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.
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Zenless Zone Zero hits 50m downloads
The eagerly-anticipated Zenless Zone Zero was downloaded 50m times within its first two days on the market, according to the game’s official Twitter account.
But that figure does not break out PC, console and mobile. A quick look at Appmagic suggests that at the time of publication, Mihoyo’s latest gacha RPG has around 7.6m downloads on iOS and Android, and has earned its publisher nearly $21m on mobile, a figure that does not include Apple and Google’s 30%.
DnF Mobile made $8.5m in China on ZZZ launch day
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile brought in $8.5m on July 4, two-and-a-half times as much as the newly launched Zenless Zone Zero which came out that day. That’s according to Bloomberg, citing Sensor Tower data, which reports that Mihoyo’s new title made ‘just’ $3.4m on its release.
Squad Busters launch analysis
Appmagic reports that Supercell’s Squad Busters daily revenue has dropped from north of $1.2m to below $600k. Daily downloads have also fallen from a high of over 3.2m to under 200k within its first month on the market.
The data firm’s analysis says Squad Busters has “uneven progression and distant rewards”, “half-baked social features” and some UX/UI issues. But it sees potential in what it is doing with its live ops, and expects Supercell to “drastically improve the game both in terms of gameplay and monetization” as it settles into a post-launch rhythm.
Monthly mobile active advertisers down 29% year-on-year
A new report from SocialPeta and Unity shows that the number of mobile companies advertising monthly is down 28.9% for the first quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, the number of creatives going out every month has also taken a dive, dropping 18%.
Casual makes up the biggest portion of advertisers with 36.62%, a 0.83% increase year-on-year. This category also represents 39.59% of creatives.
The puzzle genre was the second biggest on both fronts with a 13.12% share of advertisers and a 12.31% share of creatives.
Loop Hero hits 1m mobile downloads
Publisher Playdigious has announced that Loop Hero has hit 1m downloads on mobile devices since its launch on the platforms back on April 30. The company says that this is above expectations; it’s a ‘free-to-start’ game with a $6.99 unlock IAP for the full game.
650m Chinese gamers play WeChat’s ‘mini games’
Research from Niko Partners shows that around 650m gamers in China play ‘mini games’ within WeChat. The company says that this segment is an area of “major growth” for the platform. Around 66% of mobile gamers play these titles at least once a week.
It also states that 44.5% of players in China learn about new games through short dform video platforms like Douyin, which is effectively TikTok for China.
Turkish games market worth $580m in 2023
In 2023, the Turkish games market was worth $580m, according to new research from Gaming In Turkey, as spotted by Game Dev Reports. The country boasts 47m gamers, too, with mobile the dominant platform.
The research also shows that 27% of mobile gamers in Turkey spend between one and two hours a day playing games. 20% spends two-to-four hours; another 20% spend just one hour.
Toon Blast passes $2.5bn
Pocketgamer.biz reports that according to Appmagic data, Toon Blast has now earned developer Peak over $2.5bn in lifetime earnings.
Launched in 2017, the blast puzzler earned $200m in its first year and hit $1bn in earnings by 2020, says Pocketgamer.biz.
Kwalee buys 3.58% of Devolver Digital
Developer and publisher Kwalee is now the proud owner of a 3.58% stake in indie label Devolver Digital. In a post on its website, the company said this is part of its strategy to gain more “exposure” to the PC and console markets.
The UK firm also announced a new partnership with Saudi Arabia-based developer Fahy Studios through GamesBeat, meaning that Kwalee will now publish Fahy’s games globally.
Pokémon Sleep earns $100m in its debut year
Pocketgamer.biz delved into Appmagic data and found that the Pokémon Company’s sleep tracker has earned the company over $100m in its first year.
The vast majority of players and spend comes from Japan, with an estimated $75m from the territory. Second is the US with $15m, and its third biggest market is Taiwan with $4m earned to date.
