There’s a deluge of new data and research to wade through every week.
So every Wednesday we’re here to break it all down into digestible chunks: data drop has just the numbers you need to know about, minus the fluff.
Get your brand in front of data drop’s number-crunching readers every week: sponsor this column. Email me for details.
Marvel Snap at 1: ~$117m in earnings, ~24m installs
Marvel Snap’s global mobile release was one year ago today, so it’s a good time to take stock. According to Appmagic, the game has earned developer Second Dinner and publisher Nuverse close to $117m to date on iOS and Android. iOS is the bigger earner, with ~$66.9m in IAP to date versus ~$50m on Google Play.
The US is the top grossing territory by far, with $71m earned to date. It is followed by the UK ($4.9m), Canada ($4.3m), South Korea ($4.2m) and Italy ($3.7m). One might expect Japan to be in the top five, but it’s in sixth with $3.2m earned to date.
On downloads, Marvel Snap is close to 24m installs on iOS and Android, and is most popular in the US (5.5m installs), Brazil (2.6m), Indonesia (1.8m), Italy (1.1m) and the UK (1.06m).
Azur gobbles up Tastypill, acquires extra 1bn installs
Hypercasual outfit Azur has acquired all of US publisher Tastypill’s existing game portfolio, a catalogue that has over 1bn downloads, according to the firm.
Top Tastypill games include Bottle Flip 3D (200m+ installs), Pick Me Up 3D (100m+ installs) and Line Color 3D (100m+ installs). They now join Stack Ball and WormsZone.io publisher Azur Games’ portfolio. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The WordBrain and QuizDuel maker posted record revenue of 362m SEK (~$33m) in its year-end results for 2022-23. EBITDA was narrowly up on the previous year too at 56m SEK (~$5.1m). ARPDAU for 2022-23 was 7.4 US cents, up 21% on the prior year’s 6.2 US cents. DAU (1.3m) and MAU (3.4m) were down 14% and 24% respectively, though.
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis earns $20m
Square’s latest Final Fantasy VII spin-off has now earned the Japanese giant over $20m, according to Appmagic data. The game launched globally on iOS and Android on September 7.
Naturally Japan is the top earner with $14.8m of that total, with the US on $4m and Canada way back in third spot on $281k.
Downloads to date stand at 1.6m, so a good return on a relatively modest install base.
The ESA’s games and mental health survey
The US-based Entertainment Software Association surveyed 13,000 people across 13 countries for its latest ‘power of play’ survey, which perhaps unsurprisingly extols the virtues of playing games for mental health, anxiety and social connection.
71% of those surveyed said playing games makes them feel less stressed, while 61% said it helps them feel less anxious. 58% said gaming makes them feel less isolated and lonely.
26% of respondents said they play games online with other people daily, while 15% play in person with other people every day. 51% play online with other people on a weekly basis, and 38% play in person with other folks once a week.
New research from Video Games Europe and Ipsos gives an overview of how European parents and kids approach in-game spending. Among the top findings there’s the suggestion that 76% of parents claim their children don’t spend on in-game extras within the video games they play.
The report also says that 64% of children spend between €1-20 average per month, a spending range that’s rising broadly in line with inflation.
The most popular type of in-game spend is on items that “impact gameplay”. Decorative items are the second most popular spending category, while those with “unknown rewards” – loot boxes or gacha pulls, basically – are the least popular.
As above, high spenders have increased as a proportion of the overall spread of payers since 2020, with 7% of parents claiming that they spend over €80 per month in games. 89% of parents actively monitor their children’s spending, says the report.
Battlegrounds Mobile India bounces back
The prolific Niko Partners has a good snippet on India. It notes that the local version of PUBG, Battlegrounds Mobile India, has recovered very well after being banned in the country. BGMI re-launched in May and has since extended its lead in the Indian esports market over Free Fire Max, as in the above chart. 71% of Indian gamers engage with esports, Niko said.
