puzzle app royal matchDeveloped by a small team in Istanbul, it has overtaken the one owned by Microsoft candy crush saga It was rated as the world’s most profitable mobile game, outpacing any other smartphone title during a lackluster 12 months for the industry.
royal match The game became the world’s biggest mobile game by monthly revenue in July and has held the top spot ever since, according to Data.ai, which tracks consumer spending in Apple and Android app stores. The 2021 game will be the debut from Turkish startup Dream Games, which was valued at $2.75 billion early last year.
For over a decade, the Kings candy crush saga is consistently one of the world’s most popular games on any platform, with cumulative revenue reaching $20 billion this year. After acquiring Activision Blizzard for $75 billion, it is now part of Microsoft. candy crush Since its release in late 2012, it hasn’t been in the top 10 highest-grossing mobile games for just six months, according to Data.ai.
consumer spending on royal match Dream Games co-founder and CEO Soner Aydemir said revenue more than doubled in the year to October, and the game’s annual gross revenue run rate (before app store fees) was 20. increased to $1 billion.
royal match It’s been another tough year for mobile gaming, but much of the growth has been thanks to a focus on quality and mass-market appeal in an area where Apple and Google’s apps often see short-term cash cows. That’s what developers and investors say. A small number of developers create stores on a low budget.
“We strongly believe that quality is the best business plan,” says Aydemir.
Data.ai predicts that the mobile gaming market will decline by about 3% globally, including China, this year. royal match — alongside Scopely Monopoly go! — A rare new hit. “They’ve had a very impressive year,” said Lexi Sydow, head of insights at Data.ai.
royal match is a “match 3” puzzle game, where you usually clear a grid by lining up tiles or icons. These have become the most popular casual game genre since they were popularized by. bejeweled Early 2000s.
While it spawned many imitators, candy crush saga It has come to dominate the match-3 market, ranking No. 1 in consumer spending on mobile app stores for nearly 127 consecutive months, according to Data.ai.
At least until this summer.
Aydemir said players are more loyal and willing to spend more money on in-game items than other puzzle apps. over 90% royal match He added that users who played the game for one year would likely play it for a second year as well.
Part of royal matchSydow said the game’s success was due to its mass-market appeal with easy-to-learn puzzle elements and bright, breezy storylines, allowing it to reach a wider audience than the fantasy battler and casino games that typically dominate the revenue charts. It is said that it is attracting people.
It has around 55 million monthly active users and has been successful in convincing players to spend more money on average. candy crushA much larger audience of around 160 million people are participating, according to Data.ai.
Dream Games investors hope it can survive longer than other scammers. candy crushThrone like Playrix gardenscape and homescapebriefly surpassed King’s hits for several months in 2020.
“So many mobile games are a little glitchy or the graphics aren’t very good. royal match It’s a luxury experience,” said Rob Moffat, an early investor in Dream Games from London-based venture capital firm Balderton Capital. “Nothing breaks and it’s a really clear, clean art style. They’ve thought of every detail.”
Dream has also invested heavily in advertising to attract new players and bring back lapsed users, with many mobile game developers struggling to adapt to Apple’s privacy changes. For years, it has hindered ad targeting to “whales” and high-spending users. Year.
“The idea is that in climates where it’s more difficult to find whales, it might be wise to be more widespread,” Sydow said.
Next year, Dream Games plans to capitalize on its success and launch its next project. royal kingdomAydemir hopes to “expand the story and the world” match’The main character, King Robert. royal kingdomThe production, which introduces Robert’s younger brother Richard, is being tested in the UK and select other markets.
“Our focus is a little different than our competitors,” Aydemir said. “we, [intellectual property] Featuring characters and universes, and well-crafted products to create high-quality games with long-term mass appeal. ”
Dream Games wants to avoid becoming a “one-hit wonder,” said Danny Reimer, a partner and board member at investor Index Ventures. “They have higher expectations for themselves.”
The startup was founded in 2019 by former executives from Peak Games, another Turkish mobile development company that was acquired by US rival Zynga in 2020. Dream Games, which now employs 200 people and is profitable, recently hired Ed Catmull, co-founder of digital animation pioneer Pixar, as a strategic advisor.
“When I first started playing, royal matchI was shocked by the unusual attention to quality of the game’s visuals,” said Catmull, who, according to Aydemir, completed over 5,000 levels in the game.
Idemir admires both the work and organizational principles of Pixar and its parent Walt Disney. The Lion King There are 5 musicals, frozen There are two stage shows.
Dream Games has a 35-seat movie theater in its Istanbul office, where all staff, including software engineers, regularly watch movies and then spend hours analyzing them.
“It builds a creative culture within the company,” Aydemir said. “We also play really bad games to understand why they’re not good enough.”