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It’s been one other robust yr for the cellular video games market, but it surely’s returning to development.
We have already analysed at size how the world’s prime grossing cellular video games have modified time beyond regulation. We have additionally simply printed an article about 2024’s prime new releases, which included one in all this yr’s best-performing titles total.
Right here we analyse the highest income mills and the important thing traits and tales from 2024’s prime grossing rankings.
The estimates are taken from cellular intelligence platform AppMagic and embody information for the App Retailer and Google Play. All estimates are from January 1st to December seventeenth, 2024.
Prime grossing cellular video games for 2024
The primary grossing recreation of the yr was, after all, Tencent’s Honor of Kings at $2.6 billion. It’s been the world’s highest income producing recreation on the App Retailer and Google Play since 2017, besides within the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, when it was usurped by one other Tencent recreation: PUBG Cellular.
At quantity two was Scopely’s Monopoly Go, which amassed $2.2bn. The title has been an infinite success for the writer, successful it the Recreation of the Yr and Finest Writer accolades on the Pocket Gamer Cellular Video games Awards 2024.
In the meantime, Dream Video games’ Royal Match ranked third with $2bn in participant spending, Tencent’s PUBG Cellular sat at fourth with near $1.7bn, and Roblox rounded out the highest 5 with $1.6bn.
By the top of the yr, the highest 10 grossing cellular video games will every have hit the $1bn mark for 2024, up from the earlier excessive of 9 in 2021.
Total, the cellular video games market generated $81.8bn from worldwide participant spending throughout the App Retailer and Google Play between January 1st and December seventeenth, 2024, an increase of 4.9% Y/Y from 2023.
The massive tales
Dungeon & Fighter and Final Warfare are the breakout hits of the yr
As we highlighted in our evaluation of 2024’s prime new video games, the launch of Nexon’s Dungeon & Fighter Cellular, printed by Tencent, was the most important new launch of the yr. Nexon wanted a success – income was down forward of D&F Cellular’s launch, and whereas it’s a $22bn+ franchise, even Dungeon & Fighter On-line was dealing with difficulties following an replace the negatively impacted its economic system.
On China’s App Retailer alone, Dungeon & Fighter Cellular generated $1.1bn in 2024, a determine that may very well be barely greater by the New Yr. Considering income from third-party Android shops, that quantity might be far greater.
It’s an instance of the facility of the Dungeon & Fighter IP, which doesn’t get a lot recognition within the West, and of how prime IPs of its ilk can virtually be licensed hits in Asia (like Lineage has been in South Korea for NCSoft and Netmarble).
It is also value noting that D&F Cellular ranked because the ninth prime grossing recreation on the planet this yr, regardless of solely releasing on Might twenty first, 2024.
In the meantime, FirstFun has had a mega hit with Final Warfare: Survival. The 4X technique recreation, which blends hypercasual gameplay that makes use of gate mechanics – as seen in lots of a cellular recreation advert – began scaling in November/December 2023, and has shortly discovered itself accumulating $1.5bn this yr.
Whereas developed by a Chinese language developer, not like D&F Cellular, the title has discovered international success exterior of the nation, rating because the sixth prime grossing recreation of the yr.
Century Video games’ Whiteout Survival, one other 4X technique title, additionally deserves a particular point out. Whereas it discovered its footing in 2023, income has continued to extend in 2024 to a excessive of $158.5m in November 2024.
Pokémon Buying and selling Card Recreation Pocket, in the meantime, solely launched on October thirtieth, however has quick grow to be one of many yr’s greatest video games, racking up an estimated $292m. Papergames and Infold Video games’ Love and Deepspace simply missed out on the highest 25 grossers, producing $397.4m.
Royal Match overthrew Sweet Crush Saga because the match-3 king
Sweet Crush Saga income hasn’t dwindled. In truth, in accordance with AppMagic estimates, it was remarkably on par with 2023 participant spending at $1.5bn.
However Dream Video games’s first recreation, Royal Match, has ascended as the brand new king of match-3 this yr, rising to the third prime grossing recreation on the planet with an estimated $2bn from participant spending. Solely Playrix’s Gardenscapes has beforehand challenged Sweet Crush’s throne in 2020 – and solely simply.
Royal Match has confirmed itself the height of match-3 recreation polish. Dream Video games is hoping to do the identical once more with Royal Kingdom, launched in November and trying to repeat no less than a few of that success after producing $21.2 million in smooth launch.
We’ll see in 2025 whether or not Dream Video games finds one other hit, or if it begins seeing diminishing returns from sequels and spinoffs of its flagship hit as King has.
Brawl Stars rises again to the highest – and stays there
In case you’re within the cellular video games trade and haven’t heard about Brawl Stars’ rise over the previous yr, welcome again, I hope you’re doing okay.
After years of varied adjustments – even eradicating loot containers – to resuscitate Brawl Stars’ declining income, Supercell hit the jackpot within the latter months of 2023.
Following the addition of latest options like Starr Drops and Hypercharges, Brawl Stars sparked again to life. It’s now the well-known Finnish studio’s flagship title forward of Conflict of Clans, and ranked because the eleventh prime grossing cellular recreation in 2024.
It’s a lesson in how reside ops and persistently testing out new concepts cannot solely maintain a recreation working for the long-term, however even occasionally breathe utterly new life into it.
For comparability, Brawl Stars generated an estimated $147.5 million in gross income between January 1st and December seventeenth, 2023. In the meantime, throughout the identical interval in 2024, participant spending rose by 524% to $921.3m.
Its success has propelled Supercell again into the highest 10 prime grossing cellular recreation publishers on the planet by App Retailer and Google Play income in 2024. The worry of dropping out is what has led to key cultural and structural adjustments on the firm over the previous yr.
HoYoverse finds a profitable decline
There are plenty of caveats to this, however HoYoverse’s flagship video games Genshin Influence and Honkai: Star Rail have fallen out the highest 10 in 2024, to a nonetheless very profitable twelfth for Honkai and 14th for Genshin.
Mixed the titles made $1.5bn from the App Retailer and Google Play thus far this yr. That doesn’t keep in mind income from third-party Android shops, its net store, and different platforms.
However it’s notable that in November, the 2 titles had their worst months ever for income on the App Retailer and Google Play, capping a gradual decline for the 2 titles.
Genshin Influence’s rumoured finances per yr was as soon as mentioned to be $200m per yr, so a noticeable drop in participant spending is noteworthy.
However with an absence of knowledge on income generated off Apple and Google’s shops, it’s tough to understand how problematic the dropoff is for HoYoverse. Any writer can be pleased with the degrees of participant spending from these titles, however few different video games are as costly to take care of.
Asia dominated new recreation releases, however prime grossers cut up throughout the globe
We analysed the highest new cellular recreation releases of 2024 already, highlighting that 13 out of 15 of the highest grossing new titles are by publishers based mostly in Asia.
Value noting too that the opposite two titles have sturdy connections to China, Sea of Conquest developer FunPlus has studios within the nation, whereas Squad Busters maker Supercell is owned by Tencent.
However on the subject of 2024’s total prime grossers, it’s a way more even story. Of the highest 10 income mills, 5 publishers are based mostly in Asia, together with the world’s prime grossing recreation Honor of Kings.
Within the prime 25, in the meantime, 12 publishers are based mostly in Asia. Nevertheless, it’s value as soon as once more noting the affect of Japanese corporations. As beforehand talked about, Supercell, which has two video games within the prime 25, is owned by Tencent. In the meantime, Activision’s Name of Obligation: Cellular was developed in collaboration with Tencent’s TiMi Studio.
To get actually particular, Niantic’s Pokémon Go is, after all, based mostly off of an IP made in Japan.
Earlier this yr, we named the Prime 50 Cellular Recreation Makers for 2024. You may test that record out right here.