Mobile GameDev Awards 2024 Winners Announced

GameRefinery :

San Fransisco, 11th March, 2024 - Liftoff, the leading growth acceleration platform for the mobile industry, has announced the winners of the 2024 Mobile GameDev Awards, which celebrate the most innovative LiveOps events across the global mobile gaming market. 

The winners were chosen across ten categories, showcasing the best collaborations, social/competitive events, narrative, seasonal events, and minigame events in midcore and casual gaming. The winners in each category are as follows:

Best Collaboration Event (Midcore)
Winner: PUBG Mobile x Dragonball Z by Tencent

“PUBG Mobile’s groundbreaking collaboration with Dragon Ball Super took home the award for Best Collaboration Event (Midcore). This collaboration redefined gaming crossovers, immersing players in an anime-inspired Battle Royale mode where they could play as iconic Dragon Ball Super characters with signature abilities. The event cleverly incorporated character upgrade mechanics and offered additional events, including a DBS quiz with themed rewards. PUBG Mobile’s innovative use of the Dragon Ball Super IP in two game modes captivated players and solidified its position as the year’s standout event.” 

Best Collaboration Event (Casual)
Winner: Stumble Guys - Various collaboration events, e.g., with MrBeast by Scopely

“Stumble Guys, the popular casual mobile game, won the Best Collaboration Event (Casual) award for its constant high-quality collaboration events throughout the year. The game’s live events featured unique IP-themed maps and limited-time modes with new mechanics and twists. The year’s grand finale was the Look Who’s Back in the Stumbleverse event series, which brought collaborations with MrBeast, Barbie, Nerf, Monopoly, SpongeBob, Rabbids, and The Smurfs. Many IP-themed maps were added permanently to the game’s map pool, further enhancing the Stumble Guys experience.” 

Best Social / Competitive Event (Midcore)
Winner: League of Legends: Wild Rift - Arena by Riot Games

“Riot Games’ Wild Rift clinched the Best Social / Competitive Event (Midcore) award for its limited-time Arena mode. This unique mode introduced fast-paced PvP gameplay, where four teams of two faced off in a battle royale-esque standoff. The fight was broken down into several 2v2 rounds in small arenas, with each team having a limited number of lives. Players were restricted to using a limited pool of randomized Champions, adding an element of strategy to the gameplay. The Arena Privilege Pass event booster allowed players to unlock additional Champions and earn more rewards, making the event even more exciting.

The Arena mode was later brought back with its own ranked feature titled ‘Arena Ranked Season 1’, which looks like it will be a permanent addition to the game. This is an example of a good strategy: first testing a mode as a limited-time event and then reacting to the positive player feedback and sentiment by implementing it permanently with additional features.” 

Best Social / Competitive Event (Casual)
Monopoly GO! - Partner Event by Scopely

“Monopoly GO!, the casual mobile game sensation, was crowned the Best Social / Competitive Event (Casual) winner for its innovative Partner Events. These events allowed players to collaborate with friends and work together towards a common goal. By rolling the dice in the core gameplay experience, players earned event currency to progress in the goals with their partners. This social incentive created a compelling reason for players to engage with the game throughout the event. Partner Events have become a regular addition to Monopoly GO, with different themes appearing approximately once a month.” 

Best Use of Narrative in an Event (Midcore)
Cookie Run: Kingdom - Holiday Express by Devsisters

“Cookie Run: Kingdom, developed by Devsisters, emerged victorious in the award for Best Use of Narrative in an Event (Midcore). Inspired by Agatha Christie novels, the game’s holiday express event captivated players with its interactive story. Players had to closely follow the narrative and collect objects from different rooms to present the right evidence in a murder case. CookieRun: Kingdom has consistently impressed players with its ability to use narrative elements to forge a strong bond between players and new characters, and this fully narrative-driven event was no exception.” 

Best Use of Narrative in an Event (Casual)
June’s Journey - Story-First Battle Pass by Wooga

“June’s Journey, the popular casual game by Wooga, was awarded Best Use of Narrative in an Event (Casual) for its innovative Travel Pass system. The Travel Pass emphasized storytelling, with narrative aspects taking center stage. Players embarked on a captivating journey, with rewards becoming a “side benefit” of the immersive storytelling experience. The introduction of the Travel Pass in November marked a significant milestone for June’s Journey and solidified its position as the best narrative event of 2023 in the casual gaming category.” 

Best Seasonal Event (Midcore)
Last Fortress x The Boys Holiday Collaboration by IM30

“Last Fortress: Underground, developed by IM30, was honored with the Best Seasonal Event (Casual) award for its collaboration with the hit TV series The Boys. The month-long event celebrated the Christmas season and featured iconic characters from the series and exclusive cosmetic rewards. The collaboration was seamlessly integrated into the game, with well-scheduled phases and various event shops offering refreshing wares and limited-time gachas. Including simple dialogues and cinematic trailers enhanced the storytelling elements, creating a cohesive and immersive experience for players.” 

Best Seasonal Event (Casual)
Phase 10 - Winter Wonder Roll by Mattel163

“Phase 10 by Mattel163 reigned supreme in the Best Seasonal Event (Casual) category for its Winter Wonder Roll event. This unique event framework combined various gameplay elements, including minigames, renovation, competition, social co-op, and slots. Players were tasked with playing a board minigame, gathering materials, and renovating rooms for exclusive Christmas cosmetics. The event also featured solo tournament competitions, team co-op tasks, and a Lucky Spin slot machine for additional rewards.” 

Best Minigame Event (Midcore)
Free Fire - Pet Smash by Garena

“Garena’s Free Fire was recognized for its PvP minigame, Pet Smash, winning the Best Minigame Event (Midcore) award. In this top-down casual shooter mode, players battled against each other as pets, with the first team to reach the elimination goal emerging victorious. The mode introduced a new way of playing Free Fire and promoted the game’s pet meta-system. Players also had the opportunity to earn rewards through a separate task event as part of the Beach Breeze-themed event calendar.” 

Best Minigame Event (Casual)
Royal Match - Magic Cauldron by Dream Games

“Dream Games’ Royal Match triumphed in the Best Minigame Event (Casual) award for its Magic Cauldron event. This innovative minigame required players to figure out the “formulas" of potions by earning them through core match 3 levels. The trial and error system added an element of challenge and excitement as players attempted to discover the correct formula.” 

“2023 was one of the busiest years on record for LiveOps events in the mobile market, which led to more competition than ever before as game studios experimented with new UA and monetization strategies. All of our winners impressed us with their innovative approach to LiveOps campaigns, often blending a variety of gameplay mechanics, features, and elements in new ways to deliver fresh experiences for their players.”

For more information about the awards and the finalists, please visit the official MobileGameDev Awards website.

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About Liftoff

Liftoff is the leading growth acceleration platform for the mobile industry, helping advertisers, publishers, game developers, and DSPs scale revenue growth with solutions to market and monetize mobile apps.

Liftoff’s solutions, including Accelerate, Direct, Influence, Monetize, Intelligence, and Vungle Exchange, support over 6,600 mobile businesses across 74 countries in sectors such as gaming, social, finance, e-commerce, and entertainment. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Redwood City, CA, Liftoff has a diverse, global presence.

For more information, please contact:
Luke Ash
Big Games Machine
[email protected]
+447595101225