Our data digest column breaks down the latest data, research and financial results into digestible chunks.
Read on for the numbers you need to know about minus the fluff.
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Pokémon TCG Pocket rockets past $150m
The latest estimates from Appmagic suggest that The Pokémon Company has now earned over $150m from Pokémon TCG Pocket a little over a month since launch.
Released on October 30, the card collecting game has been averaging over $4m in IAP earnings per day, peaking at $5.8m in a single 24 hours on November 22.
As we reported yesterday, it also ran Honor of Kings close in November’s top grossing charts, coming a close second to Tencent’s monster MOBA.
Apple fails to block $1bn UK App Store fees lawsuit
The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal has dismissed Apple’s attempt to block a £785m ($995m) class action lawsuit brought by some 13,000 developers over its App Store fees, Bloomberg reports.
They allege Apple’s commission charges of up to 30% on sales are excessive and only possible due to its monopoly on the distribution of apps through its online marketplace.
Backed by a third-party litigation funder, Harbour Litigation Funding, the claim is being led by UK competition policy professor Sean Ennis, who’s previously held positions at the US Department of Justice and the European Commission.
Match Factory’s monthly revenue hits $17.5m
Match Factory is currently the highest-earning match 3D game, according to Appmagic data. The game generated $17.5m in October, comfortably surpassing the $7.5m earned by its biggest competitor, Boombox’s Triple Match 3D.
Zynga’s game has made a blistering start since its release last November, earning $162m off the back of 25m downloads. In comparison, Triple Match 3D has generated $278m and been downloaded 21m times since its release in April 2022.
In terms of lifetime revenue, the next biggest match 3D games are Tile Match 3D: Triple Match ($31m), Joy Match 3D ($15m) and Toy Match 3D: Triple Match ($2.6m).
In an interview published this week, Zynga executive vice president Yaron Leyvand told us that Match Factory is on track to become the company’s second-biggest title by net bookings by the end of 2024.
Tencent takes control of Wuthering Waves maker Kuro Games
Tencent has acquired approximately 37% of the shares of Kuro Games from Hero Entertainment, taking its holding to a 51.4% majority stake, Gematsu reports (via Youxi Putao). The Chinese giant is now also the only external shareholder in the developer behind Wuthering Waves, the open-world action RPG which has earned over $150m since its release in late May.
In an internal memo, Kuro said Tencent has assured the company that its strategy of independent operations will continue, in a similar manner to how Tencent runs subsidiaries like Riot Games and Supercell.
My.Games sells hypercasual label Mamboo
My.Games has sold hypercasual publisher Mamboo, which it acquired for $2m in 2021, to its founding team for an undisclosed sum. The European company, whose portfolio includes Rush Royale, War Robots and Hustle Castle, said it had parted ways with Abu Dhabi, UAE-based Mamboo due to their different business focuses.
My.Games said it “will remain committed to developing midcore games”, while Mamboo, whose most successful titles include Billion Builders, Volley Beans and Hunting Season, said it will concentrate on its “strategic priorities in the skill-based gaming sector”.
Scopely tops casual game publisher revenue chart
Monopoly Go almost singlehandedly propelled Scopely to the top of the casual games IAP revenue chart for the first 11 months of 2024, according to Appmagic data. The property tycoon game earned $1.4bn between January and November, representing almost 86% of Scopely’s $1.63bn casual games haul.
Three other companies earned over $1bn from casual games during the tracking period. Gardenscapes and Township publisher Playrix came in second place with $1.53bn, followed by Candy Crush maker King with $1.29bn and Royal Match developer Dream Games with $1.25bn.
Appmagic also recently reported that Candy Crush is the top match 3 game by lifetime revenue ($7.4b), ahead of Gardenscapes ($3.9b), Homescapes ($3.4b), Candy Crush Soda Saga ($2.9b) and Royal Match ($2.7b).
Block Blast tops 40m DAU, 160m MAU
Puzzle game Block Blast has surpassed 40m daily average users and 160m monthly average users, according to its developer Hungry Studio, which claims it’s “the eighth-largest mobile game globally”.
Originally released in 2021, the free-to-play title appears to be going from strength to strength. It was the third most downloaded game in the first half of 2024, and in November it generated a best-ever monthly total of 27.5m downloads.
