Shooter reports and market data
Documents
Shooter Genre Snapshot: September 2021
The mobile shooter genre in the United States iOS market currently occupies the sixth-largest position by revenue, accounting for approximately 6% of total market earnings.
- The shooter genre on US iOS is highly concentrated, with the 'Big Three'—Garena Free Fire, Call of Duty: Mobile, and PUBG Mobile—collectively generating over 84% of total genre revenue.
- Garena Free Fire experienced significant growth in 2021, doubling its iOS revenue and capturing approximately 30% of the market share to rival Call of Duty: Mobile for the top position as of Q2 2021.
- The shooter genre accounts for roughly 6% of total US iOS revenue, currently ranking as the platform's 6th largest mobile genre.
LILA #1: Why Did We Start LILA Games?
LILA Games is a mobile-focused game studio founded by Joseph Kim, Paul Leydon, and Avinash Pandey with the primary objective of developing a high-quality, hardcore shooter game.
- LILA Games aims to disrupt the shooter genre by integrating deep emotional mechanics and social systems typically reserved for 4X strategy games.
- The studio is building its core operations in India, identifying the region as an underutilized hub for high-potential talent to support its global development goals.
- The company operates as a 'learning organization' that prioritizes continuous, incremental improvements in management and workflows to avoid the stagnation common in established game studios.
Call of Duty 2 vs 2 Mode | Games ReCAP Episode 024
The introduction of a 2v2 mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare represents a strategic pivot toward high-intensity, skill-based combat designed to counter the growing fatigue associated with the battle royale genre.
- The Call of Duty franchise should transition from an annual release model to a persistent, unified games-as-a-service platform to prevent user base fragmentation and mitigate development burnout.
- The introduction of a 2v2 mode in Modern Warfare serves as a strategic pivot toward high-intensity, skill-based combat to counter player fatigue with slower, loot-heavy battle royale mechanics.
- Future shooter development must shift away from simple survival and scavenging toward objective-based, tactical gameplay that integrates real-time strategy elements and complex team dynamics.
Case study: Pre-release influencer marketing campaign for Azur Games' Infinity Ops
This case study examines the efficacy of pre-release influencer marketing for mobile games, specifically focusing on the launch of the first-person shooter Infinity Ops by Azur Games.
- Azur Games' influencer campaign for Infinity Ops exceeded its one-million pre-registration goal by 30% over a 22-day period.
- Influencer marketing accounted for nearly 30% of the total pre-registration volume, demonstrating a significant long-tail effect that persisted after traditional social advertising ended.
- Approximately 32.5% of the pre-registrations generated by the campaign converted into active users following the game's official release.
Riftwalker: Jonas Plays Your Game #001
Riftwalker functions as a fast-paced 2D rogue-like shooter developed in GameMaker Studio, characterized by a highly addictive core gameplay loop and satisfying mechanical feedback.
- The game must transition from its current 30 FPS frame rate to a 60 FPS standard to ensure the fluid movement and responsiveness required for a competitive 2D rogue-like shooter.
- User interface design requires immediate improvement, specifically by adding numerical values for stat upgrades and clearer visual indicators for ability cooldowns, weapon accuracy, and fuel status.
- Boss encounters currently suffer from unfair damage spikes during level transitions that require rebalancing to improve player experience.
Double Tap
Game design functions as a sophisticated dialogue between developers and players, where the mechanics provided serve as the primary language for interaction.
- The pervasive reliance on firearm-based mechanics in game design risks desensitizing players to the gravity of violence by normalizing lethal force as a primary mode of interaction.
- Developers frequently sanitize the use of firearms by reducing complex, horrific acts to clinical, binary point-and-click interactions that prioritize predictable satisfaction over the reality of destruction.
- Transforming tactical maneuvers like the 'double tap' into standard, rewarding game mechanics reinforces a culture where lethal tools are viewed as instruments of agency rather than objects of harm.
Level Design Workshop: Singleplayer vs. Multiplayer Level Design: A Paradigm Shift
Designing effective game environments requires a fundamental shift in priorities depending on whether the experience is intended for single-player narrative exploration or competitive multiplayer engagement.
- Single-player level design focuses on immersive storytelling and guiding players through narrative beats using visual landmarks known as 'weenies'.
- Multiplayer level design prioritizes competitive integrity and movement fluidity, requiring rigorous management of sightlines to ensure fair outcomes.
- Asymmetrical layouts are preferred over strict symmetry in multiplayer design to improve map readability and player orientation.
FTUE: War Tortoise
War Tortoise, a mobile title developed by Forsaken Media, presents a unique blend of mechanics that centers on controlling a heavily armed tortoise accompanied by a ninja mouse.
- War Tortoise by Forsaken Media suffers from a poorly defined tutorial phase that fails to explain meta-game progression or long-term strategic objectives to the player.
- The game's instructional guidance is insufficient, with the tutorial remaining unclear even as the player progresses to level two, wave nine.
- While the core combat loop is immediately accessible, players remain confused regarding the specific utility of various interface icons and upgrade systems.
Asymmetric Play - Can One Game Cater to Many Playstyles? - Extra Credits
Asymmetric gameplay serves as a critical design tool for fostering cooperation and expanding the reach of multiplayer experiences.
- Strong asymmetry allows developers to bridge disparate player bases by enabling users with different genre preferences, such as RTS and action-RPG fans, to compete within the same shared game space.
- The primary barrier to strong asymmetry is the high development burden, as it effectively requires building and balancing two distinct, high-quality game experiences that must function cohesively.
- Weak asymmetry forces player cooperation by withholding specific tools from individuals, necessitating reliance on teammates and the use of non-verbal signaling mechanics to achieve objectives.
Industrial Toys talks about the Morning Star graphic novel
Industrial Toys is developing a mobile-first ecosystem centered on the sci-fi shooter Morning Star, which integrates a companion interactive graphic novel to deepen narrative engagement.
- Industrial Toys is building a mobile-first ecosystem for the sci-fi shooter 'Morning Star' that integrates an interactive graphic novel to deepen narrative engagement.
- The graphic novel is released approximately one month before the game to establish a cohesive universe and build player investment.
- Cloud-based synchronization allows player choices, item collection, and interactions within the graphic novel to automatically influence the main shooter game.