GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, mobile game market review: March 2024

Call of Duty: Warzone finally launched on mobile, holding the number one spot in downloads. The shooter peaked at grossing 30 in the US iOS market, but revenues have been declining since launch. The game is still holding in the top 100 grossing but has fallen far below Call of Duty: Mobile. GameRefinery notes that Call of Duty: Mobile has a much larger content cadence than Warzone Mobile and that the two titles also use different monetization models, which may explain the disparity. 

In Sega’s first major flex since its acquisition of Rovio, there was a mega-crossover event between Sonic the Hedgehog and Angry Birds that spanned five different titles: Sonic Forces, Sonic Dash, Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Friends, and Angry Birds Dream Blast. Angry Birds 2 had the most success out of the five titles, with daily iOS revenue in the US spiking by more than 150% in daily revenue in the US.

Farlight and Lilith Games’ AFK Journey, a sequel slash spin-off of AFK Arena, has been performing exceptionally well since it launched last month, peaking at 15 and number two in downloads on the US iOS market. Much of this success was due to an extensive marketing campaign that included mobile ads, a fan art contest with real-life prizes, pre-commissioned artworks by various artists, and even a theme song released to streaming services.

One of the most notable trends in the midcore market was the rise of social hangout areas, particularly in less traditional genres. The 4X strategy game State of Survival introduced an “Alliance Hall” for its guild system, while the auto-battle RPG CookieRun: Kingdom launched a hangout area called the Town Square.

Stumble Guys revamped its Battle Pass, combining its reward tracks into a streamlined system that allows players to choose the order in which they unlock rewards using a dedicated currency. While relatively unheard of on mobile, this type of battle pass is fairly commonplace on consoles, particularly in titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty. Stumble Guys also launched a collab with Dungeons and Dragons.

In an unusual move for hybrid-casual games, Mob Control launched a large collaboration with Hasbro’s Transformers franchise. The crossover was split into two parts: the first being a Transformers Season Battle Pass with Bumblebee-themed rewards, and the other aspect a six-part storyline showcasing Bumblebee’s heroics.

March was a busy time for Seasonal Events, with many games taking advantage of Easter, Ramadan, International Women’s Day, and even April Fool’s Day. Highlights included Stumble Guys’ Girl Power Event (which included a selection of randomized levels "voted on by ladies.”), an easter-themed battle pass in Gardenscapes, and a gingerbread balancing minigame in CookieRun Kingdom for April Fools.