift toward gameplay diversification.
- Modern Match3 success is increasingly driven by meta-layers, specifically decoration and customization features seen in titles like Royal Match and Project Makeover.
Market Snapshot: Q1 2021 US, China & Japan
GameRefinery's Q1 2021 mobile market snapshot compares iOS performance in the US, Japan and China against Q4 2020, covering genre share, publisher rankings, soft-launch titles, trending features and player motivations.
- In Q1 2021, mobile gaming genre preferences diverged globally: US markets favored simulation games, Japan saw a shift from RPGs to sports titles led by Cygames’ Uma Musume Pretty Derby, and China moved toward shooter games.
- Roblox Corporation established itself as the top-grossing publisher in the US market during Q1 2021.
- Monetization strategies varied by region, with collectible albums appearing in over 70% of top-grossing US games, battle passes in over 25% of top-grossing Japanese titles, and special gacha mechanics in 30% of top-grossing Chinese games.
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.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide for January 2021 by Downloads
Join Clash 3D from Supersonic Studios was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in January 2021, with 27 million installs, a more than 3,300-fold increase from January 2020.
- Join Clash 3D by Supersonic Studios was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in January 2021 with 27 million installs, marking a growth of over 3,300 times compared to January 2020.
- Among Us fell to the second most downloaded game with 26 million installs, ending its streak as the top-ranked game since August 2020.
- Project Makeover by Bubblegum Games reached 22.2 million global downloads in January 2021, a 57% increase over December, while also generating a record $44.7 million in revenue.
How to Crack the Match 3 Code: Project Makeover
Project Makeover, launched in November 2020 by Magic Tavern and publisher AppLovin, is presented as the first realization of forecasts made across a four-part series on where the Match 3 genre is heading.
- Meta-driven Match 3 games experienced 57% year-over-year growth in 2020, significantly outperforming the 5% growth seen in classic, saga-style Match 3 titles.
- Project Makeover, launched in November 2020, successfully captured market share by utilizing a 'Meta Heavy' design that integrates three distinct loops: makeup, dress-up, and home decoration.
- To succeed in the saturated Match 3 market, new titles must widen their player funnel by incorporating themes that appeal to broader casual audiences, such as fashion and makeover, rather than relying solely on traditional puzzle mechanics.
Four Mobile Game Trends to Look Out for in 2021
GameRefinery's analyst team identifies four mobile game design trends expected to shape 2021, drawing on observations across Chinese, Japanese, and Western markets.
- Match3 puzzle games remain the most significant sub-genre in the US market, accounting for just over 17% of all mobile game revenue on iOS.
- Mobile games are increasingly adopting 'social 2.0' features, such as virtual live event spaces and avatar-based social hubs, to foster community interaction similar to PC and console titles.
- Chinese developers are successfully exporting high-quality, feature-rich casual games to Western markets, as evidenced by the performance of titles like Project Makeover.
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