Throughout this week, we’re reviewing the weird mobile game ads we get served on TikTok to see if we can learn something from them. Wish us luck.
A moment’s applause, please, for Mecha Domination’s ‘urinating gorilla’ creative, which starts strong and then goes even harder:
That’s right: the giant robot gorilla pissing in the river gets his knob bitten by a robot eel thing, which then attaches itself to the mechanical primate to become a giant penis-trunk. The new appendage then grabs and feeds the gorilla some crunchy metal prey.
It’s undeniably striking stuff, isn’t it? There are plenty of other Mecha Domination creatives out there, but it’s hard to top the epic above.
Below, there are a couple starring the same actor whose voice is very badly dubbed over, we assume deliberately. The first one has a kind of ‘security gate’ thing going on, except you have to scan in your arse(?). They’re obviously a bit leery and grim, and there’s one set in a nightclub where the actor is in bunny ears winking suggestively.
There’s also the below, which begins “My girlfriend finally found this game that’s just like its ads” and then continues with a guy in a snazzy shirt doing a piece to camera while various TikTok effects warp and distort his face. The voiceover sounds AI generated, and seems only vaguely connected to what the guy appears to be actually saying. It’s all very strange, but again it’s hard to deny that it keeps you watching.
There’s also this innuendo-packed one which begins “I’m such a little baby I need meat in my system” and then gets worse:
Who’s behind this madness? It’s China’s 37Games, creator of hit puzzle RPG Puzzles & Survival, thirsty builder Yes Your Highness and more (In the UK and presumably some other territories the publisher is listed as Building Blocks Network).
According to Appmagic, Mecha Domination has been solidly earning around $2m per month from IAP since May 2024, having been released in April. As ever, it’s hard to estimate how much is being spent on UA, but according to Appmagic the game has now earned just over $7m in lifetime IAPs from a total of 2.5m downloads, which is decent (the numbers do not include the platforms’ 30% and, of course, ad or webshop revenue).
Verdict: I don’t know?
Creepy: yes. Unhinged: yes. Compelling: I guess so? Mecha Domination’s TikTok ads grab your attention in the same way someone being humiliated in public does.
These creatives are not winning any BAFTAs anytime soon, but if they’re effectively getting attention and driving downloads for the customer they are targeting, then they achieve that goal, I suppose?
