Seasonal events and updates are a good way for games to increase revenue and reach wider audiences. Considering that Halloween falls within, October offers good opportunities in this regard. Mobile game studios strategically harnessed the spirit of seasonal events, notably capitalizing on Halloween, as seen in revenue-boosting content updates for titles like Whiteout Survival and My Perfect Hotel. Mobile game analytics provider GameRefinery prepared a report titled: “Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review October 2023,” analyzing the season and how mobile game companies took advantage of the period.
GameRefinery experiments with a new format in their Analyst Bulletin, now categorized by game genre rather than markets, presenting a more tailored and genre-specific perspective. Major content updates took center stage across popular titles such as Stumble Guys, Pokémon Go, and Monster Strike. These updates weren’t merely cosmetic; they brought forth new limited-time game modes inspired by viral trends, innovations in race events, and a spectrum of monetization features, ranging from skins and permanent boosts to experimental gacha types and novel battle passes. Some highlights from the report are:
Pokemon Go: Pokémon Go introduced a four-player party system following its success in Niantic’s Monster Hunter Now. Parties can be formed with nearby players, lasting one hour and boosting Raid performance.
Simulation Games: My Perfect Hotel, a hotel sim idle arcade, launched major updates, including a new permanent boost system, a special battle pass, hotel manager skins, and a limited-time Halloween event. Despite a drop in download rankings, revenue trends have increased.
Japan: Monster Strike celebrated its 10th Anniversary in Japan with unique elements, including a social multi-gacha for solo and group pulls, crossover events with Tokyo Revengers, and a discount campaign in the Monstop game mode featuring location-based discounts at various establishments.
In the Charts: Futureplay’s Merge Gardens entered the top-grossing 200 in October, steadily scaling performance since the beginning of 2023. Arena Breakout, a global version of a high-performing extraction FPS from the China market, entered the top-grossing 200 chart in the US after a new update introduced various content, including a new map, battle pass, ranked seasons, Halloween-themed events, and limited-time gachas.
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