Data.ai's data shows that in 2023, the global SLG mobile game downloads increased by 23.5% compared to the previous year. SLG mobile games accounted for over 52.1% of the download share in the strategy game genre, indicating continued player preference. During the same period, light RPGs also gained popularity among global gamers. These games meticulously align their designs with the gaming psychology of players from different countries and regions during the marketing phase, focusing on both gameplay and marketing techniques.
In this edition, NetMarvel breaks down the marketing strategies of three of the top 30 revenue-generating mobile games worldwide in 2023! They are "Whiteout Survival," "Mushroom Hero Legend," and "Last War: Survival Game."
In terms of user acquisition marketing, NetMarvel, drawing on its extensive experience in app internationalization and growth marketing services, identifies the outstanding features of these three games:
01 "Whiteout Survival"
Diversified RPG gameplay boosts user retention rates.
Achievements:
Dian Dian Interactive's "Whiteout Survival" maintains a high-frequency output of content and activities. This strategy resulted in breaking records in January for daily revenue, monthly income, active users, and download volume. The game secured the top spot on the Chinese mobile game international revenue chart for the first time. While consistently leading the global SLG mobile game bestseller list, its revenue share in this category further increased to 12%.
The sustained and stable growth of "Whiteout Survival" can be attributed to two main factors. Firstly, the game features a unique theme of ice and snow generation, effectively seizing the market's opportunity. Secondly, the game adopts an architecture similar to Clash of Kings (COK), emphasizing map exploration benefits and introducing RPG elements to ensure sufficient depth in character development. Additionally, even after the player exits the novice stage, the "simulation management" gameplay remains prominent, addressing the issue of monotony in traditional SLG games during the initial stages. This design not only enhances the player's gaming experience but also significantly encourages long-term retention of players who enjoy "simulation management."
02 "Mushroom Hero Legend"
Top-tier casual game with a "preheating" user acquisition strategy.
Achievements:
As a dark horse in the RPG category, "Mushroom Hero Legend" surpassed local RPG giants such as "Tales of Wind" and "Ragnarok M: Eternal Love" with its humorous setting, relaxed gameplay, and abundant rewards. It topped the January South Korean mobile game market's bestseller list with an average rating exceeding 4.7. This marked the first time in years that a foreign mobile game claimed the crown and the first non-hardcore mobile game to achieve such a feat. The publisher, 4399, climbed 13 spots in rankings to reach 7th place, with approximately 64% of its revenue coming from the Korean market.
Marketing Strategies:
From a product and market perspective, the success of "Mushroom Hero Legend" stems from precise targeting of the gaming market in specific regions. Recognizing a decline in South Korean gamers' favorability towards hardcore RPGs, the game shifted its focus to casual, entertaining gameplay. In addition, the game's use of mushroom characters as a distinctive feature, along with icon and character designs reminiscent of the Korean classic IP "MapleStory," garnered significant attention.
Regarding user acquisition, "Mushroom Hero Legend" employed a "preheating" strategy, conducting small-scale preheating promotions during the pre-launch period. The stable deployment of materials began only after the product was officially launched.
03 "Last War: Survival Game"
Casual style user acquisition to enhance user experience.
Achievements:
According to data from three sources, "Last War: Survival Game" estimated revenue exceeded 1.1 billion yuan in December 2023, with downloads approaching 5 million. As of now, the game's estimated revenue for the first 21 days of January has reached 1.8 billion yuan. If it maintains this growth rate, GameLook believes it has the potential to achieve 3 billion yuan in monthly revenue in January, making it the first global SLG blockbuster of 2024.
Marketing Strategies:
Creative Advertising Investment: According to player feedback in the game community, many players were attracted to the game due to eye-catching creative advertisements on platforms like Facebook or user-generated content ads on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The substantial advertising budget invested by Efun for explosive marketing indirectly confirms the game's outstanding performance in retention and monetization.
Breaking Traditional SLG Gameplay: The game introduces a card-drawing mechanic from the beginning, allowing players to draw heroes (or fragments) with different attributes, abilities, and skills. These heroes improve player efficiency in the early stages and enhance combat power in the mid-to-late game. By combining arcade gameplay and the card-drawing mechanism, the game gradually transitions to traditional SLG building and warfare gameplay. This design achieves logical coherence between user acquisition, game design, and gameplay while incorporating casual elements, significantly enhancing the attractiveness of the game's creative advertising.
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