In recent years, the popularity of mobile games has soared, with more and more people choosing them as their preferred form of entertainment.
From the simple "Snake" game to the complex "metaverse" and "open world" games, mobile games have evolved into 3A products that offer a wide variety of gameplay options. Their commercial value cannot be underestimated.
PocketGamer, a well-known game website, has curated a list of mobile games that have generated over $1 billion in revenue. The list initially had only 23 games, but it has now expanded to include nearly 60 games with a combined revenue of over $1 billion.
To help mobile game developers better understand the characteristics and trends of top mobile games, FoxData has provided a partial list of the $1 billion club members.
Pre-orders for the mobile game Uma Musume Pretty Derby began in March 2018, but it faced challenges such as the resignation of the producer and several product delays, causing its official release to be postponed until March 2021.
Despite the obstacles, the game exceeded players' expectations and quickly climbed the game rankings on the Japanese App Store. In 2021, it generated the most revenue and downloads in Japan, reaching an estimated revenue of $965 million in its first year alone.
Due to its impressive art performance and development system, Uma Musume Pretty Derby became the youngest member of the $1 billion club. Moreover, it will soon be available in Korean and traditional Chinese versions in June 2022.
Out of the 56 mobile games with over $1 billion in revenue, 9 games primarily generate their income in Japan, making it the most potential single market. These games include:
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Dragon Quest Walk
Knives Out
The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage
Fate/Grand Order
Granblue Fantasy
Disney Tsum Tsum
Monster Strike
Puzzle & Dragons
The Japanese mobile game market has proven to be highly lucrative, with a cumulative revenue of nearly $8.2 billion in the first half of 2022. It is the second-largest mobile game market worldwide, after the United States.
According to a survey conducted by the Bank of Japan in 2021, young Japanese players spend an average of 4,191 yen (approximately $30) per month on games. 10% of young users aged 20 and above spend money on games every month.
Gacha games, which involve in-game purchasing and random item acquisition, are particularly popular in the Japanese market. Many top-selling games are developed by local companies and have been in operation for more than 5 years.
However, in recent years, there has been an influx of international companies, especially Chinese companies, entering the Japanese market. Games in genres such as open world, shooting, and strategy have also gained popularity and dominated the Japanese best-seller charts.
Among the 56 mobile games with revenues exceeding $1 billion, 9 games fall under the category of 4X Strategy games. 4X Strategy games have proven to be highly profitable in markets such as the United States, Japan, and China, and they represent an important branch of SLG mobile games.
In the United States market, 22 out of the top 200 best-selling games on the App Store are 4X Strategy games, out of a total of 27 SLG games in 2021.
Chinese, American, and Swiss (FunPlus relocated its headquarters to Switzerland) manufacturers have made significant advancements in the 4X Strategy category. Among them, Chinese manufacturers have excelled, with 7 companies generating over $1 billion in revenue from 4X Strategy games (including FunPlus).
Chinese manufacturers have the highest number of games on the list, totaling 12 (or 15 if FunPlus is included), accounting for approximately 21% of the total.
One of the oldest Chinese mobile games on the list is the strategy game Clash of Kings by ELEX Technology, which was launched in July 2014. It supports cross-platform gameplay on PC, iOS, and Android, allowing players from different countries to compete against each other.
In addition to 4X Strategy games, Chinese manufacturers have made significant achievements in other genres such as MOBA, battle royale, card RPG, and MMORPG. Collaborations between influential manufacturers in the client game or console market and Chinese manufacturers have also resulted in successful mobile game adaptations, such as Call of Duty: Mobile developed by Activision and Tencent, Apex Legends Mobile developed by EA and Tencent, and Diablo Immortal developed by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase.
Two companies, Supercell and Playrix, stand out in terms of the number of games listed, with each of them having four games that have generated over $1 billion in revenue.
Supercell's games, including Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, and Clash Royale, had over 100 million daily active users as early as March 2016. Although Supercell has strict standards for releasing new products, its most popular game to date is Brawl Stars, which was launched in December 2018.
Playrix gained recognition in 2013 with the farming game Township and surpassed Supercell to become Europe's second-largest mobile game company in 2016. Playrix games' success is attributed to their match-3 gameplay, light construction and management elements, daily events, and engaging stories and dialogues. The four games listed are Township, Gardenscapes, Homescapes, and Fishdom.
The games on this list have achieved remarkable success not only because of their gameplay and design but also due to the substantial marketing investments made to promote them.
According to SocialPeta data, the listed games have an average of over 47,000 creatives, with Rise of Kingdoms being the most heavily advertised game. This strategy mobile game developed by Lilith Games has accumulated over 220,000 creatives since its first advertisement in April. The monthly average of deduplicated creatives is nearly 4,000.
By examining the recent popular creatives of Rise of Kingdoms, we find that:
The ads effectively combine real people and gameplay, making them highly appealing
The product is predominantly advertised in the Middle East and some European countries
Video creatives account for over 95% of all creatives
And that concludes our overview of the 56 games that have generated over $1 billion in revenue. For more market insights, visit FoxData | Market Intelligence
