The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for September 2024 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.
In October, the category distribution of ad placements for mobile games ranked Puzzle, Casual, and Casino games as the top three in terms of active ad placement.
Notably, the Casino category saw a continued rise in new app ads, now accounting for 40.75% of new placements this month.
In terms of total ad volume, Casual, Puzzle, and Role-Playing games remained the top three categories.
Looking at ad format types and video length distribution, video-based creatives continued to dominate mobile game ads this period, rising to 80.07% of total ad placements.Video lengths were primarily concentrated in the 16-60 second range.
01.Top Mobile Game Developers & Mobile Games
According to AppGrowing, the Top 30 mobile game developers by ad spending in October included 12 developers from China, consistent with the September ranking.
This month, Century Games surged to first place, with its featured product Whiteout Survival. Additionally, Century Huatong’s Q3 financial report indicated a revenue of 6.253 billion RMB, marking a 67.29% YoY increase, largely driven by its successful gaming segment led by Whiteout Survival.
Habby, known for creating mid-core game hits, re-entered the list at 20th with a major ad push for its new title, Capybara Go!.
Meanwhile, Qookka Games, listed as 30th, is actually associated with Lingxi Games. Their new game, Tree of Savior: New World, launched in October across multiple markets, including Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea, accompanied by an extensive ad campaign.
In the Top 30 product ad rankings, Whiteout Survival retained the top position, though its ad volume only increased by 1.88% month-over-month. Mahjong-themed match-3 game Vita Mahjong climbed further to fourth place, with a 5.49% growth in ad volume.
Habby’s new game, Capybara Go!, saw an explosive 584.05% increase in ad volume, debuting at ninth place on the list. The game launched in various markets, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, achieving the top spot on the iOS free games chart in Japan, Taiwan, and Macau.
True to Habby’s established “segmented market release” strategy, Capybara Go! was tailored to different audiences; for instance, it featured celebrity endorsements in South Korea, while in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the marketing leaned heavily on popular elements like beauty themes and TikTok trends to appeal to local tastes.
Additionally, Kingnet’s new MMORPG, 諸神劫：影姬, saw a dramatic 376.7% month-over-month increase in ad volume, placing it within the Top 30 rankings. The game launched in early October in the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets, featuring Taiwanese actress 谢欣颖 as the spokesperson.
02.Top Download & Pre-registering Games
Based on periodic download volume, October's Google Play download rankings remained dominated by mid-core and casual games. Hyper-casual game Hole.io by Voodoo surpassed 9.5 million downloads, placing it in the Top 15.
Sorting by download growth rate, the top position went to Archosaur Games’ Miraibo Go, a “Palworld-like” game that launched in early October in global markets, even reaching the third position on Thailand's iOS free games chart.
Additionally, the racing game 極速快感：集結, developed by Tencent’s TiMi Studio and published by Garena, ranked sixth after its October international release.
Now, looking at the pre-registration rankings, several titles have made significant headway on both iOS and Google Play this period.
The anime-style mobile game Ash Echoes, developed by Aurogon, ramped up its pre-registration ads in Southeast Asia and Japan markets in October. The Japanese version of the game secured fifth place on both iOS and Google Play pre-registration rankings, while the Southeast Asia version entered the Top 10 on Google Play's pre-registration chart.
Meanwhile, Mover Games’ 聖門士星矢EX took third place on both platforms, with its pre-registration open in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
03.Lingxi Games Global Advertising Layout
In October, Lingxi Games continued to intensify its global marketing efforts, focusing on the launch of its new game, Tree of Savior: New World, across several major global markets.
According to the “Top Publishers” feature from AppGrowing, Lingxi Games' Top 7 advertising regions for October were Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Taiwan, highlighting a strong focus on Asian markets.
Regarding the distribution of advertising across products, Tree of Savior: New World was the primary focus, with its Top 6 spots occupied by different regional versions of this new title.
Tree of Savior: New World is, in essence, the game Nation of Forests, which launched in China last year. For its international release, however, it adopted the Tree of Savior IP created by "Father of RO" Kim Hakkyu, leveraging the IP's influence to capture global markets with a theme of a “new healing MMO.”
Currently, the game is performing well in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, even reaching the top of Taiwan’s iOS game sales chart.
AppGrowing conducted an analysis of the Hong Kong and Taiwan version of Tree of Savior: New World to examine its ad placement strategy and creative assets.
The trend shows that the pre-registration phase was the most intense advertising period, with over 300 ads placed daily.
In terms of creative content, there are numerous ads combining brand marketing elements, such as celebrity endorsements and IP collaboration events.
Featured in this ad is the renowned Japanese game composer, Mitsuaki Sakurai, lending his voice to endorse a game. Initially, he shares his personal insights, swiftly transitioning into an exposition of the game's content.
Asserting that an MMO can offer a second life to players, the ad spotlights the game's homestead and social gameplay, emphasizing its casual nature. This strategy aims to break the heavy and costly stereotype of MMORPGs. The ad wraps up by showcasing pre-order perks, encouraging viewers to engage with the game.
