According to SensorTower, Tencent's SLG mobile game Age of Empires Mobile saw significant revenue growth in October, ranking eighth on the global mobile game revenue growth chart with $10.7 million in revenue.
According to 伽马数据（CNG）, SLG games accounted for an impressive 38.9% of revenue among the Top 100 overseas mobile games developed in China last year, vastly outperforming the second-place RPG genre at 16%. The revenue-generating capabilities of SLG games need no further emphasis.
Conquering the SLG category would undoubtedly be a significant boost to Tencent Games’ global expansion. Now, Age of Empires Mobile seems to be that critical entry ticket. But what kind of game is it, and how has it managed to break through the fiercely competitive SLG market?
01. A More Market-Targeted Special Version
When discussing Age of Empires Mobile, it’s impossible not to mention 重返帝国, which was launched in Mainland China in 2022.
While Brayden Fan, the team leader of Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group, stated in an interview with PocketGamer that Age of Empires Mobile was co-developed with the original Age of Empires team at World’s Edge Studio and is an entirely independent product, their strong resemblance is evident. At least in terms of art design, they can be considered “twin brothers.”
Even today, few SLG titles in the 3D realism domain can surpass 重返帝国 or its counterpart Age of Empires Mobile in visual fidelity. Given the scarcity of realistic 3D competitors in the global SLG market, Age of Empires Mobile’s artistic prowess becomes an even greater competitive advantage.
However, after hands-on gameplay, it’s clear that Age of Empires Mobile is far more than a mere rebranding of 重返帝国. For instance, it enhances the beginner experience by integrating the early “city-building” and “level-grinding” processes into a new RPG-like level-clearing mode, creating a more lightweight early-game experience.
Additionally, Brayden Fan revealed that Age of Empires Mobile does not reset players’ progression at the end of each season. Considering that most global players have not experienced season-based mechanics popularized by games like 率土之滨, starting over is generally less appealing to this audience. The decision to retain progression aligns better with player expectations.
In summary, Age of Empires Mobile is a market-targeted, overseas-specific version of 重返帝国, designed with global SLG trends and user preferences in mind.
02. Maximize The Value Of The IP
Turning to the marketing side, Age of Empires Mobile began accepting pre-registrations on the App Store and Google Play for most regions as early as late February this year. Tracing further back, its official Facebook account had been active since late 2022 and has since amassed over 230,000 followers.
Leveraging the Age of Empires IP, this approach allowed Tencent to maximize the IP’s potential value, giving ample time for the game to spread widely within its fan base.
Age of Empires Mobile also initiated ad campaigns much earlier than usual. According to AppGrowing, small but steady ad placements began in early August. These efforts ramped up a month before launch, with daily ad counts jumping from 200 to 500. Following the game’s release, ad placements skyrocketed, peaking at nearly 2,500 daily. This concentrated burst of ads ensured broad user coverage while activating pre-acquired players.
Geographically, the game’s marketing focused on high-value Western markets with significant IP influence, with Germany, France, and the United States topping the ad placement list. Notably, close to launch, Tencent increased spending in Japan and South Korea—two highly developed SLG markets. According to SensorTower, the game topped both the Google Play download rankings in South Korea and the App Store mobile game download charts in Japan on its launch day.
In terms of creative materials, most advertisements followed a two-part structure: starting with a focus on the IP and its ties to Age of Empires, then transitioning to gameplay highlights. Execution varied across three representative styles:
Visual Comparisons: These advertisements juxtapose visuals from Age of Empires with those of the mobile game to evoke a sense of nostalgia among players. At the same time, they showcase the mobile game’s advancements in visual presentation, highlighting its artistic strengths. Some ads even incorporate live commentary to enhance their appeal and credibility.
KOL Promotions: Another approach involved Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) presenting the game in a livestream-like format. Positioned at the top of the screen, the KOLs introduced the game by first connecting it to the Age of Empires IP before diving into its key selling points. By partnering with multiple KOLs, Tencent aimed to reach diverse user segments.
Live-Action Skits: Some ads recreated classic Age of Empires elements using live-action scenarios. For example, one skit depicted a monk converting a hostile individual, symbolizing the game mechanic where monks convert enemy units to their faction’s color.
Interestingly, Age of Empires Mobile avoided using “mini-game” ad creatives that are currently trending. Since the game lacks such mechanics, employing them might risk backlash for false advertising. Moreover, activating the vast fanbase of the Age of Empires IP can deliver substantial traffic without resorting to such tactics.
03. Is Tencent’s SLG Finally Rising?
In recent years, Tencent's SLG mobile games have had a limited presence in the Chinese mainland market, while their global market footprint has long been absent due to a late entry.However, this does not mean Tencent has overlooked SLG; on the contrary, its commitment to this genre is evident from the chart tracking Tencent’s SLG releases from 2017 to 2024.
Back in 2017, Tencent licensed the game engine of Clash of Kings from Elex to launch 乱世王者 in mainland China. Leveraging this proven framework, 乱世王者 performed exceptionally well, staying in the iOS top 10 revenue rankings for months post-launch. It also ranked ninth on the 2018 global top-grossing mobile games list jointly published by CNG and Newzoo.
However, Tencent was not content with this success. On one hand, 乱世王者 excelled but didn’t achieve market dominance, leaving untapped potential in the SLG sector. On the other, the rise of 率土之滨 redefined SLG market trends in mainland China.
Thus, from 2017 onward, Tencent has launched an SLG product almost every year, adjusting its strategy to align with market trends—for instance, adopting the “率土之滨-like” grid-based mechanics in 2020 and later pivoting to “free march” gameplay as grid mechanics fell out of favor. Despite some early successes, Tencent has yet to produce a flagship SLG that consistently leads the category.
However, Tencent’s previous SLG efforts focused primarily on the Chinese mainland market. With Age of Empires Mobile, the industry sees the company’s potential global. If Age of Empires Mobile proves capable of long-term success, Tencent could replicate this model with more world-class IPs to solidify its SLG presence globally.
To some extent, this “IP + SLG” strategy is Tencent’s unique ticket to entering the global SLG market. Beyond its extensive resources, Tencent’s global investments and partnerships in recent years have significantly expanded its influence, granting access to top-tier IPs. Furthermore, Tencent’s mature mobile game monetization systems make it an attractive partner for global studios.
Tencent also has two other SLG titles, Command & Conquer™: Legions and 世界启元. Both benefit from strong IP backing—the former from the Command & Conquer franchise and the latter from Sid Meier's Civilization series.
Whether Age of Empires Mobile can pave the way for Tencent’s “IP + SLG” global strategy and take its globalization efforts to new heights remains a question worth watching closely.
