According to SocialPeta data, we compiled the TOP 20 rankings for global mobile game advertising, revenue, and downloads in August 2023 to help more mobile app professionals understand changing trends in the global mobile market.
Key trends in global mobile games for August:
Renaissance – VNG takes over Tencent as publisher for PUBG Mobile, running 18,000 creatives;
650 million iOS downloads (MONOPOLY GO!) tops US game charts for over 100 days;
Anniversary + Swimsuit Show – FGO totals $7 billion in lifetime revenue after 8 years;
Hidden hit idle games emerge, (My Perfect Hotel) sees 5.3 million iOS downloads, up 10X;
Are eyebrow pencils too expensive? The fashion makeover game (Proiect Makeover) exceeds 2.3 million iOS downloads.
Top 20 by Advertising
1. PUBG Mobile gets a facelift as Tencent helps VNG expand beyond Vietnam
The latest PUBG Mobile IP game (Metal Slug: Awakening), officially licensed by SNK, developed by Tencent TiMi Studio Group and published by Vietnamese game company VNG, launched in eight major markets, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia on July 27.
According to SocialPeta, (Metal Slug: Awakening)ran 18,000 deduplicated creatives in August, with newly created ads making up 89% and real-person ads 6%. Specifics for iOS are:
- Creatives increased 326% MoM in August;
- Creative placed in a total of 61 regions, with the most in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand;
- Nearly 62% of creatives in the past 30 days were video;
- The most common video size was landscape 1280×720 at 22.2% share;
- For media, lifestyle media ranked first at 18.98% share, followed by casual and entertainment.
For video creative, (Metal Slug: Awakening) focused on “nostalgia, gameplay, items, and twists.” The music was strong and energetic to resonate with short video platform users, while the videos were snappy and concise. Per SocialPeta, 83% of market videos were under 30 seconds.
Popular formulas:
1. Trigger nostalgia by contrasting Metal Slug arcade originals with new high-def graphics;
2. Highlight action and gameplay with closeups of rolls and weapon assembly accentuating playability;
3. Drive downloads interactively with character, item, and vehicle selection pages with a call-to-action copy.
2. Ella’s endorsement of the new MMO from Rouzhu Games
The new treasure-hunting MMO (Moonlight Thieves) Guild officially launched on September 7, endorsed by S.H.E member Ella. According to SocialPeta, it began pre-registration promotion with heavy marketing on August 9, running 7,500 deduplicated creatives in August with 2% real-person ads. Specifics for Android:
- Creative placed in 36 regions, most in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore;
- Nearly 45% of creatives in the past 30 days were video;
- The most common video size was landscape 640×360 at 34.8% share;
- For media, health/beauty ranked first at 37.16% share, followed by casual and efficiency.
For copy, (Moonlight Thieves) Guild got creative with “clickbait” titles. Here are some popular ones captured by SocialPeta:
- Play with Ella
- Expensive electronics: iPhone 15, Sony camera, Microsoft laptop
- Classic luxury: GUCCI
- Game rewards: 1200 pulls for free
- Gameplay: Super satisfying impact, thrilling adventure
Along with celebrity endorsements and influencer gameplay, (Moonlight Thieves) Guild took a simple and effective approach to pre-registration creatives.
Other new game launches with outstanding advertising in August:
Tago Studio published the martial arts idle card game (Unnamed Jianghu), launching in public beta on September 5, with 5,800 deduplicated creatives in August;
Keying Games’ fantasy MMO God (Hidden: City of the Moon) officially launched in public beta on August 31, with 4,000 deduplicated creatives in August;
Qooland Games published Sword Chronicles, the US version of (The Legend of the Three Kingdoms), launching in public beta on August 16, with 3,400 deduplicated creatives in August.
Top 20 by Revenue
Notable revenue performers on the App Store in August:
The Monopoly IP game (MONOPOLY GO!) dominated the US App Store top-grossing chart for 13 days and the free chart for 135 days. It saw around $72.5 million in single-store revenue in August, up about 67.1% MoM. The US contributed the most at over 78%, with France second at 4%.
Source: Qimai Data, September 12 (MONOPOLY GO!) rankings on US App Store game charts
Anime games saw encouraging revenue growth:
The “Qin Shi Huang” of anime games welcomed its most lucrative event of the year – the 8th Anniversary Celebration and Summer Swimsuit Return, earning $34.6 million single store revenue in August, up about 142% MoM. Additionally, in August 2023, (FGO) surpassed $7 billion in global lifetime revenue.
MiHoYo’s turn-based side game (Honkai: Star Rail) earned $47.2 million single store revenue in August, up about 100% MoM, updating limited 5-star characters Rozaliya, Kafka, and Honkai’s first SP character Danheng Yinyue.
MiHoYo’s open-world game (Genshin Impact)earned $17.8 million single store revenue in August, up about 9.2% MoM, updating limited 5-star characters Yoimiya, Heart’s Desire, Wanderer (Rounin), and first Sumeru 5-star character Nilou.
Cygames’ horse girl racing game (Uma Musume Pretty Derby) earned $18.1 million single store revenue in August, up about 98.9% MoM, updating limited SSR characters Mejiro McQueen, Marchenko, and Nakayama Festa, alongside the 2.5th Anniversary event for the Japan server.
Notable revenue performers on Google Play in August:
(PUBG MOBILE) earned around $15.7 million single store revenue in August, up about 9% MoM, with the US contributing 22.9% share;
NCSOFT classic MMO revenue surged – (Lineage M) earned around $44.5 million single store revenue in August, up about 13.2% MoM, (Lineage W) earned around $14.3 million single store revenue in August, up about 3.6% MoM;
Tencent’s Level Infinite published anime shooter (NIKKE) earning around $9.7 million single store revenue in August, up about 32.9% MoM.
Top 20 by Downloads
Notable download performers on the App Store in August:
SayGames’ idle management game (My Perfect Hotel) saw about 5.3 million single store downloads in August, nearly 10X growth from July;
Eyebrow pencils are too expensive; you might as well play some mobile games! Magic Tavern’s mobile makeover game(Proiect Makeover)had around 2.3 million downloads in August from a single platform, a 35.3% increase from the previous month. Dotodo Inc.’s winter survival mobile game(Whiteout Survival) had around 2.7 million downloads in August from a single platform, a 28.6% increase from the previous month.
Popular downloads on Google Play in August include:
MOBILE SOCCER’s soccer mobile game (Football League 2023)had around 16.5 million downloads from a single platform in August, a 179.7% increase from the previous month.
Dream Games’ match-3 mobile game(Royal Match) had around 13.1 million downloads from a single platform in August, a 26% increase from the previous month.
Ruby Game Studio’s action puzzle mobile game (Hunter Assassin)had around 10.4 million downloads from a single platform in August, a 19.5% increase from the previous month.
Scopely’s party competition mobile game (Stumble Guys) had around 7.3 million downloads from a single platform in August, a 62.2% increase from the previous month.
The above are insights into global mobile game launches in August 2023 and mobile game revenue and download situations across both the App Store and Google Play.
For more mobile marketing data, please visit SocialPeta.
