Of course, this relationship between blockbuster movies and video games is nothing new; a few decades ago, movie tie-in games for consoles were a standard part of most film marketing strategies. However, costly development cycles and poor critical reception eventually led to these largely becoming a thing of the past.

Mobile, on the other hand, is a much better fit all around for movie promotion. Mobile games have much shorter development cycles, meaning they can easily flex to shifting cinema release dates and changes in production. Plus, developers are always looking for exciting new ways to drive engagement as part of their LiveOps strategies, and a tie-in with a blockbuster film ticks all the right boxes.

To demonstrate what we mean, we’ve analyzed the biggest and best movie mobile gaming crossovers this year to show how these collaborations can positively impact downloads and revenue.

Barbie collaborations in Stumble Guys and Rec Room

This toy-turned-feminist comedy has proven to be a smash box-office hit, grossing over $1.19 billion since its global release on the 21 July. Much of that success can be attributed to the film’s mega-marketing strategy, which painted everything from clothing and merchandise to cars, consoles, and video games in delicious shades of pink.

One of the biggest Barbie gaming collaborations took place in Scopely’s Stumble Guys with a special limited-time event. Barbie Malibu Mayhem saw players racing around the unique Barbie Dream Dash map to deliver some of the doll’s favorite items in elimination rounds. Players were rewarded with Barbie Tokens for participating in the event, which could be spent in an event shop to acquire unique Barbie-themed skins and emotes.

If players didn’t want to invest time into the event and just wanted the Barbie-themed items,  they could acquire additional Barbie Tokens through limited-time bundles and ad-monetized gacha. Special challenges, such as The Barbie Dream Challenge, boosted engagement by requiring players to acquire four specific Barbie-themed skins during the event to unlock a special fifth variant, causing daily revenue to double in the US.

Meanwhile, Rec Room’s Barbie collaboration kept things simple by introducing wardrobe options based on Barbie and Ken’s outfits for players to purchase, including cowboy hats, vests, belts, and even pink guns. Items ranged from 1000–6000 Tokens, the game’s main premium currency, which players can earn through gameplay or purchase directly with IAPs.

Lily’s Garden also got in on the Barbie hype with its Pink Sale. While this wasn’t an official collaboration, it was clearly inspired by the film with in-game avatars that were reminiscent of the toy brand’s two central characters, Barbie and Ken. The sale contained two separate limited-time time offers, rewarding coins, and various boosters.

Barbie and Candy Crush Saga 

Stumble Guys wasn’t the only mobile game that Barbie turned into candy floss. Candy Crush Saga’s Barbie-themed collection event tasked players with gathering purple B-candies to reach various reward milestones. The game also reskinned its Winding Road Tour to mirror the film’s plot, with Barbie and her friends venturing into the Candy Crush Universe.

In the event, players cleared regular levels on the map to reach four Tour Stops, where the Barbie crew can find some help getting home; some stops also reward the player with boosters. If the stop has a timer, players must reach the next Tour Stop before it runs out, with the distance between the stops increasing each time.

With Barbie being such a beloved brand, it should come as no surprise that there are nearly 70 video games based on the IP across PC, mobile, and console. One game that’s still very popular in the mobile world today is  Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, which was released back in 2018 and is based on the Barbie animated series of the same name. 

Despite being unrelated to the film, Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures has seen a gradual rise in popularity in the run-up to the movie’s cinema release. Unsurprisingly, this peaked on the film’s opening weekend, when daily downloads were more than double what they were a few weeks prior, although revenue seemed largely unaffected.

Roblox also jumped on the hype with Barbie Dreamhouse Tycoon, a bespoke experience based on the film developed by Gamefam; best known for working on branded Roblox experiences such as the immensely successful Sonic the Hedgehog game. While this is a work in progress, Roblox has still managed to cash in on the excitement by launching an open beta for fans to experience while the film is in cinemas.

Marvel’s mobile cinematic universe

Comic book films have dominated cinemas for over a decade now, with Disney in particular doing a remarkable job of building their multi-billion dollar “Marvel Cinematic Universe.” That popularity has led to a surge in the number of video games licensed around the Marvel IP for consoles and mobile.

As you might expect, Marvel’s busy pipeline of constant film releases provides an excellent pool of inspiration for live events, especially for titles based entirely on the IP. Two such examples are the strategic card battler Marvel Snap and the action RPG Marvel Future Fight, which featured content to celebrate the theatrical releases of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (30 May) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (5 May).

Both films were featured similarly in Marvel Snap, headlined by a new season pass that included cards and variants based on each film’s characters. For example, by purchasing the Spider-Versus Season pass for $9.99, players could acquire the Ghost-Spider card featuring one of the film’s central protagonists. Each of these updates dramatically affected performance, causing daily revenue to more than triple at the beginning of May and June. 

Marvel Future Fight adopted a fairly similar strategy. While many of the heroes from the films were already featured in this eight-year-old RPG, they all received new costumes inspired by their respective movies. That said, the update did include one entirely new character: Spot, the main antagonist of Across the Spider-Verse. Spot could be unlocked using Biometrics, a unique resource acquired in-game or through IAP.

Of course, comic book crossovers aren’t limited to IP-based games. Between June 2 to June 18, Across the Spider-Verse swung into Free Fire with a large themed event, introducing co-branded collectibles, a movie character card collection event, and a time-limited Parkour mode featuring costumes from the film. Free Fire also hosted a special screening of the Across the Spider-Verse trailer in-game to help fans build anticipation. 

In a unique twist, Free Fire also features within the film, with an easter egg hidden in its runtime of the game’s “iconic” Cobra backpack. The event was primarily aimed at boosting user acquisition, with very little in the way of monetization, although it only boosted downloads by around 50% in the US.

Match Masters’ Collaboration with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles causes daily revenue to quadruple 

While Barbie, Spider-Verse, and Guardians of the Galaxy were especially well-represented in the mobile market, other blockbuster releases such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Masters also got a chance to shine. 

This animated flick was the basis of Match Masters’ first-ever collaboration, which tasked players with collecting pizza slices, the Turtle’s favorite snack, in the match3 game’s PvP modes. Once players collected enough slices, they reached one of many reward milestones, allowing them to progress in the TMNT-themed Boss Battle Collection event, where they would take on iconic villains from the franchise’s history. 

Multiple TMNT-themed limited-time time offers were also available during the collaboration, including progression and customizable bundles, which helped daily revenue to almost quadruple in the days following the update. The engagement was incentivized with a TMNT-themed daily log-in calendar featuring an avatar outfit skin as the main reward.

Super Mario Bros. Movie and Super Mario Run 

To celebrate the release of The Super Mario Bros Movie, Nintendo returned to its first-ever mobile game, Super Mario Run. Earlier this year, from the 20 March to the 30 May (around the time of the film’s theatrical release on 21 April), all players could permanently unlock one paid stage for free as a daily login bonus. Those who linked their Nintendo account got an even better offer, as they unlocked two paid stages each day.

It was possible to unlock up to 50% of the game for free this way. That’s a fairly generous giveaway, but the game did still experience a 200% rise in both daily revenue and downloads as a result. This waned shortly after, although it did climb again around the time of the film’s cinema release.

Other notable film-related updates included:

• Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, from DC’s The Flash, joined the mobile version of Injustice 2 on 14 June, just two days before the film’s theatrical release. Players could unlock her by purchasing the Last Daughter of Krypton pass. 
• A new strategy game based on the Transformers IP, Transformers: Tactical Arena, was released on 1 June. It was surely no coincidence that a new Transformers film, Rise of the Beasts, was due to be released in cinemas one week later.
• Fortnite has become a collaboration hotspot, and movie tie-ins are a significant part of that. Some of this year’s additions have included Optimus Prime (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). 
• Like Barbie, Roblox launched a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game to coincide with the release of Mutant Mayhem. 
• While it’s not exactly a film, characters from Amazon’s streaming series The Boys have appeared across several different video games in recent months. These include the Last Fortress: Underground on mobile, as well as Call of Duty and the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 on PC and consoles. A new season of the show, as well as a spin-off called Gen V, are due to land on Amazon Prime in the near future.  

Our tips for integrating blockbuster films into your mobile game

Collaborating with major film releases as part of your live ops strategy is an excellent way to boost engagement. Many cinemagoers will be excited about playing as their favorite film characters and may be interested in downloading your game even if it’s not their usual genre. The film’s content can also form the basis for monetizing new content, such as additional costumes, abilities, characters, and currencies. 

But before you give it a go, here are a few key things to keep in mind to ensure everything goes smoothly:

Carefully plan your timing

Timing is almost everything when it comes to collaborating with blockbuster movies. Your update must land almost parallel to the film’s theatrical release, as this is when the hype is at its peak. If it isn’t ready until several weeks later, everyone may have moved on to the next big release by the time your update lands.

Is this film right for my game?

Think carefully when choosing which blockbuster film to incorporate into your game. Ideally, your target audience should correlate with that of the film. For example, Free Fire’s adaption with Across the Spider-Verse makes sense as that game and movie both predominantly target young adults. 

How will this collaboration boost monetization?

In-game collaborations can have a dramatic impact on revenue. Limited-time costumes, characters, and other items based on fan-favorite characters can be hard to resist, so think about how these would be best integrated into your game’s economy. As we mentioned, Stumble Guys opted to run a dedicated shop with Barbie tokens, whereas Marvel Snap uses cinema hype to help drive sales of its season pass. 

If you enjoyed reading this post, here are a few more you should check out:

• Drive-Up Your Revenues with Seasonal Events
• How Mobile Game Developers Are Using In-Game Collaboration Events to Boost Player Retention
• Best Practice and Strategies for Targeted IAP Offers in Mobile Games

The post BarbieOps: How Mobile Games Are Using Blockbuster Movies to Boost Engagement appeared first on GameRefinery.

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Are there benefits to merging gaming with sleep? Find out how Pokémon Sleep stacks up against other sleep-related apps. We’ll delve into the unique features that make Pokémon Sleep a standout experience and explore how it integrates into the broader Pokémon ecosystem. But that’s not all; we’ll discuss if there could be plans to extend its reach beyond sleep and venture into the realm of promoting other healthy habits.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

Topics we will cover in this episode:

1. Introduction
2. Understanding Pokémon Sleep Gameplay
3. Comparing Pokémon Sleep to other sleep-tracking apps
4. Pokémon brand strategy and wellness focus
5. Benefits and concerns of Pokémon Sleep
6. Pokémon GO Plus device and sleep tracking
7. Market reception and future potential
8. Future possibilities for the Pokémon brand

The post Episode 48: Pikachu, I Snooze You! Mastering the Dream World With Pokémon Sleep appeared first on GameRefinery.

Of course, Pokémon isn’t the only major franchise with a growing presence in mobile. Activision capitalized on the momentum of Diablo IV’s successful launch on PC and console by adding a new update to its mobile game Diablo Immortal, which released the franchise’s first new character class in almost a decade. Players turned up in droves to try out the Blood Knight, causing a 400% increase in daily downloads on iOS. 

Monopoly GO! is still dominating the charts and continues to build engagement through its first cooperative event, Baking Partners, where players had to help each other make a cake to win various in-game rewards.

There were also a significant number of IP collaborations in the most popular mobile titles during July, mainly with films and television shows. Some of our favorite crossovers included Match Masters and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stumble Guys and Barbie, PUBG and Dragon Ball Z, and even Survivor!.io and Spongebob Squarepants. 

You can find more information about all these updates, as well as many others from across the US, China, and Japanese markets, in our July Mobile Game Market review.

US Market Overview

Following the success of its one-year anniversary update last month, a major update for Diablo Immortal added the franchise’s first new character class in almost ten years, the Blood Knight. This mid-range class specializes in polearms and combines long and ranged attacks into a hybrid combat style; it’s also capable of “feeding” on the life of its enemies to regenerate health. 

The new class can be played by creating a new character or changing an existing one using the game’s free ‘class change’ feature. Blizzard also released a special event designed to make the most of the new class, The Crimson Plane, featuring a limited-time roguelite PvE mode and a progressive reward track with an exclusive set of Blood Knight Armour. 

For now, the only way for Diablo fans to try out the Blood Knight is by playing Immortal, which resulted in a 400% spike in downloads on the day of the update. As the new class wasn’t monetized, the game didn’t experience a revenue spike similar to the month prior for its one-year anniversary.

Monopoly GO! added its first cooperative event, Baking Partners, which ran from 4–9 July and tasked players to partner up with each other and make a cake to unlock special rewards. The prizes include dice rolls, cash, stickers, and even a unique token representing the player on the board. While the event had no notable impact on downloads, daily revenue on iOS doubled around the start of the event, with the game continuing to build momentum after its conclusion as further updates are released.

In the week-long event, players had to collect a unique currency called “purple cookies” from the Monopoly board, which were spent on rolling a wheel to collect progression points for the “cake-making process.” Players and their partners unlocked special rewards once they collectively reached specific point milestones. 

July was also a big month for collaboration events, with a significant focus on popular film and television franchises. First up is Match Masters, which collaborated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to celebrate the release of the new film Mutant Madness. 

Players had to collect pizza slices from PvP modes to reach reward milestones in the Boss Battle Collection Event, allowing them to battle some of the franchise’s most iconic villains in exchange for exclusive skins and stickers. Multiple TMNT-themed limited time IAP-offers were also available during the collaboration, including progression and customizable bundles, which helped daily revenue almost quadruple in the days following the update.

Meanwhile, the Fall Guys clone, Stumble Guys, collaborated with the doll-turned-blockbuster-movie, Barbie. The Barbie Malibu Mayhem event added a unique Barbie Dream Dash map that saw players rushing around to deliver Barbie’s favorite items to various NPCs before they were eliminated. The Barbie Malibu Mayhem rewarded players with Barbie Tokens, which could be spent in an event shop to purchase exclusive Barbie-themed skins and an emote. 

Survivor!.io launched the Deepsea Survivor Event, which added Spongebob Squarepants and his neighbor Squidward as playable characters. ​To unlock Spongebob, players had to complete various sign-in tasks, while unlocking Squidward required taking part in daily battle stages. Players could also unlock Spongebob’s snail, Gary, as a new pet via IAP offers.

Finally, almost a year since it was first announced, PUBG Mobile released its long-awaited Dragon Ball Super collaboration, introducing two new modes, Dragon Ball character gachas, task events, and more.

The first new mode, Battle Royale: Dragon Ball Super, ditched almost all the traditional PUBG gameplay elements to transform the map into an anime-style battleground where players duke it out as their favorite Dragon Ball characters. The other mode, Dragon Ball Super, retains most of the core gameplay ideas but incorporates aspects of the anime, such as the ability to find Dragon Balls hidden across the map or fire an energy beam.

Other US market highlights include:

• Moonton released a new tower defense RPG called Watcher of Realms, which managed to hit the top 50 grossing. 
• Space Ape Games released an unusual match3 game themed around car restoration called Chrome Valley Customs, which has been scaling the past month towards the top grossing 100.  
• Jam City’s new puzzle RPG themed around DC Comics, DC Heroes & Villains, has struggled to break into top grossing 200, despite the popularity of characters such as Batman, Superman, and Harley Quinn.  
• After an initial strong launch, the card-collecting RPG Harry Potter: Magic Awakened has fallen radically in performance after last month’s US launch, despite performing relatively well in China. 
• Tencent finally released its extraction shooter Arena Breakout across the globe. However, despite its high production values and popularity in China for some time, it has yet to find a strong audience in other markets. 

Japan Market Overview

Following the successful release of Pokémon Go and Pokémon Smile, the Pokémon Company continued to expand its mobile ecosystem in July with the long-awaited release of Pokémon Sleep. This unique title combines sleep tracking and Pokémon collecting into one gamified wellness app. The unusual amalgamation seems to have struck a chord with mobile users, with the title ranking #1 in downloads since its launch. 

However, Pokemon Sleep didn’t achieve this all on its own. Pokémon Go also released a special themed event to celebrate the launch, Catching Some Zs, which featured an exclusive Snorlax wearing a nightcap for any player who linked a Pokémon GO Plus + (a new physical accessory used for both Pokémon Go and Pokémon Sleep) to the game. 

We’ll be discussing Pokémon Sleep in more detail soon as part of our Mobile Games Playbook podcast, as well as providing a detailed analysis on our platform.

The Dragon Ball franchise also made waves in Japan following the release of a new Ultra-tier character, Super Saiyan God SS Vegito, in Dragon Ball Legends. The character was anticipated to be a worthy challenger to the current meta and expected to dominate PvP modes, meaning many players were desperate to unlock them as soon as the update landed.

Super Saiyan God SS Vegito could only be unlocked through a step-up gacha consisting of four 10-character pulls, out of which the fourth was a free pull. To pull all four, a player needed 3,000 Chrono Crystals (worth just over $60). The actual drop rate of Super Saiyan God SS Vegito was 0.350%, which is very low, and players also required duplicate pulls to upgrade the character further.

Daily revenue spiked by more than 2000% after the character’s release.

Other Japan market highlights include:

• The realistic baseball game, MLB 9 Innings Rivals, has ranked #1 in downloads for several days and grossed between 20 and 50 for most of July. With baseball being a massively popular sport in Japan, it’s unsurprising that this new game managed to find its audience quickly.
• That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime launched its first collaboration event with the popular anime KonoSuba.
• Ensemble Stars!! Music launched a summer event with its own take on the Treasure Hunt/Hidden Temple event type.
• A new mecha RPG, Muv-Luv Dimensions, launched at #1 in the download charts and #18 grossing, but has since fallen down the ranks.

China market highlights include:

• Justice Mobile (逆水寒) is the mobile version of NetEase’s “flagship MMORPG” Justice Online, with high production values and a Chinese fantasy art style. It is currently ranking around top-grossing #3 and DL #2.
• Crystal of Atlan (晶核) is an anime cel-shading-style action RPG with flashy graphics and classic sword-swinging gameplay. The game describes itself as having an “aetherpunk” theme; a mix of magic and technology. The game has been hovering in the top five top-grossing and top 15 downloads.
• I’m Really Awesome At Martial Arts Competitions (我比武特牛) is a hybrid game with a hyper-casual beat-‘em-up style core and Archero style meta that has made it to the top-grossing ranks. The game currently ranks in the top-grossing 70-80 and the top 15 in downloads.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review July 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.

The halfway point of the year was a major milestone for several other popular games too, including Diablo Immortal, which celebrated its first anniversary by collaborating with Diablo 4. Harry Potter: Magic Awakened finally made its way over to the US and Japan after a strong reception in China, with initial figures suggesting a strong launch. It remains to be seen how the game will fare long-term, especially given that the game has been on a slow decline in China following its solid opening period.

Fans of IP-based games got plenty of treats, too. Marvel Snap added a new game mode for the first time since its launch last October, while Dragon Ball Legends celebrated iconic characters old and new with a five-year anniversary event which caused daily revenue to spike by almost 500% on iOS.

You can find more information about these games and updates, as well as many others from across the US, China, and Japanese markets, in our June Mobile Game Market review.

US Market Overview

Almost eight months after its full release, Marvel Snap added its first new game mode. Conquest lets players face off in a ruthless single-elimination tournament where they climb tiers by beating their opponents one at a time. If you lose to even one opponent, your run ends. Players who complete their conquest will earn medals, which can be spent in a new in-game store featuring various resources and rewards. Players can claim an exclusive card after they’ve bought nine items.

Conquest mode is split into four increasingly difficult tiers: Proving Grounds, Silver Conquest, Gold Conquest, and Infinity Conquest. The higher tiers provide better rewards but demand players build a longer win streak. Only the Proving Grounds are free to enter; the others require a specific Entrance Ticket or Gold for admission. Entrance Tickets can be acquired by winning the Proving Grounds Conquest or from the Medal Shop.

The highest-tier conquest, Infinity Conquest, is only available during the final week of the four-week conquest season. Players who win the Infinity Conquest get an Infinity-framed copy of the avatar they used when they won.

Candy Crush Soda Saga introduced tiers to its latest battle pass iteration, highlighting the growing focus from studios on the diversification of battle passes as a monetization mechanic. The Rewards Pass gives players three options to personalize their experience: the Big Pass, Medium Pass and Small Pass.

Players with limited time can choose a smaller pass that won’t take as long to progress through, while more dedicated players can opt for a larger pass that is more demanding but provides better rewards. These players can take this even further by purchasing an additional reward track for the pass, earning premium currency and boosters.

Royal Match put a new spin on the match3 genre with its Hidden Temple event, which saw players using pickaxes to dig out gems from grids. After finding all the gems in a grid, players are rewarded with a gift package (containing boosters, collections cards and coins), and are invited to take on a larger, tougher grid. Players can obtain pickaxes by completing levels or grabbing them through an IAP bundle.

Pride Month takes place in June, and there are plenty of examples of mobile games celebrating Pride with special events. One of the highlights is League of Legends: Wild Rift, whose free Pride event was split into two simple halves.

Players first had to complete a single match to win some Pride-themed decorative items, including rainbow footsteps. The second part saw players completing ten more games to win Pride emotes; all they had to do was wear their Pride decorative items as they took part, encouraging players to show their support for Pride by simply playing the game.

June also marked the start of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in the UK. Similar to how mobile games embraced the World Cup last year, several mobile games got into the sporting spirit by hosting events inspired by Wimbledon. These included Fortnite’s Race to Wimbledon, which sees players racing through London to reach Wimbledon, and a “Wimbleworld experience” in Roblox which has been visited more than 12 million times.

Tennis Clash has also launched a new season to coincide with the event, featuring a unique match kit players can use on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

Last but not least, Diablo Immortal celebrated the hugely successful launch of Diablo 4 on PC and consoles, as well as its one-year anniversary, with a special crossover event consisting of a series of events.

The Merciless Monstrosity event had players teaming up against a world boss from Diablo 4, while the Dread Pilgrimage event consisted of several tasks, revealing an upcoming new class. The monetized content included exclusive Lilith-themed cosmetics and items through the Battle Pass, limited-time special gacha, and limited-time offers – including a subscription deal. The first anniversary celebrations of Diablo Immortal also started with events such as Justinian’s Favor. Combined, these events caused daily revenue and downloads in the mobile game to spike by over 500% on iOS (US).

Interesting top-200 grossing entrants on the market

• Wizarding fans in the US (and Japan) finally got their hands on Harry Potter: Magic Awakened at the end of June, which has been thriving in China for quite some time. The title has ranked high in the download charts (top three in the US) and is steadily rising to become of the highest-grossing titles on the market. The IP-based game combines MMO and RPG elements with a card-based Tactical Battler core gameplay.
• Chrome Valley Customs, a unique car-themed match3 decorating game from Space Ape, launched onto the market last month and has been slowly scaling in revenue, hovering around at the time of writing around 130 in the top grossing charts. It is currently one of the top 20 most downloaded games in the US.
• While not a new title on the market, Monopoly GO has cemented its pole position, consistently ranking as the most downloaded mobile game since launching three months ago.

China Market Overview

The panda-themed match3 puzzle game, Anipop(开心消消乐), added a new event, Medal of Honour Book, that saw players completing select tasks (such as completing levels a specific number of times, or with a particular grade) to acquire album stars. Players highly lauded these stars as they determined the likelihood of a player being selected to win real-life prizes, including an educational science experience at the Panda National Park.

During the event, players could also obtain a special currency known as “material items” used in an exclusive event shop to redeem in-game decorative items and other real-life prizes – including soft toys and clothing.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• A new realistic driving game from NetEase, 巅峰极速 (Racing Master), is currently ranking fourth in revenue and downloads at the time of publication.
• The third-person shooter game T3 Arena (火力苏打) was published in China last month. It holds a top grossing 142 position, although it initially hit the top 50.

Japan Market Overview

Dragon Ball Legends celebrated its fifth anniversary by releasing a ton of new content, alongside the rerelease of older (but popular) content, to keep players engaged. For example, the update featured a new tag-team character, Goku and Final Form Frieza, acquired through gacha. It also featured four additional anniversary-themed gacha, which brought back some of the most popular and powerful characters released over the past five years.

Unlocking these gacha requires gacha tickets acquired through the main playable story event, A Miraculous Alliance: An Unbelievable Final Bout. The mode, featuring Goku and Final Form Frieza, sees players progressing through levels defeating various enemies to earn exclusive equipment items and anniversary currency, 5th Anniversary Medals. These medals can be used in an event shop that sells gacha tickets and other rewards.

With June marking the start of Japan’s Bride season, some of the highest-grossing mobile games launched events to celebrate. Uma Musume: Pretty Derby added a new story event that saw players helping a fashion designer in a slump to find her inspiration to create wedding dress-racing outfits for the Beauty Dream Cup. The event also introduced wedding dress-clad characters obtained from limited-time gachas.

Similarly, That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime launched a wedding-themed story event, which included two characters in wedding attire that could be collected by completing Panel Missions and collection milestones. The game also added two gachas featuring three characters in wedding dresses, with two of the characters gaining extra benefits when used as part of a team in the story event.

Puzzle & Dragons added a limited-time gacha highlighting characters dressed in wedding attire. It also introduced special bride-themed dungeons for players to explore and several IAP bundles with bridal gacha freebies.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• A new TBRPG title from the popular Square Enix series, DragonQuest Champions, has stayed within the top 50 since its launch on 12 June.
• Based on a popular anime series, Laid-Back Camp All-in-one!! is a casual 3D anime-style game which focuses on crafting and decorating a campsite, and interaction between chibi characters from the anime. It got off to a strong start after its launch on 15 June but has steadily declined.
• A new survival shooter from Level Infinite, Undawn, launched globally with different ID’s on 13 June. It has not been as successful elsewhere, but has since launch mostly stayed in the top 100 grossing in the JP market.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review June 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.

These race events are mostly encountered in casual titles, although they work well for any games that function on level-based progression mechanics. Match3 puzzle games are probably the most visible genre to utilize race events, with 43% of the match3 titles in the US top grossing 200, including them in their event rotations. Still, race events are a flexible event type that can easily be adapted to work for other genres as well by adjusting the goal objective to suit the game.

In this blog post, we’ll take a deep dive into the LiveOps calendars of the top-performing casual games to explore some of the most common types of race events. We’ll also highlight some of the unique features developers have implemented to make their events stand out from the competition. 

The most common race events in casual games

The classic race event archetype often seen in casual titles takes the shape of a simple rewarded level-based race between a group of players. These groups are usually matched up so that everyone is on the same starting level in their core gameplay progression. Players will compete to see who can reach a designated level or clear a set amount of levels first, with the top three players reaching the goal first usually being crowned winners and rewarded for their efforts.

The number of levels to beat can range from ten to 20 levels per competition. One of the characteristics of these events is that, aside from the natural sense of urgency that arises from the competitive nature of a race, no further time limits are usually enforced. This means that in most cases, one instance can last for as long as it takes for someone to win, and once the winners are clear, the race ends. Race events are most commonly active for a few days at a time, during which several races can be initiated.

Generally, race events are not monetized. However, they can indirectly boost revenue as participating players may spend more on the game while the event is active to get an edge against the competition. For example, looking at match3 games, the rush to beat other players can serve as a powerful incentive to use in-game currencies to purchase more moves, lives, or boosters.

Phased race events 

Some games have taken this basic race event template a step further by implementing a ‘phase’ system, meaning that the race event comprises of more than one race. Normally, this will add around three additional phases of racing for those who perform best in the first race. In the subsequent phases, the number of levels to beat (as well as any other objective requirements) will increase along with the racing rewards.

The Flower Climb race event in Lily’s Garden is a great example of the classic phase system in race events. In The Flower Climb, players race to complete a designated amount of the core blast match3 levels before anyone else in their group. In each phase, the top three to finish the race are rewarded and can move on to the next phase, which offers even better rewards but also requires the players to clear a larger amount of levels to win. 

How mobile games are experimenting with new types of race events 

Level racing might be the most common way to implement race events in level-based casual games, but it’s certainly not the only way. The core idea of seeing who can reach a set goal first opens up a number of possibilities for what that goal might be, depending on the game.

For example, some events have their own unique point systems implemented just for the event, with players racing to gather a set amount of points in order to win. Or, like in match3 games, players can be tasked with activating designated booster items in gameplay that can twist up the gameplay to freshen up the racing experience.

By any means, race events are not restricted to the Match3 space; there are many great examples of casual games from other fields implementing this type of event to add some extra flair to their LiveOps strategies. However, when it comes to games that don’t have straightforward level-based progression mechanics, developers have had to find creative workarounds that switch up the goal of the race to make things work. You can find examples of these below: 

Gossip Harbor®: Merge & Story’s Ziva’s Gold Rush event 

Ziva’s Goldrush in Gossip Harbor®: Merge & Story shows how race events can be implemented in a merge-2 setting by simply adjusting the goal type for the event. Here, the goal has been set as a specified amount of gold. Each player in the five-player race can obtain gold by normally merging items and completing orders in their own merge-2 progression. The top three players in each race get rewarded, and the best players get moved up to the next race with bigger stakes.

Phase 10: World Tour’s Kayak Event 

The casual card game Phase 10: World Tour implemented its own racing event in December 2022. In the event, players could engage in a five-person kayak race with the goal of playing a set amount of special Black Power-Up cards in normal Journey Mode matches. As the Power-Up cards are very rarely pulled from the deck, this event had a pay-to-win angle to it where purchasing Power-Ups was heavily incentivized. The Kayak race also had its own division phase system, where the top three players of each race moved up to a higher division.

World of Wonders: Crossword’s Hot-Air Balloon Race 

Words of Wonders: Crossword found a way to add excitement to word puzzles with their own version of a race event, the Hot-Air Balloon Race. The Hot-Air Balloon Race is essentially a point-gathering competition, where the player who obtains the target amount of points the fastest wins the race. During the event, players could obtain a random amount of event points by playing main progression levels in the core gameplay. The top three players to reach the goal are rewarded in this event.

How to add a unique twist to your own racing events 

Race events with phases and varying goal types are definitely a trusted, go-to event type in the casual space, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for further innovation and improvement. Some developers have added extra mechanics to their race events to keep things fresh and rewarding.

Combine level racing with win-streak mechanics 

An especially interesting example is the combination of level racing and win-streak mechanics, which we have spotted in a few match3 games so far. A great example of this event type is Royal Match’s Space Mission event, which takes the classic level race format and adds a win streak twist and a phase system to it. This means that in order to reach the goal and win the race, not only do the participating players need to clear the set amount of levels before others, they need to do it while carrying on a winning streak.

In the case of Space Mission, the number of levels that players need to clear in a streak goes up in every phase of the race, along with the rewards. For an added sense of competition, the group of players in each phase gets smaller, which means that the first phase has three levels to clear for a group of five players, the second phase has five levels to clear for four players, and the third phase requires the winner to clear seven levels in a group of three players.

Notably, adding win streak mechanics to a race event offers can offer more excitement to players while also making the races more challenging. The extra pressure on players could encourage them to use boosters and currencies to beat the levels, incentivizing monetization. Then again, win streak mechanics do add a whole other level of excitement and sense of danger to the race. 

This combination has been gaining traction lately, with similar events very recently popping up in Fishdom (Sailing Regatta), Triple Match 3D (Island Race), and BTS Island: In the SEOM (Kore Race) as well. With the added difficulty and a clearer pay-to-win angle, it will be interesting to see how popular this event type gets.

Integrating in-game cosmetic items into race events 

Another fun twist we’ve seen implemented in race events is the use of in-game cosmetic items and pets to highlight the players’ personalities during the race. Race events are a social experience, after all, so it makes sense to let players show off their customized look if the game supports cosmetic implementation. Simple customization could also be done just by letting players choose a signifier for themselves for the race, such as a certain color car or a boat, for instance.

A good example of this type of twist in race events is Cooking Diary’s Pet Race. In Cooking Diary, players can customize their own avatars with a variety of clothes, accessories, and hairstyles, as well as their in-game pets. That look can then be shown off during the Pet Race events, where each player’s pet will represent them in the traditional level race. 

Not only is this level of support for in-game cosmetic items a great way for players to express themselves more during events by showing off their favorite items, but it’s a great way of creating more monetization channels for your game, too.

Separate reward systems for race events

Another common characteristic of race events is that only the top players are rewarded, and players only have one shot to get any kind of reward for their participation. There’s a risk of frustrating players, especially in games that have upwards of ten levels to beat, who might feel they’ve wasted their time if they don’t end up at the top of the leaderboard.

Matchington Mansion has resolved this issue by adding a separate reward system to their race event, the Matchington Derby. In essence, Matchington Derby is a three-phase race event that also implements a one-hour timer for the racing instance. The top three players are still rewarded with the biggest prize pots as usual, but the twist here lies in that every player who manages to cross the finish line before the timer runs out is rewarded with separate points that cumulate over each participated race.

The top three players naturally get more points, but once the event ends, separate rewards are given out based on how many points players were able to gather, ensuring everyone feels rewarded for their participation which encourages higher player retention as a result.

Considering implementing race events into your own mobile game? 

Race events are most commonly used in match3 games but are easily adapted to work for other casual games by changing the goal objective. If you’re interested in implementing race events into your LiveOps calendar, here are some of the benefits of doing so: 

• Add structure to your LiveOps calendar: Race events typically occur every week, which can help you create a more streamlined LiveOps calendar while also letting your players know when to return for updates. 
• Increased session length: The competitive nature of race events means they commit to races 
• Increased monetization: Some race events can utilize in-game purchases so players can customize the appearance of their racing characters with cosmetic items or give themselves a boost with power-ups 
• Increased downloads: Adding a racing mode into your game is an easy way of introducing new gameplay mechanics that can attract new players

GameRefinery’s Live Events Tracker enables developers to stay on top of the latest trends and best practices in live events with daily analysis of event categories in the top-performing casual games (as well as midcore games). Race events are just one of over 30 event categories tracked in the Live Events Tracker tool.

The Live Events Tracker makes it easy to pinpoint new events as soon as they appear, check which days are the most popular to hold live events and estimate the revenue impact of events with reference to how similar events have been implemented in other games.

So, if you’re looking for advice on how to incorporate race events into your own LiveOps strategy, or you’re simply looking for inspiration on which live events have the most demonstrable impact on downloads and revenue across the top-performing casual games, contact us for a demo of our Live Events Tracker tool.

If you enjoyed reading this post, here are a few more you should definitely check out:

• Supercharge LiveOps With GameRefinery Event Tracking
• Episode 46: Unveiling the Top 3 Mobile Game Studio Secrets for Engaging Live Events
• Liftoff’s 2023 Casual Gaming Apps Report

The post [Event Spotlight] How Mobile Game Developers Are Driving Player Engagement With Race Events appeared first on GameRefinery.

It wasn’t the only title to rethink its monetization either, with Brawl Stars taking a different approach. After removing its gacha earlier this year, Supercell’s title overhauled its in-game store so players could purchase almost any skin, pin, spray, or avatar from one unified shop. Meanwhile, GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE celebrated its six-month anniversary with the narrative-driven ‘OverZone’ event, which allowed players to delve deeper into the story behind the apocalypse.

May was also an interesting month for new releases, with two massive titles struggling to hit the ground running. Niantic’s latest follow-up to its prolific Pokémon Go, Peridot, dropped out of the highest-grossing titles almost as quickly as it arrived. While the newest game from the creators of Galaxy of Heroes, Lord of the Rings: Heroes of the Middle-Earth, has struggled to find users despite being based on a colossal fantasy IP.

You can find more information about these games and updates, as well as many others from across the US, China, and Japanese markets, in the bulletin below.

US Market Overview

League of Legends: Wild Rift significantly changed its cosmetic item monetization model by introducing permanent purchasable gachas for the first time. The gacha, known as Hextech Chests, uses a unique skin shard crafting system. You can read more about it in our update breakdown.

The update, which also launched a new Wild Pass season, has caused the third-highest revenue spike in the game’s history. Not that this wasn’t expected; Hextech Chests had already demonstrated their financial might after being introduced to Wild Rift’s China version last year, where they’ve been performing exceptionally well.

Given some of the recent challenges facing gacha, some mobile games have been attempting to step away from these mechanics altogether, so it was interesting to see such a prominent title doubling down on gacha monetization now. With that in mind, we’ll be closely monitoring the global version’s baseline revenue performance to see how it develops under this new model.

Love & Pies added a new store, the Heart Shop, where players can purchase items by spending Hearts. This new currency is collected by playing any in-game event, enabling the new store to engage players more than any single event could collectively. Heart Shop has three categories of items available for purchase: daily changing items, weekly changing items, and permanent items (for example, unique decorative buildings for the map area).

State of Survival added a new T-Rex Behemoth to the game to join the existing Mk1 Behemoth (Gorilla). Behemoths are characters similar to the heroes who can be assigned to join troop marches to assist in 4X battles. 

Many events were held to celebrate the addition, including one that introduced an innovative Survivor!.io-type game mode, Behemoth Trials. In this mode, players could choose one of the two behemoths to take into a timed survival battle to fight hordes of infected. As the Behemoths leveled up, players developed a unique skill set by selecting from three random abilities, including attack and support skills. The mode also featured a battle pass and an upgradable boost system.

Other notable updates included Merge Mansion launching its first-ever competitive event, The Great Bake Off, which features a special limited-time merge area. Clash of Clans meanwhile reworked its Builder Base, adding a secondary buildable area alongside a brand-new multi-stage attack system to replace its Versus Battle mode.

Let’s not forget Brawl Stars, which overhauled its in-game store to feature more cosmetics. Initially, the game only offered a small selection of skins that changed each day, whereas under the new catalog system, players can purchase almost any skin, pin, spray, or avatar they want from one unified shop using a new cosmetic currency, Bling.

Interesting top-200 grossing entrants on the market

• Niantic pursued their next Pokemon Go-level hit with the launch of another AR/location-based game, Peridot, which quickly visited the top 200 at launch on 8 May but dropped out shortly after. It currently hovers between the top 200-300 grossing.
• Lord of the Rings: Heroes of the Middle-Earth is a new character collector turn-based RPG from the team behind EA’s Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, with largely similar mechanics. Despite being based on an equally popular IP, the title is struggling to make the same impact as its predecessor, with low downloads and slow financial performance. It currently rests around the top 200 grossing.

• Dreamdale – Fairy Adventure is yet another title to demonstrate the power of hybridization. This hybrid casual game has been scaling since mid-April. It briefly visited the top 200 last month after significantly adding to its IAP offerings with new monetization systems, such as a Battle Pass and Diablo Immortal-esque engagement gachas. 

China Market Overview

Games from various genres have introduced new minigames and modes which feature match3 mechanics, but few have executed this as seamlessly as Tower of Fantasy (幻塔) has with its Tiles of Qinge event. This mode feels like a more natural inclusion by using the same aiming mechanics as its core gameplay loop.

In the event mode, four players go head-to-head to take on a huge match3 tile wall with their bow and try to clear it as fast as possible to collect the most points.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• Torchlight Infinite (火炬之光：无限) is an Action RPG by X.D. Network Inc. The game is currently in the top 50 grossing and 17th in the downloads list.

Japan Market Overview

GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE celebrated its half-anniversary with a large-scale event, OverZone, that tells the dark story of the desperate final days before the apocalypse. It includes a new explorable area, story and battle levels, a battle pass, missions, login rewards, and an exclusive shop.

The event also included an interactive text-based adventure minigame, White Memory, that ​sees players reliving the memories of a fairytale-inspired NIKKE, Snow White, who has been wandering the surface. Players can make various decisions as they play to branch off the narrative and discover different endings, unlocking additional rewards for use in the main game.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• Black Clover Mobile (ブラッククローバーモバイル) is the latest high-quality RPG for mobile that is based on highly popular anime IP. The has been the top one in the downloads list since launch and in the top 15-30 in the top-grossing list.
• Aether Gazer is a high-quality visual anime action RPG, similar to Genshin Impact and Honkai by Yostar. The game peaked at the top 21 grossing.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review May 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.

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In the wake of Apple’s groundbreaking App Tracking Transparency framework, it has become more important than ever for game developers to retain their players and find new ways to generate income. Join us as we unravel the remarkable advantages of leveraging live events to captivate players, designing successful events and how to use analytics to enhance your LiveOps strategy effectively.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

Topics we will cover in this episode:

1. Introduction
2. Understanding the App Tracking Transparency framework
3. Categorizing Live Events
4. Core Loop Supporting Events
5. Leaderboard Competitions and Boost Events
6. Managing Live Events for Optimal Results
7. How can game developers benefit from Live Events Tracker?

The post Episode 46: Unveiling the Top 3 Mobile Game Studio Secrets for Engaging Live Events appeared first on GameRefinery.

One of April’s biggest updates was in Marvel Strike Force, the latest in a long line of titles to add a new premium currency that can be purchased from an external web store at lower prices than the iOS App Store – all in an effort to bypass its fees. It’s no coincidence this follows the ruling of the Apple v Epic legal battle, which included an injunction that prevents Apple from intervening when developers include buttons and links to ‘external purchasing mechanisms.’

Supercell’s tactical battler Clash Royale also released a huge update that completely overhauled both its live events and battle pass systems for the first time in years. While over in Japan, Jantama (雀魂 -じゃんたま-) rocketed to the top of the charts following a collaboration with the popular anime IP Code Geass for its fourth anniversary. Meanwhile, Lily’s Garden, Free Fire, Fishdom, and Sky Fortress all added hybrid elements to engage new players.

You’ll find more information on these updates below, as well as plenty of other interesting updates, releases, and top-grossing entrants from across the US, China, and Japan mobile markets. 

US Market Overview

Marvel Strike Force introduced a new premium currency called Ultra Core which functions in a similar way to real-world currency and can be used to purchase all IAP offers. Ultra Cores can also be used to purchase the game’s main premium currency, Power Cores. These are used to purchase items, open gachas, and acquire other goods in the game.

Ultra Cores can be bought directly from the in-game store or Scopely’s external web store at a lower cost. Scopely is just one of the many studios incentivizing players to make out-of-game purchases to bypass App Store fees, and we suspect many more will soon follow in the wake of Apple and Epic’s legal battle (check out our separate blog on this for more information).

Marvel Strike Force also introduced one-time IAP offers called Time Heist bundles, which slightly boosted the game’s revenue. By purchasing the bundles, players could instantly jump to their desired level while having all other benefits, such as progression and character upgrades.

Clash Royale transformed its event-based systems with the introduction of seasons, which now determine the content of the battle pass and the overall theme for each month.

A big part of this is the new Season Shop, where players can buy cards, coins, wildcards, unique emotes, and banners using a new currency called Season Tokens. At the start of each new season, tokens are reset, and the shop is restocked with new wares. Season Tokens are earned by playing one of several new Season Event modes, as well as from basic party 1v1, 2v2 modes, and Season Pass rewards. Players can earn up to 1000 Tokens per day but can spend gems to double the Daily Cap.

Clash Royale also overhauled its battle pass to combine the separate reward tracks into one succinct progression system, comprising of three separate layers with two purchase options: free, gold ($5.99), and diamond ($11.99). Players still progress using Crowns earned from matches, but they now accumulate additional Crowns for each tower left standing at the end of the match, even if they lose, making it far easier to progress. This accelerated progression has resulted in the number of tiers being expanded from 35 per season to over 121.

We talked about the rise of hybridization across the mobile market in our recent blog. That trend seems to be showing no signs of slowing down, with a number of high-grossing games introducing hybrid elements during April across both casual and midcore, including match3’s Lily’s Garden, Fishdom, and the shooter battle royale Free Fire. 

Lily’s Garden hopped away from the usual garden and home renovating to character makeovers with a Makeover Time event. This featured mechanics similar to Project Makeover.

Fishdom is the latest Playrix game to bring in its own merge event. Deep-Sea Adventures is similar to the other merge modes we’ve seen but with an aquatic theme. The event uses the aquarium decoration system by adding event-exclusive decorations to the reward ladder.

Free Fire ran a summery Beach Breeze-themed event that introduced a Pet Smash minigame mode reminiscent of Brawl Stars. Interestingly, players control the game’s pets instead of hero characters, highlighting the pet collection meta element.

Interesting top-200 grossing entrants on the market

The creators of Genshin Impact, MiHoYo, launched a new turn-based RPG called Honkai: Star Rail, featuring incredibly high production values, open-world exploration, and similar proven meta elements and gacha monetization model to Genshin Impact. Within just two days of launching, the game was downloaded more than 20 million times worldwide, reaching 1st rank in the downloads list and top-grossing rank 3 in the US, as well as being a massive success in other major markets, such as China and Japan. According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, the game broke records by reaching the number one spot on the iOS game download chart in more countries than any game that has come before.

Our analyst team has been tracking the game’s LiveOps from the launch, and the data is already available in our Live Events Tracker.

Scopely released a new game based on the internationally-recognized board game Monopoly that peaked in the top-25 grossing. In Monopoly GO!, players roll dice to move around the board to earn money that can be spent on building decorative buildings so they can move from map to map. The gameplay loop closely resembles Coin Master, except with a Monopoly board instead of slots. 

China Market Overview

Over in China, one game gathering attention from players and developers alike is the recently-released A House in the far end of Shangri-la”/Taoyuan Shenchu You Renjia (桃源深处有人家).
This classic farming tycoon game is spiced up with a generous dose of interactive storytelling with NPC relationships and minigames. The game is set in a relaxed, mountainous region cut off from the rest of the world in a fantasy version of ancient China. The game features cartoon-style graphics in a classical Chinese watercolor painting background. The laid-back atmosphere combined with relaxing countryside visuals and traditional food has likely proved appealing to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for some form of escapism.

Shoot ‘em Up Sky Fortress (空之要塞) demonstrated another example of hybridization with the introduction of a synchronous multiplayer quiz mode, where 20 players are matched together and must answer the questions by running into answer zone A or B. Players who answer wrong are eliminated via a trapdoor, while those that manage to answer 15 questions correctly are crowned the winner(s). There is also a task system that includes different pre-existing social currencies as rewards.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• A shoot ’em up based on SNK’s classic arcade franchise, Metal Slug: Awakening (合金弹头：觉醒), remains stable at #2 on the grossing charts.
• A new hybrid subgenre entered the market with the release of anime dating card battler Crazy Ones (奇点时代), which peaked at #31 grossing.

Japan Market Overview

Blue Archive (ブルーアーカイブ) added a brand new Archero-type minigame mode to complement its latest story event.

To enter the minigame, tickets must first be earned from the story event itself. Players can choose between two characters to take into battle once per day, with two difficulty levels to select. Each run is a maximum of ten levels long and will end if the character dies. During the run, players can periodically choose one of three skills to help them in battle.

PvP mahjong game Jantama (雀魂 -じゃんたま-) rocketed to the top of the charts after collaborating with the popular anime IP Code Geass to celebrate its fourth anniversary.

The event, entitled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, included a special mahjong mode to play alongside missions, point collection rewards, and new collaborative story content. Code Geass characters were featured in gachas, along with new effects and decoratives to customize mahjong games with. Collaboration character skins were also available in the shop during the event.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• A new 2D Idle-RPG Dark Tales (ダークテイルズ) featuring evil versions of fairytale princesses launched on April 10 and spent almost the entire month in the top 10 highest-grossing titles.
• A new cross-platform sci-fi survival game, Earth: Revival (アース：リバイバル), launched on April 18 and quickly entered the top 50 grossing.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review April 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.