According to Sensor Tower data, first-time downloads of Brawl Stars increased 4.5x week-to-week in the United States following a real-life Squid Game video shot by YouTuber MrBeast.
Squid Game, a viral Netflix series that pits 456 players in a life-or-death game for a chance to win a cash prize of 45.6 billion yen, a life-changing amount for participants, aired in September 2021. The series became Netflix’s most-watched series, and since the show started, Netflix app downloads have increased by 30 percent month-on-month and 23.5 percent year-over-year.
YouTuber MrBeast capitalized on the popularity of the series with a real-life version. As with the series, 456 players participated in games featured on the show for a chance to win $456.000. Supercell, the publisher of Brawl Stars, sponsored the event.
Within six days of the YouTube video’s release, it reached 100 million views. Worldwide Brawl Stars downloads increased by 41 percent week on week to reach 1.4 million. The growth in downloads was led by the United States, where downloads increased by nearly 350 percent week-on-week to 263,000. Player spending likewise increased, with worldwide revenue rising almost 54 percent week-on-week to $8.2 million, while revenue in the US rose 65 percent to $2 million.
To date, Brawl Stars has amassed nearly 324 million downloads worldwide. Russia ranks as the game’s #1 download country with 38.6 million downloads, about 12 percent of the total. Brazil follows it at number 2 and Turkey at number 3. The US is #4 with 21.5 million downloads, 6.6 percent of the game’s all-time total.
Supercell’s hit game Brawl Stars has generated $1.4 billion in total player spending worldwide to date. The US ranks top in revenue, with $209.7 million in player spending, about 15 percent of the total. South Korea ranks 2nd in terms of income, while Germany ranks third.
Games that wanted to capitalize on the popularity of Squid Game dominated the market in October. Best applications such as Candy Challenge 3D by İdil Morgül, Cookie Carver by Azur Games, and 456 by Abi Game Studio were best worldwide. Last month, a total of 53.2 million downloads were achieved in the top 10 overall download rankings worldwide. While these games have been on the rise quickly, it seems as interest in Squid Game content continues after MrBeast’s video was a huge hit two months after its launch. Brawl Stars’ sponsorship of the event demonstrates that unique possibilities can generate solid synergies and the right partnerships.