Drawing on GameRefinery’s and Liftoff’s expertise in game design, monetization, and UA trends, the conversation explores how Township has developed across multiple eras. The episode highlights how the game combines a tycoon-style front end with a match3 system, reflecting a shift in how different gameplay layers contribute to user acquisition and monetization.

The discussion also looks at Township’s UA strategy over the years, including how Playrix has adapted its creative approach, from hyper-casual-inspired concepts to more recent iterations, and how these shifts connect to the game’s broader development.

If you’re thinking about long-term game evolution, creative strategy, or the relationship between UA and monetization, this episode offers plenty to explore.

Listen to the full episode:

Looking for more insights like these? Get in touch with the GameRefinery team to learn how we can support your game strategy.

The post How Playrix turned Township into a $45M/month engine: A Two & a Half Gamers episode with GameRefinery appeared first on GameRefinery.

As a mature mobile game, Hero Wars achieved its success through a dynamic and expanding live event strategy, continuous iteration on core features, and the introduction of diverse monetization events and strategic collaborations to keep players engaged and spending.

Although Hero Wars is technically a mature game, the developers have found a way to increase revenue and DAU over successive periods. For example, we can see a spike in DAU from August 2024 to June 2025, making it a game we can learn from.

“GameRefinery’s Live Event Tracker has become a cornerstone of how we approach LiveOps and event design. Beyond just monitoring competitor activity, it’s enabled our teams to identify and implement event and competition formats that are highly relevant to our product—with a measurable positive impact on key product metrics. Thanks to this level of actionable insight, we’ve been able to align with emerging trends early, making sure we don’t miss out on critical market shifts. More importantly, the tool has been instrumental in helping us shape a long-term LiveOps strategy grounded in competitive data rather than assumptions.”

Aleksandr Sveikovskii
LiveOps Product Owner, Nexters

Hacking the Live Event Calendar for Growth

A key strategic initiative behind the success of Hero Wars is the expansion of its live event calendar.

Looking closely, we see that the overall event calendar expanded across various categories, but the key driver of growth is a significant increase in monetization-focused events.

The Monetization category in the Live Events Calendar also lists many more different IAP bundles and offers for players to purchase.

Battle Pass Feature Is a Top Revenue Driver

In particular, the Battle Pass feature has been crucial for Hero Wars. Battle Pass is a season-based monetization mechanic in which players can obtain rewards by progressing through different thresholds in the plan. They proved particularly effective during the event’s concluding days, driving revenue spikes as players strived to reap final rewards.

The game’s Battle Pass feature has also evolved through three iterations (Hero’s Way, Hero’s Way 2.0 & Hero’s Way 3.0), underscoring the critical role of continuous improvement.

Finally, Hero Wars expanded its Battle Pass offerings in September 2024 by introducing the ‘Season Pass’ alongside Hero’s Way 3.0. This ‘Season Pass’ repurposes the Hero’s Way 2.0 framework, doubling the active Battle Pass opportunities.

From Lara Croft to Titan Power: Hero Wars’s Expanding Event Horizon

The collaboration with Lara Croft in May 2024

IP collaborations are increasingly popular within the gaming industry, making thematic cohesion even more crucial. Strategic partnerships with recognizable IPs can help build structured events and streamline content delivery. This, in turn, can lead to significant reductions in player acquisition costs.

In May 2024, Hero Wars brought its first-ever collaboration event featuring the famous adventurer Lara Croft. This unique crossover created an adventure-themed ”Tomb Raider” atmosphere.

The Lara Croft-led event, The Mystery of Dominion,  featured different events and offers that made varied use of the theme:

• The Mystery of Dominion (adventure)
• Solo Missions
• Doppelganger Skin Offer
• Lara Croft in Dominion Bundles
• Lara Croft’s Artifact Bundle
• Unique offer

In the event, the player must progress in the adventure to gain access to different items. Some levels require the player to play a minigame to defeat their enemies, find the exit, and collect rewards from that level. This minigame “style” is also used in user acquisition videos and payables.

Players who participate in the Solo Mission event can also acquire event currency to buy items in the shop. An interesting observation from GameRefinery’s Live Events calendar was Hero Wars’ introduction of a pre-order bundle for Lara Croft that allowed for early acquisition. This strategic offer culminated caused revenue to surge on its closing day.

Racking up wins with Legends Draft

Legends Draft was introduced in August 2024 as an overarching event that boosts the number of events in the game. Played in permanent PVP mode, the event lets the players build teams with a draft mechanic to battle against other players’ teams. Winners rise in the ranking and receive rewards.

In the event, each player chooses a team of five heroes to combat against other players’ teams in fully automated mode. Players need Draft Coins to compete, and these restore up to five coins automatically. You can also use Emeralds (Premium currency) to buy more.

You choose two teams: one for defense and one for offense. The teams will be made with a draft mechanic, where you have three choices of Heroes, and you need to pick one of the three. This will be done five times for each team until both teams have five. You and your opponent choose at the same time a defense team, then an attacking team. Your attacking team will battle against the opponent’s defense team, and vice versa.

Winning your battle will add to your win streak, and you will be rewarded once per day. Each players gets one Win Streak Shield to save their win streak from resetting in the case of a loss—but you can also acquire up to three daily with Emeralds (premium currency). Naturally, the more points from each victory, the higher the streak.

The Tournament of Titan Power!

Hero Wars has long featured a Tournament of Power, which focuses on leveling up your Heroes. But for the first time in October 2024, players could compete by leveling up their Titans in The Tournament of Titan Power. The first solo tournament focused on Titans, it also contributes to the increase in the number of events on the Hero Wars calendar.

For newcomers to the game, Titans are another form of characters, such as Heroes, generally obtained through PVE mode by getting shards or from Gachas. Titans differ from the Heroes as they are locked behind Guild mechanics, meaning they are only available if you’re in a guild, and if you happen to transfer or leave a guild, the Titans remain locked until you join a new guild. Players attempting to access this feature prior to joining a guild are directed to the guild application portal.

Getting points in the tournament is simple: you have to upgrade the power levels of your titan characters, and your tournament score equals the power increase of all your titans. There are four different stages with different rewards that unlock when you get enough tournament points. These refresh daily. Rewards include Titian Skin Stones, Titan Potions, and Elemental or Summoning Spheres.

The main rewards for the winner include Fairy Dust, Titan Potions, and an Avatar. The event lasts 3 to 5 days and recurs at intervals ranging from 19 days to 1.5 months.

New Event Type: Seer’s Game

One example of a monetization-related event we discussed is Seer’s Game, a Russian roulette-style event introduced in March 2025 as a new event type. In the event, players test their luck to win resources and prizes. They participate by drawing cards, each round offering a chance to win rewards or encounter a cursed card that ends the round.

To win prizes and advance to the next round, the player must choose a card from two to four options. There are 30 rounds in the game, and each attempt costs 25 Seer’s Orbs. The orbs can be obtained from tasks or bundles. In each round, one card is cursed and will end the round if chosen. Players can continue by using more orbs, and the cost increases with each purchase. Some rounds have no cursed cards, indicated by a special mark. Rewards accumulate as players progress through rounds.

Tower 2.0: revamping a popular event

Tower 2.0, which is a Permanent PVE Mode, was revamped in January 2025. It’s a daily event where the player aims to get to the top of the tower by defeating enemy teams, collecting buffs, and opening chests.

Let’s talk about the changes to the previous version of Tower:

• Before, there were three level types: one with chests, one with buff altars, and one where the player fights. Now, there are just three types of floors: Relic Floors, Treasure Floors, and a final, Boss Floor. This simplifies the floor types and streamlines the experience.
• Before, by winning battles, the player earned Skulls, which can be used to get different buffs at the altar levels. Now, winning battles allows you to choose one out of three Relics. This is a clearer buff and relic system. Relics are chosen after winning battles, making them more immediate.
• The energy and health levels of the heroes used to not reset between battles. Now, the energy and health levels of the heroes reset between each Relic Floor. This is a major gameplay change, making each Relic Floor a fresh start for heroes.
• In the previous version, chests gained from levels contain gold, Tower coins, or random item fragments. Tower 2.0 has “Treasure Floors” with three chests. The first is free, and the next two cost “Emeralds” (premium currency). One of the chests contains gold, another Tower coins, and the third one contains fragments. This offers a more strategic, potentially more rewarding experience while providing a clear monetization avenue for the game.
• In Tower, points reward the player with Tower coins and gold at the end of the day. In Tower 2.0, gold is directly earned by winning Battles or Chests. 
• In the previous version, gold from chests increases by 10% after three chests and 40% after 15 chests and with VIP level. Now, you get 25% more gold if your VIP Level is 6. The tiered increase based on the number of chests is removed.

Summary

Hero Wars has consistently ranked among the top 100 grossing games on US iOS since 2019, demonstrating remarkable long-term success. A key factor in its sustained success is the increased number of live events, especially monetization-focused events and staying on top of the latest trends.

The highlights we covered here were:

• Lara Croft Collaboration (May 2024): This was the game’s first collaboration event, featuring a “Tomb Raider” themed adventure, solo missions, and various IAP bundles. A pre-order bundle for Lara Croft significantly boosted revenue on its last day.
• Legends Draft (August 2024): A permanent PvP mode where players draft teams of heroes to battle others for rankings and rewards, while introducing options to use premium currency.
• The Tournament of Titan Power (October 2024): A new solo tournament focusing on leveling up Titans, a separate character type “linked” to guild mechanics.
• Seer’s Game (March 2025): A new monetization event based on a Russian roulette-style card drawing game, offering rewards and requiring “Seer’s Orbs” to participate.
• Tower 2.0 Revamp (January 2025): A permanent PvE mode that was significantly revamped, streamlining floor types, altering the relic/buff system, resetting hero health and energy between certain floors, and a direct gold reward from battles.

These highlights are just a small fraction of the game’s large live event calendar. We highly recommend taking a look at it, especially the overarching themes!

The post How Nexters’ Hero Wars Stayed on Top with a Winning Events Strategy appeared first on GameRefinery.

Merge Mansion is an incredibly popular merge-2 game where players combine items on a merge grid to complete tasks and restore an old family mansion. Since July 2024, Metacore has steadily increased Merge Mansion‘s ROI. Looking at the data on iOS for the US market, it’s clear that Metacore is doing something right. The game saw consistent growth in 2024.

So, how did Metacore do it? The short answer is that they experimented with more events and innovative event types. They also took advantage of spikes in engagement with smart monetization strategies.

“GameRefinery’s Live Events Tracker has been an indispensable tool for us. We use the Live Events Tracker to identify the trends making a difference for casual games—for example, we explore event design, the ins and outs of user flow, and reward progressions to assess their impact. Access to these insights has helped inform our product strategy. We can isolate must-have elements that our game may be missing, contextualize our events design, and reduce overall R&D costs.

We really appreciate GameRefinery data and the support provided by their team.  We would recommend the tool to any mobile game company working in the casual space.”

Tapio Tuomola, Chief Business Officer, Metacore

Spiking Engagement With More Events and New Event Types

One of the biggest factors underpinning Merge Mansion’s success has been the increase in the average number of Live Events for the game. Comparing the number of live events, you can see that on their calendar between March 2025 and April 2024, the number has nearly doubled. 

Not only has the number of events increased, but the number of new events has also increased, according to GameRefinery’s Live Events Tracker. Looking at new event types in the six months before and after the end of July 2024, we see an obvious increase in the number of new live event types introduced.

Taking a granular look at the new events introduced, we also see a variety of event types.

To offer a clearer picture of their event strategy, we’ll break down some of the striking additions and what makes them successful.

Evolving the Battle Pass Plan With New Additions

Let’s begin by looking at Merge Mansion’s battle pass plan and one of the new additions to its event strategy.

In February, Merge Mansion introduced Merge It Up!, a new mini battle pass added to the game’s main Battle Pass. It comprises a simplified version of a battle pass of shorter duration that still includes both Free and Paid lanes.

The gist of the event is that players can accumulate additional rewards through their gameplay by simply merging items. As an added attraction, merging items in separate event boards counts toward the progression of this Battle Pass.

Merge Mansion saw a revenue spike (of +138% their typical daily revenue) on the last active day of the first instance of the brand-new “Merge it Up!” Mini Battle Pass. The temporary increase is likely attributable to the model for the event. Players can progress to the pass by merging throughout the event. They can also purchase the premium track to collect all the rewards they have accumulated thus far, even on the last day. 

“Merge It Up!” is not the only battle pass event to impact returns. In fact, battle pass is one of the most important drivers behind Merge Mansion’s revenue increases.

Looking at revenue growth from November 2024 to March 2025, the impact of battle pass events is easy to see. These crests occur either at the end of the Battle Pass run or at the beginning of the next Battle Pass. It’s also worth noting that during these spikes, there are usually a few different IAPs available to purchase.

Successful New Event Types in Merge Mansion: A Deep Dive

Secret Supply

Minigames are a staple for casual games, but it’s worth looking at one in particular, Secret Supply. It was introduced to the game in May 2024. Metacore also reworked the event in November by adding various cosmetic changes to the UI and more substantive changes to the event tasks.

Secret Supply is Merge Mansion‘s first-ever minigame event instance that combines casino and merge elements. In the minigame, players use an old arcade machine to play and collect as many event points as possible to earn rewards.

When players press the arcade machine button, several items drop. When two or more matching items align, they merge and reward the player with points. Some items are worth more than others, and players hope for valuable matches.

Everyone is limited as to how much they can use the arcade machine. After so much use, the machine “overheats” and requires a Mystery Token to be reactivated. These tokens regenerate automatically after a certain period, although players can speed up the process through in-app purchases (IAP). This event was the first of its kind in the Merge genre, and similar events have since been seen in Seaside Escape and Gossip Harbor.

Secret Supply events encourage players to drain premium currency. They usually appear a little before big revenue spikes, potentially because they encourage players to purchase the premium Battle Pass plan after spending their previous reserves.

Circus Caper Decoration Event

Circus Caper is a limited-time decoration event that features an exclusive (separate) merge area and offers narrative scenes and cosmetic rewards linked to the game’s traveling circus theme.

Players can access a special circus-themed merge grid in the Circus Caper decoration event. To open the grid, players need to set up a portal (an item granted to the player upon the beginning of the event) on their main progress merge grid.

In the event area, players can work on various merge chains originating from different item generators. As they progress, they eventually generate pieces of the main point chains, the chain of mergeable items that can be either collected for points by double tapping or further merged to get even more points from these items.

The points collected from collected items help progress the event’s main reward threshold. At the end of each decoration event instance, players are offered a chance to extend the duration of the event by +2 days. They can do so by paying a set, real money price. When they extend, the players will also receive bonus rewards as a further incentive. 

Unlike in other decoration events, this reward track doesn’t feature multiple separate decoration items, but just one that you upgrade through progression. Players don’t own the item before they hit level 30 of the progression path, giving them an incentive to keep playing until (and beyond) level 30. Without the item, their upgrade progression doesn’t count. 

Circus Caper is an example of an event with unique mechanics that make the gameplay experience deeper and more integrated.

PvE Limited-Time Modes

Metacore added some new limited-time PvE Modes to the game. Previously, Merge Mansion had different instances of these modes active, maybe two to four times a month, and they never overlapped. That said, if you look at the calendars for December and January, there are noticeably more rotations, overlapping events, and higher overall volumes.

Compared to other merge games, Merge Mansion’s Limited-Time PvE Modes are also richer in content and armed with unique mechanics. Other merge games have tended to focus more on linear progression where you need to find new merge item levels. Essentially, you merge until you reach the top level and get rewards through that progression (see Travel Town or Gossip Harbor).

However, Merge Mansion has several overlapping goals, including filling progression bars, side quests, and narration sequences, and collecting special items for separate collections (e.g., rare gems, fish, artifacts, etc.—each filling the separate collection albums).

Supercharge

Another successful event, first appearing in August 2024, is Supercharge, a boost event where players can supercharge their producers to create items faster and with higher levels. The event is designed to help players progress more quickly through the game by boosting the output of their regular item-producing mechanisms. 

Players can turn the supercharge feature on or off at any time, but when enabled, it doubles the production speed and allows producers to create higher-level items. The supercharge status is indicated with a distinctive lightning bolt icon on supercharged items.

This event does not have specific rewards, but activating the supercharge accelerates progression in the game. Players who use supercharge will run out of energy faster, which drives the sale of energy and thus overall monetization.

Supercharge first started with durations of a few days (generally two), but recently, we’ve seen a massive increase in the duration of the event. Shortly after this change, Supercharge was officially made into a permanent feature in the game—it was no longer tied to limited-time availability, and instead something players can toggle on or off by choice.

The Hopewell Bay Challengers

The Hopewell Bay Challengers is a new competitive solo leaderboard tournament. Merge Mansion previously featured three events in this category, all following the same archetype. This new event is the first one differentiated from the bunch.

Briefly, the tournament introduces progression through stages where players compete in one-hour merging rounds on a separate merge board, with leaderboard placement after each round contributing to their overall event progress.

The event also has some additional things worth mentioning. It features an additional “rewards” window, where players can track their overall event point progress to see which reward they will receive based on their current point count at the end of the event. 

It uses a special blue energy, which refills at the start of each round and drops from the main board only during an active round. The event energy can be earned when merging two items, from which one will indicate the blue energy symbol. The event also features a special shop with bundle offers of additional blue energy, gems, and event items.

Lessons and Takeaways from Merge Mansion 

Overall, Merge Mansion saw a consistent positive impact by doubling down on their live event strategy. They’ve increased the number of offered events, as well as innovated on the types of events. Here are the major takeaways from their standout events: 

1. Battle Pass is a major revenue driver: Revenue spikes consistently correlate with the beginning or end of Battle Pass periods, often accompanied by various in-app purchase (IAP) offers.
2. Events should always support monetization: Focus on events that encourage premium currency usage & faster energy depletion.
3. Unique mechanics can encourage battle pass engagement: “Circus Caper” introduces a separate merge area and upgradeable item tied to the battle pass. This is an example of how new events can deepen gameplay and create incentives for battle pass participation.
4. There are benefits to increasing rotation and overlapping of PVE Limited-Time Modes: Merge Mansion now features more frequent and overlapping PVE modes with richer content and unique mechanics than competitors focusing on linear progression.
5. A Differentiated Competitive Tournament: This new competitive solo leaderboard event introduces progression through timed merging rounds on a separate board with unique mechanics like blue energy and a reward track, diversifying their competitive offerings.

If you’d like to learn more about the LiveOps strategy of top games, check out GameRefinery’s Live Events Tracker or you can book a demo with a member of the GameRefinery team.

The post How Metacore Scaled Merge Mansion With a Stellar Live Event Strategy appeared first on GameRefinery.

Based on Capcom’s massive Monster Hunter franchise, which has collectively sold more than 94 million copies over various platforms and iterations over the past two decades, Niantic’s latest title was off to a good start. The game maintained a position within the top 100 highest-grossing apps in the US during its initial month of release, reaching its peak when the event boss Diablos was introduced on the weekend (keep reading for more details on these boss battles). While it has since settled within the top 200, the achievement remains noteworthy, especially when compared to the company’s prior title, Peridot, which, although briefly ranking in the top 200 upon release, quickly fell out of that tier.

Monster Hunter Now is much more popular in Japan than it is in the US, where it’s been hovering around second place in the download charts since its launch. The game jumped to the top 10 in grossing ranks and reached its highest spot around a special in-game event focused on the Diablos monster on 20 September, which caused daily revenue to increase by almost 300% in the days that followed. This isn’t surprising as, historically, the Monster Hunter IP has been significantly more prevalent in Japan than in any other part of the world. For example, one of the series’ best-selling installments, Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (2010), sold 4.9m units over its lifetime, with over 4m of those sales coming from Japan. 

This can be attributed to the franchise having almost always been based on portable gaming platforms, such as the Nintendo 3DS or the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which are more widely adopted in Japan, as many people use them to pass the time on their daily commute on public transport through densely crowded cities. The franchise also built on that large user base through local multiplayer, which brought all the fans together to become a cultural phenomenon. 

It’s worth noting that the regional divide has lessened in recent years, with the success of recent titles like Monster Hunter World, which was released on home consoles rather than portable platforms, making it a more recognized IP among Western audiences, largely explaining Monster Hunter Now’s success in the US.

Overview of Monster Hunter Now

Of course, there’s more to Monster Hunter Now than just brand power. It’s an entertaining game in its own right, revolving around solid tapping and swiping controls that players must master to succeed. Tapping the screen performs a basic weapon attack while holding it results in different effects based on the selected weapon. For example, when using the sword and shield, tapping results in a sheathing dash attack, and holding brings the shield up for defense. Players can also swipe the screen to dodge, which provides a special attack boost if timed correctly. 

These mechanics come into their own against Monster Hunter Now’s bosses, which are stronger enemies that players can take on solo or with a party of up to four hunters. These bosses each have different difficulty ratings that indicate their level of challenge. Defeated bosses drop material items, which are used to forge and upgrade equipment sets based on the monster they were attained from, a mechanic derived from mainline Monster Hunter titles. 

In terms of progression, players unlock new boss monsters and difficulties through a linear task system. They receive an “Urgent Quest” detailing a new boss, which they must defeat in battle on their own. Once they’ve felled the monster, it appears in the wild, where it can be hunted for material items. A new urgent quest will also appear, which players can take on once they feel suitably prepared. 

While the game can be played solo, most players will eventually seek the help of other monster hunters once they start to take on higher-ranked bosses. This is because all boss battles must be completed within an allocated time, and it can be difficult to deal enough damage on your own. Thankfully, it’s easy to get a full party because there are no restrictions preventing players from joining boss hunts they’ve not yet unlocked on their own.

World exploration works differently in Monster Hunter Now compared to Pokémon GO. On top of the standard neutral area, Now also features three randomly placed habitats: Forest, Swamp, and Desert. Each habitat shuffles around daily and features unique bosses and materials, encouraging players to explore. Material Spots, Monster Hunter Now’s version of Poké Stops, also update more regularly at every three minutes, compared to five.

Regarding monetization, Monster Hunter Now is surprisingly limited on this front, with just a couple of starter bundles and a selection of consumable boosts. Comparatively, it’s much more difficult to progress in Pokémon GO without IAPs, as players need to buy more Poke Balls to carry on playing once they’ve run out of nearby PokéStops. There are also raid boosts, exp boosts, accessories, storage expansion upgrades, and so much more. 

That being said, once players hit higher levels in Monster Hunter Now, unique materials are required to upgrade gear, which can only be obtained from challenging boss fights or via in-app purchases. More detail on how this works can be found in our complete analysis of Monster Hunter Now.

Why location-based AR games are more popular in Japan than in the West 

Monster Hunter Now’s success is part of a wider trend; the rise of location-based games in Japan. To put that in perspective, there are three AR titles frequenting the top-grossing 20 in Japan: Dragon Quest Walk, Pokémon GO, and Monster Hunter Now. Moving slightly further down the ranks into the wider top 200 reveals a few more: Pikmin Bloom, Eki Memo, and a new Nobunuga 4X game. 

These titles are able to coexist because they each cater to wildly different audiences and their motivations through their unique gameplay. For example, Monster Hunter Now’s mixture of skill-based gameplay and epic monster battles appeals to Thrill-seeking players. Pokémon GO and its expansive library of hundreds of rare creatures stand out to Treasure Hunters. Pikmin Bloom, meanwhile, is relaxing and therapeutic, with players collecting seeds to grow new friends; this appeals to Thinkers who want to take their minds off the outside world.

Looking ahead, Japan’s fascination with location-based gaming is set to continue as Square Enix recently unveiled their upcoming title, Kingdom Hearts Missing Link, described as a “GPS Action RPG,” slated for a 2024 release. While specific details about the game are still under wraps, it seems that real-life locations will play a significant role in its gameplay, further fueling the trend of location-based gaming in Japan.

Comparatively, looking at the US market, the only top-grossing 200 AR-based location titles there are Pokémon GO and Monster Hunter Now. Outside the top 200, the best performer is Jurassic World Alive. This difference can largely be explained in the same way as the success of the Monster Hunter IP as a whole.

It’s all down to lifestyles. In Japan, most people have no choice but to commute using public transportation, and location-based games are a good way to pass the time on the journey. In the US, a lot of people have the luxury of their own car, meaning they have the convenience of being able to drive to and from work. The offset of that convenience is that for most people in the US, it means going out of their way to play, such as by walking to work instead or wandering out on their lunch break, and this has seemingly stifled the success of the genre.

Another key factor behind their success in the region is brand awareness, with almost every single one of the top-grossing location-based AR games being based on an established Japanese franchise, each of which brings something unique and engaging to the format:

• Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest are some of Japan’s biggest video game franchises, and each caters to different RPG players. Monster Hunter is for action-oriented fans, while Dragon Quest appeals to those who enjoy turn-based gameplay. 
• Pokémon is an almighty IP that works for any audience, regardless of age or background. It’s a natural fit for the genre, as players get to walk around and live the experience of being a Pokémon trainer. 
• Pikmin Bloom is a newcomer and ties directly into the recent release of Pikmin 4 on Nintendo Switch, which has rapidly become one of Japan’s best-selling games. The original trilogy has also recently been re-released on the Nintendo Switch.
• Eki Memo is a slightly unusual addition as it isn’t based on a consumer brand. However, the character’s designs are based on existing train models, and visiting train stations is central to the game’s progression, appealing to train enthusiasts.
• A new location-based 4X game released in Japan at the end of August. While this is an unusual genre for location-based gameplay, it has the benefit of being based on Koei Tecmo’s “Nobunaga’s Ambition” series to attract a wider audience.

Can Monster Hunter Now stand the test of time?

The big question mark hanging over Monster Hunter Now is its longevity. Niantic’s Harry Potter: Wizards Unite had a similarly successful launch in 2019 with over 6m downloads but was shut down just two years later due to its consistently poor performance. What’s to say Monster Hunter now won’t meet the same fate once the initial hype has passed?

The big difference between Monster Hunter Now and Wizards Unite is that this title is more respective of its source material, which stems from a lengthy four-year development cycle with Capcom. Players follow the same monster slaying, armor crafting cycle as they do in Monster Hunter’s popular console titles, such as Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise, except with a location-based spin. 

Comparatively, Wizards Unite simply didn’t go far enough to distance itself from Pokemon GO and make the most of its source material, with a big focus on merely collecting magical creatures rather than battling evil wizards and casting elaborate spells. There’s also the matter of Niantic’s Peridot, although the lackluster performance of this title likely relates to its risk as a new IP. 

And yet, while we believe this means the game has a sound basis on which to grow, it’s unclear whether the gameplay loop of hunting the same bosses over and over to upgrade specific equipment will be as successful on mobile as on console. That success will largely depend on Niantic’s ability to keep players motivated through an engaging LiveOps strategy; we’re excited to see if they can pull it off.

If you are interested in a more detailed breakdown of features in Monster Hunter Now, be sure to check out our full analysis in the GameRefinery service. You may also enjoy some of our other content based on popular mobile titles:

• A blog post examining how mobile games are using blockbuster movies, such as Barbie and Across the Spiderverse, to boost engagement
• Episode 48 of our podcast, the Mobile Games Playbook, is about Pokémon Sleep.
• Our 2023 Midcore Gaming Apps report includes information on the latest trends and revenue-boosting opportunities across midcore mobile games.

The post Monster Hunter Now: Has Niantic Finally Found Another Pokémon Go-Sized Hit? appeared first on GameRefinery.

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We’ll look into how Final Fantasy’s success in mobile gaming is tied to its monetization strategies and what truly sets Final Fantasy games apart, from their captivating stories and immersive gameplay to their stunning visuals. Beyond the technical aspects, we’ll examine the immense impact of the Final Fantasy brand on both the gaming world and popular culture.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

Topics we will cover in this episode:

1. Introduction
2. What makes Final Fantasy special
3. Hits and misses in the Final Fantasy series
4. Comparison of Japanese and Western audiences
5. The flexibility of the Final Fantasy IP
6. Experimentation with the IP
7. Utilizing source material for success
8. Comparing Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest
9. Music and nostalgia in Final Fantasy
10. Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
11. Monetization in Ever Crisis
12. Gacha mechanics in Japanese gaming culture
13. Unique weapon rarity levels
14. Premium games and mobile releases
15. Conclusions for developers
16. Experimentation and mini-games

The post Episode 49: Chocobo On-The-Go – Exploring Final Fantasy on Mobile 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.

UPDATE: This blog post was updated in June 2024 to include a look at some exciting additions to the mobile shooter market that have the potential to disrupt the competition.

As shooter games continued to grow in popularity and spin out into new subgenres, it was only a matter of time until developers turned their sights to the mobile market – but the biggest barrier was the lack of controllers. For a long time, shooter games on mobile were a niche genre, and the touch-screen controls were considered cumbersome compared to their console counterparts which use dedicated controllers. 

In recent years, however, mobile shooters such as Call of Duty, Free Fire, and PUBG: Mobile have soared to the top of the charts. Much of that success is owed to gaming’s ‘Battle Royale boom.’ Fortnite has become a worldwide phenomenon, and battle royale shooters such as Free Fire and PUBG: Mobile have established themselves as worthy competitors. Call of Duty has also established itself on smaller screens with a mobile iteration of its blockbuster franchise, complete with its own battle royale mode.   

But is the market becoming oversaturated? Below, we take a deeper dive into the highest-grossing and most downloaded shooters on the mobile market to see which subgenres developers should be focussing on if they want to make an impact in the shooter space. 

The most popular mobile shooters

Three titles dominate the US iOS shooter market: Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG MOBILE, and Free Fire. These three take up about 80% of the market share in the West, with the rest (20%) being evenly divided across other titles. These three titles heavily focus on cosmetic in-app purchases (IAP). For example, players can acquire decorative skins for their characters, companions, vehicles, and weapons through gacha mechanics, battle passes, or direct purchases. 

Free Fire differentiates from the other two top dogs as even though the main focus of its in-app purchases is cosmetic, the items for sale also provide character and weapon buffs. The top-end weapon skins, for instance, change the attributes of weapons slightly to give a slight edge in competitive play, while characters and pets can be upgraded with various skills that modify gameplay. 

Given that Free Fire doesn’t have the same IP recognition that PC and console powerhouses like Call of Duty and PUBG have, the developers likely felt the need to give players an extra incentive to buy into the game. The result speaks for itself; Free Fire has way higher revenue per download than its competitors, with around $29 ARPD compared to PUBG Mobile’s $12 ARPD and Call of Duty: Mobile’s $7.30 ARPD.

Regarding the broader market, most shooters among the top-grossing 500 focus their monetization on upgrades and other powerful in-app purchases—this can likely be attributed to the demands of fuelling a purely cosmetic business model. 

Players must regularly be provided with exciting new playable content alongside a raft of purchasable cosmetics to fuel the in-game economy. Titles like Call of Duty achieve this every month with new classes, maps, game modes, and more due to being based on a blockbuster franchise. Smaller studios would no doubt struggle to keep up, so they opt for power progression to gain a higher revenue per download and enable a more sustainable, less content-driven model.

However, this does come with certain downsides. Tying player progression to monetization is often criticized by players for being ‘pay-to-win,’ particularly in genres heavily focused on competitive multiplayer. If a delicate balance isn’t achieved, there can be backlash amongst players, which can lead to negative reviews flooding in for your game.

Which shooter subgenres should developers pursue? 

With Call of Duty, PUBG, and Free Fire dominating the mobile shooter market, many developers may wonder if competing in the shooter genre is worthwhile. 

While it is undoubtedly crowded, those who dig deeper will find a surprising amount of uncovered ground in this genre. In fact, roughly four categories could be explored more in the mobile game market: extraction shooters, RPG-like looter shooters, survival shooters, and tactical FPS games. Let’s take a deeper dive into these subgenres. 

Extraction shooters

Extraction shooters are one of the less crowded shooter subgenres and move slower than other titles. The aim is to go into a match, loot items, kill enemies within a time limit, and extract from the area before or when the time runs out. These games are usually PvPvE (player vs. player vs. enemy). Popular titles on the PC and console market include Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown.

One of the few extraction shooters to make headway on mobile platforms (particularly in the Chinese market) is Arena Breakout — a realistic-style FPS game with some survival elements, such as a highly complex health system. 

Players participate in PvPvE matches against NPCs and other players in two game modes, either with pre-equipped items or without owned items. During the match, players must consider their physical health level, find equipment and items to loot, kill off enemies and evacuate safely within the time limit.

Arena Breakout has a distinctive monetization model. Unlike other shooters, it does not focus on cosmetics or power progression but instead on collecting items that can be traded and lost in the battle. Pushing players towards purchasing safety boxes to save their most precious items from being stolen differentiates Arena Breakout from the more power-orientated progression shooters, as even if weapons can be somewhat upgraded, there is still a need to purchase a safety box to keep items secure. While in the match, if the player has not stored their items in the safety box and they die during the match, the player will drop all items they carried with them to the pre-equipped items game mode for other players to steal. 

There have not been too many similar examples in the mobile game market yet of extraction shooters, although PUBG Mobile has a similar mechanic in a recurring gameplay mode Metro Royale (which also draws inspiration from Escape from Tarkov).

Survival shooters 

These shooters revolve around a survival theme, often in a post-apocalyptic environment featuring zombies or other threats. These games usually feature detailed weather, hunger, and health mechanics (among others), which need to be considered during the game to survive. Exploration and resource-gathering play a big part in these games in addition to combat, with some survival games also implementing shooter mechanics. 

There are only a few mobile titles in the Western market that specifically focus on survival gameplay, and currently, there are no shooter survival games among the top-grossing ranks on the US iOS platform. However, some top-down survival games, such as The Last Day on Earth: Survival, have managed to gain popularity.

On the contrary, the PC and console market has a number of survival shooters, including the zombie-filled DayZ and post-apocalyptic Rust. Both titles feature a wide area to explore with other players, combining PvE and PvP elements. DayZ has enormous maps, with the main threat stemming from zombies, with occasional encounters with other players. In Rust, the main danger is other players, even though there are also some PvE elements. The biggest differentiator between the two is Rust’s base-building focus, which can be done solo or with others.

Arena Breakout, LifeAfter, and Undawn in the Chinese mobile game market incorporate some elements into their gameplay. Undawn is interesting because it’s a new survival title that recently hit the Chinese and Western mobile markets. 

Around its launch in the CN iOs market, the game peaked at the top-grossing position 6 but has since dropped outside the CN top-grossing 200, currently sitting at the top-grossing rank of 371 and sustained download rank of 183. In the US iOs market, the game is lingering in the sustained top-grossing rank 324 and the sustained download rank 260, but has not quite yet reached the top-grossing 200.

Undawn is a third-person survival shooter with MMO traits where the player is trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. It is similar to the survival MMO LifeAfter, which has even been visiting the US top-grossing 200. 

In Undawn, players partner up to survive the punishing world to complete various tasks. There is a heavy storytelling aspect, with cutscenes regularly interspersed between gameplay featuring several main characters. The game also includes detailed survival mechanics. Players must consider their character’s physical health, hygiene, and sleep level, as well as prepare for changing weather conditions to survive.

Typical of a Chinese midcore game, Undawn has plenty of cosmetic items for the character and a home system, which can be decorated with various buildings. Upgrading the home system is a crucial part of progression, as the player can’t continue upgrading their character if their home level is too low. This, and many other aspects of the game, require a lot of resource collecting—such as collecting berries from the forest or shooting animals. Collected materials are then used to create many items needed in the game, including weapons and food.  

The game has two main focuses for monetization: cosmetic economy and material purchasing. Cosmetic items (for the character and their home system) can be purchased immediately or with gachas. Material items are needed for crafting equipment items, such as guns and armor, which are tied to power progression. These items can either be collected or purchased right away from the store. 

This type of monetization differs significantly from that of the top US iOS shooter games since the focus is on materials rather than upgrading or collecting characters and weapons. 

Looter shooters 

RPG-like looter shooters are another subgenre absent from the mobile game market. The idea of these games is to have some RPG elements (storytelling, character progression) combined with looting and shooting. There is usually a massive open area to explore, and the main aim is to kill off other players and AI-controlled enemies. In the PC and console sphere, these include titles such as Destiny and The Division, the latter of which has officially announced a mobile version.

This type of shooter could answer some of RPG players’ motivations. When looking at our motivation data, we generally find a few motivations that are being neglected by developers or don’t feature in high positions in the US iOS top-grossing shooter games. These include the exploration of new worlds, collecting treasure, role-playing and emotions.

Looking at the above picture, notice how these three motivational aspects are not highlighted in the most popular shooters:

• If the focus were shifted more towards storytelling, RPG players would find it easier to become immersed in the game through its narrative. 
• The motivation to collect treasure already has quite a high position in many top shooter games, but the open-world experience could enhance this aspect even further if the player could loot items on a larger scale. 
• The third motivation, exploring new worlds, needs to be added to most top-grossing shooter games. Having a larger area to explore would scratch that itch.

Tactical FPS games 

Another genre rarely seen on mobile is tactical FPS. Similar to extraction shooters, these focus more on tactical, slow-paced gameplay. Players usually form a team of five and compete against others in purely PvP gameplay. In the PC and console sphere, some of the most well-known titles include Counter-Strike and Valorant, the latter of which is rumored to be launching a mobile version soon. 

When looking again at our motivation data, we noticed that the top three shooter games are missing one aspect which features prominently in tactical FPS games: strategic planning.

Out of all the subgenres we’ve listed, tactical FPS is likely the most rarely encountered on mobile, although some examples remain. Critical Ops is a competitive FPS game similar to Counter-Strike with smooth gameplay and realistic graphics. The focus is on highly competitive, skill-based gameplay with a high learning curve, and the game also has eSports and live tournaments, which occasionally offer real-money prize pools. 

Despite being one of the most successful tactical FPS games on mobile, it has not appeared in the top-grossing ranks for a substantial period of time. This is likely down to the game being developed by a fairly small studio, which lacks the necessary resources to acquire new users and encourage growth. A larger studio with more capacity would likely fare better.

One to avoid: Battle Royale

The overwhelming popularity of Fortnite has meant that the battle royale subgenre has become a huge aspect of mobile gaming, and shooters are no exception—with each of the top-three shooters dominating the market. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult for new titles to establish themselves.

A prime example of this is Apex Legends Mobile. As a smartphone version of the popular PC and console game, Apex Legends Mobile launched with a breadth of exciting features and content owing to its big screen counterpart and featured unique ‘Legends’ characters that differentiated it from other battle royale games on the market. Despite this, the game could not gain a stable position in the market and was eventually shut down.

While we can only speculate the reasons behind this, we suspect it may have been down to the demands of maintaining the game’s LiveOps strategy (which ran separately from its console counterparts) mixed with the immense competition it faced from the three shooter giants. With that in mind, we’d recommend smaller studios to steer clear of this subgenre for now.

The Future of the Shooter Genre

While Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire may make it challenging for newcomers to make any headway, a few heavyweights are approaching that look like they have the potential to break the mold.

The Division: Resurgence

When Tom Clancy’s The Division first came to PC and consoles in 2016, it broke multiple sales records for Ubisoft in its first 24 hours. So, as you might expect, expectations are high for The Division: Resurgence, the shooter RPG’s first foray onto mobile. It’s been a long time coming, too. The game was initially meant to be released in late 2023 following a well-received closed beta but was delayed to sometime in 2024.

The Division has always leaned heavily towards being a looter shooter on PC and consoles. It’s an enjoyable loop, with players completing missions and defeating enemies to acquire better gear and weapons to upgrade their character. 

For that reason, when the game finally does land, we expect it will face an uphill battle. Looter shooters are challenging to get right on mobile (and in any free-to-play model) because of balancing issues. If you’re too generous with loot drops, players will find all the powerful gear they need while exploring, meaning they’re unlikely to invest using premium currency. Be too stingy with loot drops, and you risk taking away the most rewarding part of the gameplay loop, turning off players entirely.

The game may instead rely on a cosmetic economy to avoid the issue entirely. Still, given The Division is based in a solemn post-apocalyptic setting, it’ll be difficult for the developers to offer the same wacky customization options we often see in Call of Duty and PUBG that stand out in the marketplace. And then there’s also the problem of making the cosmetic economy that monetizes enough to actually support the game. With the lower revenue per install that cosmetic games generate, the game will need a massive audience/content cadence to be successful.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

It says a lot about the dominance of Call of Duty Mobile when the only title that seems to have a chance of knocking it off its pedestal is another Call of Duty title. But apparently, not even that is enough. When Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile launched in March earlier this year, it held the number one spot in downloads yet only peaked at grossing 30 in the US iOS market. Revenues have declined since its launch, while Call of Duty: Mobile remains in the top ten – the same place since its launch over five years ago. 

On paper, Warzone Mobile has everything going for it. First and foremost, it looks and plays just like you would expect it to, with tight controls, explosive firefights, and high-quality visuals. It also shares its battle pass plan, player progression (player and weapon ranks), and cosmetics with PC and console, providing plenty of encouragement for the 50-plus million users that play those versions each month to try out the mobile app.

In reality, however, things are much more complicated. While Warzone Mobile is a respectable downsizing of its big-screen brother, there have been various reports that the game suffers from overheating issues on certain devices unless the visual settings are toned down. Warzone also has a very different method of driving revenue than Call of Duty Mobile, relying heavily on direct purchase bundles instead of limited-time gacha — although there are signs this is beginning to change. 

It’s also worth noting that Call of Duty: Mobile boasts a massive content cadence compared to Warzone Mobile, with around twice the number of active events at any given time. There is also much more variety to that content, with a handful of unique task events, tournaments, login events, and even minigames.

Don’t Forget About These Tactical Shooters

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile and The Division: Resurgence aren’t the only mobile shooters worth watching. Valorant and Rainbow Six Mobile stand a good chance of breaking through the competition when they finally launch.

These two tactical shooters have an immense following on PC, so there are high hopes for the mobile versions that have been in active development for quite some time. Because of their slower pace, these titles would arguably be perfect for mobile as they’d fit better within the confines of touch-screen controls. They’d also have less direct competition, as the only similar title is Critical Ops.

According to Ubisoft’s latest financial reports, Rainbow Six Mobile is on track to be released sometime later in 2024, although its rollout was put on hold in April to address several “areas of improvement.” Riot Games has also yet to give a definitive release date for the highly anticipated mobile port, although given that the shooter recently made its console debut via a closed beta, we can’t imagine it’s too far behind. 

Summary

With an 80% share of the Western market, Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire, and PUBG Mobile share a firm hold on the mobile shooter throne. Their resource-heavy cosmetic monetization model, combined with their popularity on other platforms (at least in the case of Call of Duty and PUBG), will make it challenging to knock these three titans off their podium. 

Other shooters will have the best chance of breaking into the market if they can introduce some fresh core gameplay ideas. Given the strength of the power three and other mobile monoliths such as Fortnite, that will mean most developers should steer clear of the Battle Royale genre – or else risking a fate similar to Apex Legends. 

Looter shooters are a relatively untapped market on mobile and could tie into the motivations of many players by featuring narrative elements and exploration through a large open-world. That being said, Ubisoft plans to bring The Division to mobile, and Bungie looks set to follow with Destiny, meaning this space may soon become crowded.  

Survival and extraction shooters have a handful of popular titles in the Chinese market, but these subgenres are yet to make a big impact in Western markets despite their popularity on console and PC platforms, suggesting there are many gains to be had. 

Tactical shooters are also almost unheard of on mobile, suggesting it might be difficult to translate this type of gameplay onto a small screen successfully. Critical Ops has proven it can be done, although this title hasn’t made much impact in terms of revenue. We suspect a larger studio with the capacity to further push UA, and even perhaps collaborate with other IP to drum up interest, would fare better.

If you enjoyed this post and wish to explore this topic even further, then check out some of our other content:

• Episodes 25 and 44 of our podcast discuss the mobile shooter market in depth. 
• Delve into Liftoff’s 2023 Midcore Gaming Apps Report
• Use our new LiveOps tools to inspect the framework of the highest-grossing shooters

The post Is the Mobile Shooter Market Saturated? Top Tips on How to Innovate in a Crowded Genre appeared first on GameRefinery.

This major privacy update has greatly impacted mobile marketers and advertisers by making it more difficult for them to access the data they rely on for user acquisition purposes. Snap, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube told the Financial Times that ATT was responsible for losses of nearly $10 billion at the time. 

ATT permission is usually requested via an in-app pop-up notification where users can choose to allow or deny tracking on a per-app/game basis. While companies must get permission from users before tracking or collecting their data, there aren’t any guidelines regarding when or where this pop-up notification should appear in-app. 

This got us wondering: is there an ideal time to ask users for data tracking consent? When do the top-grossing games display their ATT pop-up? And are there any additional tactics that the top-grossing games are using to encourage their players to agree to tracking?

We conducted a study to find out.

Analysis of ATT tracking pop-up data among US top-grossing 200 games 

During this study, we manually inspected whether sample mobile games display ATT tracking consent pop-ups during a hypothetical “first session” (= the first 25 minutes of gameplay). We chose this time frame because it is a reasonable amount of time for a new user to spend on a game and can provide insight into whether or not the pop-up is displayed early on in the user’s experience. 

However, it’s important to note that there may be games that are listed as not including any pop-ups, but do feature them beyond this sampling time frame. Therefore, while our study provides valuable insights into the prevalence of ATT tracking consent pop-ups during the first session, some games may still feature them later on in the user’s gameplay experience.

The study sample included the US top-grossing 200 list for iOS games, according to GameRefinery data that was accessed in late January, 2023. The list was analyzed and 99% of the games were inspected. The remaining 1% were not inspected because they were premium games (marked as “Na” in the charts below).

The data we gathered is valuable for game developers and publishers who aim to understand market trends and create successful games.

Furthermore, game developers can use this data to identify the features and characteristics that contribute the most to a game’s success, helping to guide the creation of new games or the improvement of existing ones. Through this analysis, we discovered when the most successful games in the US market were displaying ATT notifications.

72% of top mobile games display ATT pop-ups within the first 30 seconds of gameplay 

During the study, we found that the vast majority of sampled games (88%) included ATT pop-ups within the sampling time frame of 25 minutes. This indicates a general trend of app developers complying with Apple’s new privacy policy guidelines. 

However, it is worth noting that a small but significant percentage of games, around 11%, featured no pop-ups within the same time frame. This may be because the pop-up features much later in the game or they are not even attempting to get access to the identifier.

Our analysis also found that 81.4% of the 177 games with ATT pop-ups displayed them within the first 30 seconds of gameplay. The timing of the pop-ups ranged from one second to 15 minutes and 44 seconds from starting the application, suggesting that some games are waiting to build trust with users during their gameplay session before requesting permission to track their data.

Nearly 70% of the top-grossing 50 iOS games request ATT permission during the first 15 seconds of gameplay

ATT pop-up timing amongst the top-grossing 100 games (n=89) ranged from one second to 2 minutes and 22 seconds with 82% of the games displaying the pop-up within the first 30 seconds of gameplay. Almost 70% of the top 100 games displayed the pop-up window between the first six to 30 seconds of gameplay. 

While we’re unable to access data showing whether users accepted or denied these requests, our analysis suggests that game developers should prioritize displaying ATT pop-ups during the first 30 seconds of gameplay to increase their chances of users giving permission for data tracking. 

Among the top 50 grossing games (n=43), ATT pop-up timing ranged from one second to two minutes and 20 seconds. 84% of these games displayed the pop-up within the first 30 seconds, and 58% of top-50 games displayed the pop-up between 6 and 15 seconds, further consolidating the finding that a “golden window” for ATT pop-up timing exists somewhere during the first six and 30 seconds of gameplay.

This suggests that developers should aim to display the pop-up early, but not too early, in order to maximize user engagement and compliance with ATT requirements.

Do personalized pre-ATT prompts improve the chances of user opt-in?

Some of the mobile games we analyzed displayed an additional pop-up before requesting ATT opt-in permission from their users, which we’ll call a pre-ATT prompt. These additional pop-ups are delivered to convince the user to allow ATT tracking, and 23% of the top-200 games we analyzed included a personalized pre-ATT prompt within the time frame of the sampling. 

Top-grossing 100 games are more likely to display pre-ATT prompts

Our analysis found 26% (45/176) of sampled games with ATT pop-ups also included a personalized pre-ATT prompt. Interestingly, games that fall within the top-100 grossing chart were twice as likely to include a personalized pre-ATT prompt than games that rank 101-200. Out of the games ranked 1–100, 27 had personalized pre-ATT prompts, whereas only 18 games ranked 101-200 had personalized pre-ATT prompts.

Based on this data, our analysis suggests that personalized pre-ATT prompts may be more common in top-grossing games or games that aim to maximize revenue through targeted advertising.

Games that generate more revenue are more likely to request additional user information 

In addition to the above findings, our analysis also found a small percentage of games included additional prompts for user information. Specifically, 13% of the sampled games included some kind of additional prompts, such as requests for email addresses, phone numbers, age, gender, and other personal data. 

Like the findings above, the percentage of games displaying additional prompts varied depending on their ranking in the top-grossing chart.  17% of mobile games in the top-grossing 100 chart included an additional data prompt, compared to only 9% of games ranked between 101–200. This indicates that games that generate higher revenue are 89% more likely to request additional user information than games ranked between 101 and 200.

It is worth noting that this trend raises questions about the privacy and security of user data. While some users may not mind providing this information, others may feel uncomfortable sharing personal details. Game developers should be transparent about their data collection practices and ensure user data is properly protected.

Additionally, it may be beneficial for game developers to consider alternative ways to monetize their games, rather than relying solely on user data collection. This could help build trust with users and create a more positive user experience.

Displaying ATT notifications early could improve the chances of opt-in for users 

After analyzing the ATT frequency and the time notifications appear amongst the top-200 grossing iOS games, our data suggests that the first 30 seconds of gameplay is the sweet spot for displaying ATT pop-ups. 

It’s important to note that we weren’t able to access data showing whether customers were accepting or refusing these notifications, but the trend of higher-grossing mobile games displaying ATT notifications earlier during gameplay suggests that early requests are more successful. This deduction is based on the assumption that developers of higher-grossing mobile games are adjusting their ATT notification display time point based on their individual experience of how users are responding to their notification.

We’ve summarized the key findings from this data below: 

• 81.4% of the games displaying some kind of ATT-related pop-up did so within the first 30 seconds of gameplay.
• Among the top-grossing 50 games (n=43), 58% displayed the pop-up between the first six and 15 seconds of gameplay.  However, we believe that displaying the pop-up during the first five seconds of gameplay may be unpopular among top games due to a higher likelihood of users instinctively rejecting the pop-up.
• Our research also found that only 25.6% (45/176) of sampled games with ATT pop-ups included a personalized pre-ATT prompt.
• Games in the top 100 grossing were 50% more likely to include a personalized pre-ATT prompt than games in top-grossing ranks 101-200. 
• 13% of sampled games also included some kind of additional prompts for user information, including email, phone number, age, gender, etc.
• Top-100 grossing games were 89% more likely to include additional prompts than games among ranks 101-200.

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

• Mobile Game Publishers Are Bypassing Google and Apple Store Cuts With External Web Stores
• First Impression Seals the Deal – Introducing Onboarding Best Practices PART 1
• Power-up UA with a Friend Referral Program

The post What’s the Best Time to Request Permission From Users for ATT? (iOS) appeared first on GameRefinery.

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– If you enjoy the episode, remember to hit subscribe!

Joined by Joel Julkunen, Head of Analytics and Chief Game Analyst, Erno Kiiski, from GameRefinery, a Liftoff Company. 

Topics we will cover in this episode:

1. Introduction
2. Why should you play Marvel Snap if you haven’t already
3. Marvel Snap is a mobile-first card game
4. The importance of well-known IP in the success of Marvel Snap
5. Progression system
6. Marvel Snap has to start bringing more horizontal content at some point
7. Monetization
8. Friendly matches in a tournament format

The post Episode 42: Marvelling at Marvel Snap appeared first on GameRefinery.

Editor’s Note: This piece was updated in February 2023 to reflect a significant rise in the daily revenue of Eggy Party in the Chinese iOS market.

When a game with a unique style and appearance becomes a hit, it doesn’t take long for new games to emerge, hoping to emulate that success by using the same gameplay mechanics, visual style and features. You can also see this happening in the mobile market with new game modes, such as the Fall Guys-style gameplay that’s now used in side modes in Garena Free Fire and QQ Speed (GKart). 

That said, there’s a big difference between a quick cash-in and a mobile clone that becomes a superior version of the game it’s taken inspiration from by adding new gameplay features and generally being more enjoyable to play. And that’s exactly the case with the chart toppers Stumble Guys and Eggy Party, two mobile clones of the 60-player knock-out party game, Fall Guys. 

Why isn’t there a mobile version of Fall Guys? 

Fall Guys became an overnight hit shortly after its release in August 2020 on PC and PS4. By the beginning of December, Fall Guys had reached 11 million sales on PC while also becoming the most-downloaded game on PlayStation Plus, and the game is now available on Xbox and Nintendo Switch. So, considering how successful it’s been (and still is), why hasn’t its publisher, Mediatonic, released the game on mobile devices? 

BiliBili, a Chinese games and entertainment company, secured the rights to publish a mobile version of Fall Guys shortly after its release, but Mediatonic hasn’t announced any plans to release the game on mobile in the West. It’s worth noting that Mediatonic is owned by Epic Games, and given the publisher is in a long-running legal battle with Apple over disputes around App Store practices, it might be possible that Fall Guys doesn’t make it to mobile in the West until a resolution is found. 

That said, there are arguments for and against releasing a mobile version of Fall Guys. With Stumble Guys and Eggy Party already proving so popular, there might not be much of a market left for a mobile version of Fall Guys to conquer. Then again, the success of Eggy Party and Stumble Guys has provided solid proof of concept and shown there is an appetite for this genre amongst mobile players.

Either way, if Fall Guys does eventually make it to mobile, it will have to make some changes to set itself apart from the competition – so let’s take a look at what the competition is doing. 

Stumble Guys vs. Eggy Party: Similarities and differences

Stumble Guys 

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Stumble Guys for Fall Guys. Developed by Kitka Games and acquired by Scopely Games in September 2022, Stumble Guys is a knock-out party game with a similar visual style and gameplay mechanics to Fall Guys. It was released in February 2021 and supports a maximum number of 32 simultaneous players rather than the 60 in Fall Guys. 

Players race, jump and dash through three rounds of obstacle courses (maps). After each round, a limited number of players that reach the finish line or survive the obstacles make it through to the next round, until a shortlist of finalists is chosen for the last course and a winner is crowned. As of December 15 2022, players can also take part in games via a ‘custom party’ that allows them to tailor search criteria for specific matches, such as competitive modes or playing with friends. 

Similar to Fall Guys, there’s a lot of variation in the map types, which range from races to the finish line and team-based games to survival modes as sections of the map disappear. Maps for both Stumble Guys and Fall Guys have continued to expand in terms of play types over style, although Stumble Guys doesn’t have any memory game maps.

Until very recently, Stumble Guys didn’t feature any limited-time collaborative maps (such as the Sonic The Hedgehog map in Fall Guys), but that’s no longer the case after Scopely announced a collaboration with Hot Wheels. The collaboration introduces a new map, Hot Wheels Hustle, to the map pool, complete with racing mechanics as players race around a Hot Wheels-themed racetrack. 

The shared similarities between Stumble Guys and Fall Guys means Stumble Guys has been able to capitalize on the popularity of Fall Guys. As of October this year, the game has been downloaded over 265 million times and generated over $60 million in revenue through IAPs since its release, with most of its traffic coming off the back of Fall Guys’ move to a free-to-play title. 

As the only established alternative to Fall Guys on mobile devices, Stumble Guys has built considerable momentum around hype for Fall Guys, especially on the day that Fall Guys became a free-to-play title. It’s likely that Stumble Guys activated UA campaigns around this time period and we also know the game has been building a solid fan base thanks to influencer marketing on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, which is one of the reasons why the game is so popular in Latin America.

Stumble Guys was also the third most downloaded game of 2022, according to data from mobilegamer.biz, beating the likes of established mobile games including Candy Crush Saga and Roblox. In total, Stumble Guys raked in over 219 million downloads.

Fall Guys is more robust in terms of features and the various gameplay mechanics on offer, but Stumble Guys contains some mechanics that aren’t present in Fall Guys. This results in Stumble Guys having more of a focus on competitive playing and tournament-style matches. 

Tournaments and additional gameplay modes 

While the main focus of Stumble Guys is on the 32-player knockout mode, it constantly hosts a variety of tournaments that aren’t present in Fall Guys. Some of the tournaments cost gems (in-game currency) to enter, the cost of which typically ranges between 10–50 gems. Gems can be earned via free daily gacha spins or purchased in packs – but they’re genuinely earned really slowly, which incentivizes entry into the tournaments because of the massive rewards on offer for winners. 

These tournaments often have special rules and reward winners with a prize pool of gems that can be used to purchase skins through gachas, battle passes, and skip battle pass tiers. Some of these tournaments are hosted in collaboration with social media influencers (as seen by the thumbnail for the main event above) and cost gems to enter.

Examples of the special rules in tournaments include 1v1 and 2v2 modes – matchmaking variations that aren’t present in Fall Guys. Ultimately, the presence of tournaments in Stumble Guys means players have another major game mode to sink their time into and this improves the chances of them staying engaged in the long term.

Special emotes

While both games feature emotes, Fall Guys’ emotes are more cosmetic in nature, while the special emotes available in Stumble Guys are permanent boost skills that can be used to your advantage in matches, adding a competitive twist to the game. 

At the time of writing, there are five special emotes in the game: Punch, Slide, Hug, and Banana. They’re only unlockable through the game’s premium Battle Pass track as the end reward, incentivizing progression. Given how advantageous these special emotes are, they also bring a pay-to-win element to Stumble Guys. 

The Punch emote lets you hit other players out of the map, while the Slide emote means you can maneuver obstacles and dodge the punches of other players. Hug is similar to the grab emote in Fall Guys while the recently added Banana emote is similar to Mario Kart as you can throw bananas as traps to trip up other players. 

Overall, the addition of special emotes adds an additional competitive twist to the game.

Monetization

Fall Guys’ free-to-play model generates revenue through battle pass purchases, a paid currency (Show-Bucks) used to purchase rare cosmetic items, and a variety of cosmetic items available to purchase such as skins, accessories, bean colors, patterns, titles and banners. 

Stumble Guys uses many of the same monetization methods but also monetizes through incentivized ads, which give players spins on a lucky wheel for a chance to win prizes, and forced ads, which can be removed by purchasing the starter pack. Similar to Fall Guys, players can also purchase limited-time exclusive skins that can be purchased through limited-time gachas (although the limited-time skins in Fall Guys are purchased directly through the store). 

As the special emotes are only available through Battle Pass premium tiers, Stumble Guys’ Battle Pass is also a major revenue driver. 

What is it that players love about Stumble Guys?

The maps, graphics, characters, and general aesthetic of Stumble Guys will win over a lot of Fall Guys players who want a Fall Guys experience on mobile. As Epic doesn’t share download and revenue figures for Fall Guys, it’s harder to tell which game is more popular. But if we look at Discord figures, Stumble Guys seems to have the larger community (773k members in comparison to Fall Guys’ 284k) and we also know Stumble Guys reached 265 million total downloads as of October this year. 

As you can see from the player motivations chart above, Stumble Guys has an advantage over other platform games as it taps into the competitive nature of players that enjoy social experiences. Competition is at the heart of the Fall Guys experience, but Stumble Guys’ additional competitive elements, such as special emotes, tournaments, and 1v1 and 2v2 gameplay modes, give it a major competitive edge.

The one area where Stumble Guys could improve is its LiveOps. With the exception of new Battle Pass seasons, limited-time skins and tournaments, there aren’t many updates to Stumble Guys, although a recent Halloween update did cause daily iOS revenue to jump by 600%, highlighting the importance of more regular LiveOps.

Compare that to Fall Guys, where the game regularly collaborates with major franchises such as Sonic The Hedgehog and He-Man to host limited-time events with new maps, modes and gameplay mechanics. Other collaborations have included: 

• Ratchet & Clank (Clank Challenge) 
• Horizon Zero Dawn (Aloy’s Challenge) 
• Sackboy (Sackboy’s Challenge) 
• Halo (Spartan Showdown) 

Now that Scopely owns the Stumble Guys IP, we could see a busier LiveOps calendar for the game with more branded collaborations, given the recent Hot Wheels announcement. This is a major partnership and was announced just two months after the acquisition, and given many of Scopely’s games are based on IP including WWE, Looney Tunes and Wheel of Fortune, we know that Scopely recognises the value of IP integration with gaming. 

Eggy Party

Eggy Party (蛋仔派对) is essentially Fall Guys with an eggy makeover – all of the characters have round, egg-like designs. The game is published by Netease and, at the time of writing, is only available in China, but it has quickly become one of the most popular games in the country.

Following its latest update, which introduced a new season with a themed battle pass, limited-time gacha and a new concert area, the game ranked among the top three grossing games in the Chinese iOS market at the end of January. This followed a gradual rise in daily revenue which peaked at over $1.4M. Eggy Party also currently ranks as the most downloaded iOS game in the country.

A worldwide release for the game is planned under the name ‘Eggy Go,’ but a release date hasn’t been set. That said, players in the UK and Netherlands can currently register for a closed beta test, but only on Android devices.

Visually, the game is very impressive, perhaps more so than Fall Guys. It features the same party game knockout mechanics as Fall Guys and Stumble Guys, with 32 players dodging obstacles and racing to the finish line in a variety of maps until enough players are eliminated for a champion to emerge. 

Similar to Stumble Guys, Eggy Party takes the Fall Guys formula and builds on it by adding new gameplay mechanics and features, many of which enhance the skill-based elements of the game while encouraging social engagement.

Passive skills and active skills

While Stumble Guys uses special emotes to encourage gameplay of a more competitive nature, Eggy Party offers some very light RPG/power progression mechanics through the addition of passive and active skills. 

Six unlockable passive skills give players a passive boost such as shortening the cooldown times for active skills. There are six active skills to unlock, including invincibility for a short time, invisibility for a short time and becoming a “bomb” that detonates after a short fuse (and damages other players), but they can only be used in the final sections of knock-out matches. 

Additional gameplay modes and looping live-event modes

Eggy Party has a lot to offer in terms of additional gameplay modes, namely PvE options (Fall Guys and Stumble Guys are PvP only), a ranked PvP mode with a dynamic leaderboard system, and a 4v4 mode. And similar to the tournaments in Stumble Guys, Eggy Party runs two or three events simultaneously with unique rules and mechanics. 

Custom map creator

While Fall Guys has announced a custom map creator is on its way, we don’t know when it’s arriving and Eggy Party players can already make their own custom maps using the game’s creative mode. There are lots of in-depth features and plenty of useful tutorial videos to guide players through the creation process.

Heavy focus on social elements

Mobile games in the Chinese market tend to utilize a variety of social features such as voice chat, non-competitive co-op, and relationship systems – all features that have grown by 10% in popularity over the last year in the top 20% of most-downloaded Chinese games. 

While the core gameplay loop of Eggy Party is based around competition, there are plenty of features providing a more casual social experience. The main menu for the game is actually a social hub rather than a static menu, where players can socialize with each other and take part in mini-games such as archery and basketball, as well as driving around in karts. 

There’s an in-game streaming platform that players can use to watch other Eggy Party games that are in progress, and the game also features the Friendship/romance mechanic where players can form friendships with other players and build their friendship level by completing tasks.

Monetization

Eggy Party’s cosmetic-driven economy is the primary monetization focus, especially as players can buy and send cosmetic items to their friends. Players can purchase character skins, accessories, avatar frames, emotes, and dances, and the addition of a main social hub likely incentivizes players to dress up their avatars and show off their outfits to other players. 

In addition to direct purchases for cosmetic items, they’re also available through gachas, battle passes, a piggy bank, limited-time IAP offers, and as awards for completing events and matches. 

And speaking of events, it’s worth noting that Eggy Party has already featured an in-game collaboration with the survival horror game, Identity V, another Netease title. The focus on in-game cosmetics alongside Netease’s massive portfolio means it’s likely we’ll see plenty of branded collaborations and collaborations with other games in the future, especially if the title goes global.

At the time of writing, searching for Eggy Go on Google brings up a Google Play link, but it doesn’t work when you click through. Similarly, there’s an APK for Android but many of the reviews say it doesn’t work. 

What is it that players love about Eggy Party? 

In many ways, you can consider Eggy Party the definitive version of Fall Guys. The game includes plenty of features that aren’t available in either Stumble Guys or Fall Guys, especially the focus on social elements and additional gameplay modes. 

It’s unusual for a party game to find success in China, given the market’s tendency for gacha games, RPGs, and MOBAs, but the variety of gameplay mechanics to choose from in Eggy Party means there are more reasons to keep playing. If players get fed up with competing in the knockout mode, they can simply socialize with other players in the main hub, play mini-games or watch others compete in matches via the in-game streaming hub. 

What are the main differences between Fall Guys, Eggy Party, and Stumble Guys? 

While all of the games share common traits in terms of core gameplay mechanics and monetization, they do appeal to specific demographics and motivations. 

Fall Guys has a strong position in the casual market for PC/console players. It has more maps than Eggy Party and Stumble Guys (over 70 in total) and supports a maximum number of 60 players in matches. There aren’t really any other games like it on PC/console, although Fall Guys does have to compete for players’ attention whenever there’s a major AAA release on console/PC.

Fall Guys is more robust than Stumble Guys and its collaborations with brands/IP are a major advantage as they introduce special levels. A lot of lapsed players look forward to new collaborations as it’s an opportunity for them to re-engage with the game. 

Stumble Guys doesn’t have as many features as Fall Guys but will be enjoyed by anyone that’s played Fall Guys and wishes the game had more competitive elements. Additional special emotes add a new competitive dynamic to matches, as do tournaments, and there’s more longevity in the game due to its various game modes. Over 55% of its players are aged between 25–44 (iOS US). 

Eggy Party may not have as many maps or support as many players as Fall Guys, but in many ways, it’s the definitive Fall Guys experience as it includes new social features, gameplay mechanics, and player growth skills not present in Fall Guys. As you can interact with other players outside of matches in the social hub, there’s more of an incentive to purchase character skins. It will be interesting to see how the game performs when it’s released globally as Eggy Go.

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

• Tower of Fantasy – Is the Game Really a Genshin Impact With a Social Twist?
• The New 4X Strategy Hit, The Ants, Stands Out With Its Unique Theme and Heavy Emphasis on Social Elements
• 10 Years of Puzzle & Dragons – Evolution of a Mature Game

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