According to App Annie, Machine Zone’s Game of War-Fire Age reached #1 for the first time in worldwide iOS revenue in October. The game has been one of the top 3 grossing iOS games in the U.S since its launch in July, 2013 and stayed #1 or #2 in the U.S. daily iOS top grossing charts for the entire month of October.
The consistently high-performing Game of War – Fire Age reached #1 for the first time in worldwide iOS revenue in October. The game has seen success in multiple markets, including the United States, United Kingdom and Japan. Its performance in Japan is particularly worth noting, as it is rare to see non-Japanese game publishers rank so highly. Game of War’s recent global-level rise was driven by strong performance in the United States in October. Publisher Machine Zone designed its game to create an addictive multiplayer experience, as described in our E3 Gaming Report, complete with messaging and language translation features. Celebrity endorsements — including the recent spokeswoman switch from Kate Upton to Mariah Carey — and high-profile advertising campaigns bolstered awareness of the game. Game of War’s heavy promotion supported its rise up the revenue rankings.
In July, Machine Zone subsidiary Epic War released Mobile Strike, a Game of War-style title featuring similar strategy-based gameplay. As with Game of War, Mobile Strike features a celebrity endorsement, this time swapping out the feminine Upton-Carey combo for a masculine Arnold Schwarzenegger. The game also differs from its Game of War counterpart with a modern military setting. As many of the top-grossing games take place in fantasy settings, we are eager to see how the Game of War monetization strategy translates to the non-fantasy military setting in the months to come.
Besides, there are four titles from China in worldwide iOS revenue, namely NetEase’s Fantasy Westward Journey and Westward Journey Online, Tencent’s The Legend of Mir 2, and Elex’s Clash of Kings.
According to the unaudited financial results for the third quarter, Tencent made RMB 5.3 billion from its mobile games and NetEase made around RMB2.76 billion from mobile games. These two giants made around RMB8 billion in Q3, taking nearly 70% of the Chinese mobile games market.
NetEase’s revenues were mainly driven by Fantasy Westward Journey and Westward Journey Online and Tencent’s revenues driven by multiple games, of which is the The Legend of Mir 2. These two companies will have more to come out at the end of the year.
