The old era is over. Since 2025, the global mobile-ad landscape has undergone a structural shift. Under AI-driven algorithms, major ad platforms have moved from "tag matching" to "content understanding". The traditional two-tower model is now passé, replaced by interactive towers that semantically match audiences likely to perform interactive actions — in this context, creative becomes the new targeting. Source：《Hierarchical Structured Neural Network: Efficient Retrieval Scaling for Large Scale Recommendation》 The Strategic Shift: AI vs. AI Marketers now face a critical choice: continue inefficiently scaling volume, or adopt strategy-level AI tools to respond to algorithmic change and build reusable formulas. AppGrowing and Youdao Ads released AI vs. AI: Global Mobile Games & Apps Trends 2026 to help marketers answer:   […]

In 2019, Leyi launched the SLG game "West Game," set in the American Westward Expansion era. With its differentiated theme and mature operations, the game quickly attracted a large number of users. As of now, the game has accumulated approximately 27 million downloads and generated over 1.4 billion yuan in revenue. However, since "West Game," Leyi seems to have hit a growth bottleneck. Despite the company's ongoing high-frequency testing of various SLG new games, it has failed to find a product capable of succeeding "West Game" and taking on the company’s revenue banner. Recently, AppGrowing observed that Leyi has launched the sequel to the "West Game" IP, "West Game II," which officially entered public beta on September 21. The data […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for September 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.In the ranking of overseas mobile game advertising by category, casino, casual, and puzzle games occupy the top three spots. Among new app releases, casino games maintain the lead, accounting for 53.85%. Casual games come second, with nearly 27.31% of new app releases. puzzle games account for 16.76%. Notably, although the overall number of arcade game ads is relatively small, new arcade apps constitute 22.46%, surpassing puzzle titles. The top three in advertising volume are puzzle, casual, and role-playing games. However, when considering creative material count after de-duplication, strategy games surpass action titles. […]

"Foreign players are learning Song Dynasty history through the game." Since its global launch on November 7, NetEase's MMORPG "Sword of Justice" has generated trending discussions across major social media platforms worldwide. In the game, players explore the Hongqiao Bridge in Bianjing, experiencing the scenery of 'Qingming Shanghe Tu'. Through interactive storylines, they also engage with classical Chinese poetry. This international release has successfully introduced traditional Chinese cultural elements and aesthetic values to global gaming audiences. From the very first day of launch, the game dominated charts in multiple countries, topping the free sections of App Store and Google Play in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and other nations.   01. Light Character Progression + Heavy Social Interaction As a highly culturally […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for September 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.In the ranking of overseas mobile game advertising by category, casual, entertainment, and puzzle games occupy the top three spots. Among new app releases, entertainment games maintain the lead, accounting for 48.11%. Casual games come second, with nearly 29.67% of new app releases. puzzle games account for 18.72%. Notably, although the overall number of arcade game ads is relatively small, new arcade apps constitute 24.09%, surpassing puzzle titles. The top three in advertising volume are casual, puzzle, and role-playing games. However, when considering creative material count after de-duplication, puzzle games surpass casual titles. […]

At the end of last month, Destiny: Rising made its global debut, immediately claiming the No.1 spot on the U.S. iOS download chart and peaking at No.22 on the top-grossing list. Seven years have passed since NetEase invested $100 million in Bungie in 2018 and announced a new joint project. In that time, the mobile shooter landscape has been largely dominated by incumbents. Why, then, has Destiny: Rising managed to shake up the market—and what does this breakthrough mean for NetEase? 01.Why Destiny: Rising Stood Out Part of the success lies in the strength of the Destiny IP. The original Destiny launched in 2014 with first-day sales reaching $500 million, while Destiny 2 became the best-selling U.S. title of 2017 […]

Recently, Acecraft: Sky Hero broke into the upper ranks of the U.S. iOS download charts. The title is published by Moonton, best known globally for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. What sets Acecraft: Sky Hero apart is its distinctive retro rubber hose animation style, a visual choice rarely seen in today’s mobile market. This article draws on AppGrowing data to examine the game’s advertising strategy. Advertising Overview According to AppGrowing, the Android version of Acecraft: Sky Hero launched a total of 13,255 ads, spanning 74 regions and 13 platforms. In-Feed ads dominated placements with over 56%, followed by Rewarded Video (21%) and Native (11%). From a creative perspective, videos made up nearly 69%, including 23% standard video and 45% vertical video, […]

Destiny: Rising is a sci-fi RPG shooter mobile title jointly developed by NetEase and Bungie, based on the Destiny IP and set in a parallel timeline during the post-Dark Age. The game launched its first closed Alpha test on November 1, 2024, and was officially released worldwide on August 27, 2025. This article draws on AppGrowing data to analyze Destiny: Rising’s advertising strategy. Advertising Overview According to AppGrowing, the Android version of Destiny: Rising ran a total of 1,829 ads, spanning 26 regions and 11 platforms. In-Feed ads accounted for over 71%, followed by Rewarded Video (17%) and Native (6%). In terms of creative format, videos made up nearly 80%, with standard video ads exceeding 40% and vertical video close […]

In Sensor Tower's latest global revenue ranking, Kingshot joined Whiteout Survival at the top, securing both the No.1 and No.2 spots for Century Games. Meanwhile, its newly launched merge title, Tasty Travels: Merge Game, also entered the chart at No.29. The company has become nothing short of a hit factory. Riding its momentum, parent company Century Huatong's stock price has surged, with market capitalization surpassing ¥100 billion (≈ US$13.8 billion) in July 2025—cementing its status as a leading A-share gaming giant. Looking back, Century Huatong's ¥6.939 billion acquisition of Century Games from FunPlus was seen by many as a high-stakes gamble. A decade later, it is now considered a masterstroke. 1. A ¥6.9B Acquisition and the ¥2B Performance Gamble Rewind […]

In March 2025, FunPlus launched the Android version of Tiles Survive! across multiple regions. The title blends simulation management with 4X gameplay, positioning itself directly against today’s most profitable 4X hit, Whiteout Survival. Notably, Whiteout Survival itself was developed by Century Games, a studio FunPlus sold to Century Huatong in 2018. This article, drawing on AppGrowing data, examines the advertising strategy behind Tiles Survive!. Advertising Overview According to AppGrowing, the Android version of Tiles Survive! ran 10,299 ads across 60 regions and 8 ad platforms. Ad format mix: In-Feed ads dominated at 73%, followed by Native at 12%, and Rewarded Video at around 8%. Creative assets: Videos made up the clear majority at 85%+, with images accounting for less than […]