The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for July 2024 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.
In the ranking of app categories for overseas mobile game advertising in July 2024, the top three categories remain casual, puzzle, and casino. Although casino games have fallen to third place in terms of ad spend, they still represent the largest percentage of new apps launched that month.
In terms of ad volume, the top three categories are casual, puzzle, and role-playing, consistent with June's distribution. Looking at the number of unique creative assets, the role-playing and strategy categories have a significant share, indicating a strong demand for advertising in these mainstream, heavier genres.
In terms of media type and video duration distribution, video remains the primary format for overseas mobile game advertising this month, although its share has slightly decreased to 79.98%. Video duration is primarily concentrated between 16 to 60 seconds, with over 40% of the ads falling into these time frames.
According to AppGrowing, 10 Chinese developers made it into the Top 30 list of mobile game advertisers in July, with only Guru, which focuses on casual games, making it into the Top 5. Additionally, Tencent has seen continuous growth in ad spend, moving up into the top ten.
Overall, the Top 30 advertisers are still mainly focused on light to mid-core game categories, with an increasing trend in ad volume month over month.
In the Product Advertising Top 30 list, MONOPOLY GO! maintains its position at the top of the list, although its ad volume decreased by 8.03%. The second-ranked game is Wood Nuts: Screw Puzzle, a casual puzzle mobile game from a Vietnamese developer, utilizing the currently popular "unscrew" sub-gameplay framework.
SP-Gmae has two new games still ranked in the Top 30 for advertising, but with reduced ad spend. Notably, BangBang Survivor saw a more than 50% decrease in ad volume. Similarly, the ad volume for 武俠大明星, another Chinese-developed game, grew by over 60%, rising to the 16th position as another example of a domestic mini-game transitioning to an overseas app.
Additionally, Flame of Valhalla Global from Leniu Games is another noteworthy overseas title that made it to this month's list as a new entry. It's an MMO mobile game based on Norse mythology.
Sky Entertainment Network Limited new game, 三國雲夢錄, officially launched in mid-July and is currently in a promotional phase, with ad volume increasing by 24.72%, also entering the Top 30 this month.
In July's App Store game reservation rankings, there was a noticeable increase in anime-style new games, including 2.5次元的誘惑 天使們的舞台, 斗羅大陸：史莱克學院,乖離性百萬亞瑟王：環, and De Last Memories. The Google Play rankings showed a greater concentration of reservations in Asian markets.
Among these, Fishing Master, a fishing game, topped the App Store ranking and came second on Google Play. Lilith Games' AFK Journey continues to maintain stable pre-registration marketing, ranking third on both platforms' reservation lists.
Another highlight is Netmarble's new IP game, The Seven Deadly Sins: Idle. According to App Store data, this product is scheduled to officially launch at the end of October this year, with pre-registrations already open in multiple overseas regions.
Reports from various gaming media suggest that Guangzhou Leniu has been recruiting for overseas market-related positions since last year, including roles in art and game operations, indicating preparations for overseas distribution.
According to AppGrowing, in recent years, Leniu Games has launched products such as Divine W: Perfect Wonderland and 운명M: 깨어난 발키리 targeting the overseas market, primarily focusing on Xianxia and fantasy-themed MMO mobile games, which are Leniu's strengths.
In July of this year, Leniu Games began a significant advertising push for its new game Flame of Valhalla Global. According to AppGrowing, this product started with small-scale pre-registration advertising in July, followed by a surge in ad volume in late July as it entered the post-launch promotional phase.
Flame of Valhalla Global is an MMO mobile game based on Norse mythology, with a style leaning more towards Western dark aesthetics, incorporating current popular "open-world" gameplay designs.
The advertising creative strategy focuses on showcasing the game's high-quality art, open-world exploration gameplay, character skills, and combat scenes, leveraging its Norse mythology theme and the dark art style favored by Western users.
For instance, one advertisement aims to highlight the game's high-quality art and expansive world-building. The video opens with a character gazing at distant cities, quickly capturing the interest of users drawn to Western dark-themed MMOs. It then transitions to a scene where the character is riding a mount through the city, further showcasing the game's quality art and rich world-building. The video concludes with a brief display of combat skills and effects, broadening the target audience.
