This is perhaps because successful assets are very expensive and it is cheaper for an existing 4X publisher to launch and scale new titles rather than to acquire and operate existing games that have already scaled. MZ’s 4X engine was already behind the curve at the time of the acquisition and sadly they weren’t able to use their know-how to support West Game’s growth.Īpart from that, we haven’t seen consolidation in the market. While the decline is stark, it shouldn’t come as a surprise for those versed in the genre. MZ’s portfolio revenues have collapsed by 40% (From $168M to $100M) as have the downloads of West Game (-25%). If this was the strategy, it didn’t pan out. One of the possible outcomes of this acquisition was growing Applovin's 4X title (West Game) by employing MZ’s data and core competencies. The biggest acquisition in the sub-genre happened last year, with Applovin acquiring Machine Zone - the company that made some of the most iconic top-grossing 4X games of all time (Game of War, Modern Strike, Final Fantasy: New Empire). Though several puzzle genres do boast significant ad revenue streams, which bridge the gap in net revenue between the genres. To put the Strategy genre in proportion, it generates a whole Billion more than all Puzzle games combined. What’s even more impressive is that this already behemoth of a sub-genre is that the revenue outpaced the overall market pace delivering a 21% increase year of the year with a decline in downloads of only 4%, which is significantly less than what mid-core games saw their downloads drop on average. Strategy games continued to grow bringing in $6.5B, out of which $4B was generated by 4X games alone. We can’t talk about Mid-core games without diving deep into the largest genre and the largest sub-genre on mobile. Sniper (Sniper 3D led the decline with a drop of over 30M compared to the last year)īuild & Battle (decline across the board with Castle Clash, Forge of Empires and Boom Beach leading the way) Call of Duty Mobile, for example, was down 40M downloads YoY) Call Me a Legend and Girl X Battle amongst the ones to suffer the most)įPS/TPS (Some games scaled up significantly while the largest ones saw massive drops. Turn-based RPG (decline across the board. Street Gang suffering the most in terms of absolyte downloads) Move and Shoot (Archero declined and there was no game to take the spot)īeat ‘em Up (decline across the board. The sub-genres that saw the largest decline in downloads is an unfortunately long list:: Hack and Slash (launches of Marvel Future Revolution and MHA: Future Hero)Īction RPG (lifted by the launch of Cyberika) Open World Adventure (growth of Genshing Impact) There were only three sub-genres in mid-core that had their downloads up from the prior year: The downloads slipped by nearly a fifth compared to 2020 as nearly all sub-genres excluding three saw installs declining. As the IDFA depreciation hit the iOS market, we started seeing a decline in downloads. Thus these games rely more on performance marketing to find high-value players. Mid-core games tend to focus on deeper meta-games that offer good long-term monetization. Most of this growth is from Call of Duty Mobile, which makes more than 90% of the sub-genre. Clash Royale, which makes 70% of all sub-genre revenues also saw growth in downloads, which indicates that Supercell’s renewed investment into performance marketing paid dividends.įPS/3PS grew by 30% and became half a billion-dollar sub-genre in 2021. Real-Time Strategy (RTS), which has been a declining sub-genre for a few years, finally bounced back in 2021 due to the growth of Clash Royale. Almost every title managed to increase its revenue in 2021. Even though no significant new games climbed to the top this year. The biggest sub-genre on mobile in terms of revenue is 4X Games, which also had a good year. On the other hand, Hearthstones' revenues fell by 16% and currently sits in 5th position after many years as the top-grossing game. Mighty Party, Magic The Gathering Arena, and Yu-gi-oh Duel links contributed to revenue growth. Although the installs plunged by 16%, revenues are up by 45%. Genshin Impact is the primary driver of growth, and in fact, the game solely represents the sub-genre and has more than 95% market share.Ĭard Battlers continue to grow every year, with no exception in 2021. Open World Adventure is a newborn sub-genre that grew by 622% this year. The most significant growth in revenue was seen in the following sub-genres:
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