Throughout April, the mobile gaming market saw a continued emphasis on casual games as the mainstay for advertising efforts. Casual games remained at the forefront in terms of ad volume and the number of apps, with Puzzle games following closely behind. Both categories saw over 18% of new apps in the month.
According to AppGrowing's analysis based on advertising data from 50 countries/regions and 25 global media platforms, in April, 9 Chinese developers made it to the top 30 list of mobile game developers in terms of number of ads, primarily focusing on mid/hard-core game categories. IGG and Yotta Games secured spots in the Top 5, both being leading developers in the strategy game (SLG) market.
Looking at the Top 30 games in terms of number of ads, "MONOPOLY GO!" remained at the top, although there was a 0.73% decrease in ad volume compared to the previous month. Among the Top 5 games, except for IGG 's "Lords Mobile" the rest were all casual games. XD 's new game "出發吧麥芬(Go! Go! Muffin)" saw a continuous increase in advertising, with a 6.12% increase in ad volume, ranking 13th on the list.
Notable new entries in the list include "奇蹟MU: 無限金蛋(MU: Infinite Golden Eggs)" by Tanwan Games and "道天錄" by eSkyFun .
- "MU: Infinite Golden Eggs" significantly increased its market promotion in April after launching in Hong Kong and Taiwan in March, with a 13-fold increase in ad volume compared to the previous month. The game had previously held the top position in the Vietnamese market for 30 consecutive days, and its performance in Hong Kong and Taiwan is highly anticipated following its success in Vietnam.
- "道天錄," published by Eskyfun, is a game that combines cute art style with cultivation themes and simulation management. It was launched in the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan markets on April 22nd and achieved revenue of over ten million CNY on both Google Play and iOS in its first month, showing promising market potential.
In terms of pre-registering games in April, anime-style products dominated the list. A highlight among the new games is "Solo Leveling: Arise" by Netmarble , an anime-adapted mobile game based on the popular Korean webtoon "Solo Leveling."
The game was launched globally on May 8th and topped the charts in multiple markets. According to AppGrowing 's data, the game showed strong growth momentum during the pre-registration period and was Netmarble's largest investment on advertising in April.
Netmarble 's most well-known games include the original IP anime game "Seven Knights" and the Ghibli anime-adapted mobile game "Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds." The company's advertising campaigns are mainly focused on the Japanese and Korean markets. The new game "Solo Leveling: Arise" has performed exceptionally well and has become a major driver of ad volume.
Focusing on the advertising strategy of "Solo Leveling: Arise," the game began to heat up in April and increased its advertising in Japan towards the end of the month.
In terms of ad creative, "Solo Leveling: Arise" closely follows the exciting points of the original manga and amplifies the thrilling experience by showcasing the game's combat scenes, camera effects, and high-quality art, attracting both core fans of the IP and general players.
For example, in one of the ad creatives, the frequent changes in camera angles, rich special effects, and emotional voice-overs work together to continuously stimulate the audience's excitement, while also implying the game's high quality.
This type of content is particularly appealing to players who enjoy combat operations. At the end of the video, the game's title is reiterated through voice-over and copywriting to reinforce the audience's impression.
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