There’s a deluge of new data and research to wade through in the mobile games business. Our regular data digest column breaks it all down into digestible chunks.
Read on for the numbers you need to know about, minus the fluff.
This column is sponsored by Xsolla, offering the #1 web shop solution for mobile games that generates more value, purchases, and revenue. Get started here.
Funplus to create 50 jobs at new Lisbon studio
Variety reports that State of Survival maker FunPlus has opened a new studio in Lisbon.
The new office will be focused on the firm’s transmedia efforts, and led by Funplus SVP and head of world building and IP strategy Alexandre Amancio. The first project to emerge from the new studio will be a spin-off comic series based on Sea of Conquest.
Azra Games raises $42m for its ‘next generation mobile RPG’
The studio formed by many of the makers of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, Azra Games, has raised $42.7m in a new round of funding.
The series A was led by Pantera Capital and joined by A16z Crypto, A16z Games, and NFX. It brings Azra’s total funding to $68.3m. For more on the studio and its ‘next generation mobile RPG’, read our Azra Games profile from back in November 2023.
League of Legends: Wild Rift and Brawl Stars revenues spike
GameRefinery’s September update includes news of US revenue spikes for League of Legends: Wild Rift and Brawl Stars.
According to its data, iOS earnings for Riot’s game increased by over 1,100% day-over-day – the second-highest jump in the MOBA’s history – on September 11, following the introduction of the Legends of Two Realms special gacha, which offered players the chance to win exclusive skins.
As above, Supercell’s Brawl Stars also saw a big spike last month. The game’s daily iOS revenue in the US jumped by over 300% on September 5, following the launch of a SpongeBob SquarePants collaboration.
The event introduced SpongeBob-themed variants of two existing game modes, and enabled players to purchase time-limited skins, cosmetics and other in-game items.
US mobile gaming spend rose 5% in August
Mobile bucked the wider US games industry trend in August with a 5% year-on-year increase in consumer spending, according to Sensor Tower data shared by research firm Circana.
Total consumer spending on game hardware, content and accessories fell 7% compared to August 2023, to $4.1bn, following declines across most categories.
Mobile gaming spend was flat month-over-month, with Monopoly Go comfortably the highest grossing game. While it recorded growth over July, spending has declined about 32% since its peak in March.
Roblox, Royal Match and Candy Crush Saga were non-movers at numbers two, three and four respectively, while Last War: Survival was up one place to fifth.
Whiteout Survival also rose one place to number six, followed by Township, which jumped two spots after hitting a new peak in monthly US consumer spending in August. Coin Master, Pokémon Go and Call of Duty Mobile rounded off the top ten.
Genshin Impact tops $5bn on mobile in China
Genshin Impact has surpassed $5bn in player spending in China, according to new data from Niko Partners. It estimates that the iOS version accounted for $2.2bn of the total, with the remainder coming from third-party app stores.
Mihoyo’s open world RPG, which celebrated its fourth anniversary in September, is on track to gross over $4bn outside China by the end of this year, and to clear $10bn in 2025.
65% of US consumers playing mobile games in 2024
Mobile remains the largest gaming platform in the US, attracting 65% of all consumers in 2024, according to Circana’s latest Gamer Segmentation report.
While the figure is flat compared to when the last edition of the report was published in 2022, it remains significantly larger than the 36% of US consumers playing PC games (down 4%), 35% playing console games (no change) and 13% playing other types of games (up 2%), which include those on dedicated handhelds and VR platforms.
Mobile gaming on average accounts for over half of gamers’ weekly play. Mobile gamers play an average of 8.1 hours per week, which is up 1.1 hours from 2022, while PC gamers play an average of 4.6 hours per week (flat), and console gamers play an average of 10.2 hours per week (up 1.9 hours).
Southeast Asia IAP revenue fell 3% in H1 2024
During the first six months of 2024, IAP revenue for mobile games in Southeast Asia declined 3% compared to the previous half-year, according to Sensor Tower’s latest market report.
Mobile game downloads hit 4.2bn during the first half of 2024, which was up 3.4% compared to the previous six months, with Google Play making up 91% of the total.
Strategy and RPG games accounted for almost half of the total IAP revenue generated in Southeast Asia between January and August 2024, while earnings from sports games saw the biggest increase, growing 39% period-over-period.
Moonton’s MOBA Mobile Legends: Bang Bang continued to top the earnings rankings following a 6% revenue increase. It came in ahead of Konami’s eFootball 2024, which was the second-highest grossing title following nearly 80% period-over-period revenue growth – the most of any title in Southeast Asia.
Between January and August, simulation, arcade and puzzle games accounted for 57% of total downloads in the region. Downloads of strategy, simulation, RPG, shooting and lifestyle games grew by 14%, 11%, 7%, 6%, and 4% respectively.
Battle royale game Garena Free Fire continued to dominate downloads and downloads growth, thanks to a 54% period-over-period increase.
Disney Pixel RPG hits 1m downloads in a week
Disney Pixel RPG has surpassed one million downloads in its first seven days, according to publisher GungHo. To mark the milestone, players who log in before October 29 will receive 10 premium gacha tickets for the retro-themed RPG.
Live Aware Labs closes $4.8m seed round
Live Aware Labs has secured $4.8m in seed funding, with which it will continue to develop its AI-powered insights platform for game makers.
The funding round was led by Transcend, with participation from A16z Games, Lifelike Capital and strategic angel investors. Live Aware Labs’ tech is designed to streamline the feedback process by letting developers capture, analyse and respond to player experiences in real-time.
