Umamusume: Pretty Derby
GameBy Cygames, Inc.
Documents about Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Japan Gaming 2026: The Games, Strategies, and IP Defining a Global Powerhouse
The Japanese gaming market remains a premier global powerhouse, characterized by high-value monetization and a mature player base that prioritizes engagement over sheer download volume.
- Japan’s mobile gaming market generated over USD $10 billion (¥1.56 trillion) in IAP revenue over the 12 months ending July 2026, maintaining its status as the second-largest market in Asia despite a 5.1% year-over-year revenue decline.
- Mobile game downloads in Japan reached 585 million in the 12 months ending July 2026, a 5.4% year-over-year decrease that reflects a mature market prioritizing high-value engagement over new user acquisition.
- The title 'eFootball' became Japan’s highest-grossing mobile game from January through July 2026, driven by World Cup-related live operations that contributed to an 8% growth in the realistic sports subgenre.
Top Grossing Mobile Games in Japan (2025 & 2026)
The Japanese mobile gaming market remains a distinct and highly lucrative landscape characterized by a significant divide between revenue-generating titles and high-volume download leaders.
- Japan generates 11.5% of global mobile gaming revenue from only 2.0% of the world's mobile players, highlighting an exceptionally high average revenue per user (ARPU) market.
- The Japanese mobile market is dominated by domestic gacha and RPG titles, with long-running franchises like Monster Strike, Fate/Grand Order, and Uma Musume consistently securing top revenue positions.
- In 2025, Pokémon TCG Pocket and Last War: Survival led the market in revenue with $326.1 million and $326.0 million respectively, though Pokémon TCG Pocket's revenue cooled to eighth place by mid-2026.
Weekly Industry Briefing: June 2026
The July 2026 industry briefing provides a comprehensive overview of significant developments within the global mobile gaming sector.
- Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs, spinning out four console game studios, and restructuring its mobile gaming division so that King and Mojang will report directly to Xbox boss Asha Sharma, recognizing them as significant platforms by monthly active players.
- Meta has soft-launched 'Pocket,' an AI-powered 'TikTok for games,' which it acquired through the Gizmo team earlier this year.
- Scopely is actively expanding its influence, rebranding Niantic's games team (responsible for Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now) as Scopely Explore, and funding a new studio from the creator of Umamusume: Pretty Derby to strengthen its presence in the Japanese market.
Wuchang, Grounded 2 Lead July's New Steam Hits
July 2025 saw a relatively quiet period for new game releases on Steam, with only three titles surpassing $10 million in gross revenue compared to six in the previous month.
- July 2025 Steam revenue for new releases slowed significantly, with only three titles surpassing $10 million in gross revenue compared to six in June.
- Wuchang: Fallen Feathers led July's new releases with $19.1 million in gross revenue and achieved strong cross-platform performance with over 400,000 paid units on PlayStation 5.
- Grounded 2 generated nearly $16 million in gross revenue on Steam despite being available on Game Pass from day one.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby Deconstruction
Umamusume: Pretty Derby, developed by Cygames, achieved rapid dominance in the Japanese mobile gaming market following its release in early 2021.
- Umamusume Pretty Derby achieved market dominance in Japan, generating nearly double the 30-day revenue of the long-time top contender, Monster Strike, as of April 29, 2021.
- The game's success was bolstered by a multi-year franchise strategy, including four manga series and two anime seasons, with the game's March 2021 launch strategically timed to coincide with the second anime season.
- The core gameplay loop involves a time-intensive, multi-stage training process that can take up to an hour per session, requiring players to invest significant time to develop characters for PvP and PvE content.
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