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Let's Talk Battle Passes

Hey everyone! Today we’re going to start talking about battle passes! Almost every successful live game has one, and we’re going to break down the most common types of battle passes seen today. We’ll discuss how they work, and the pros and cons in each. In this series, we’ll specifically take a look at the battle passes found in Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, Halo Infinite, and Destiny 2. After reading this post, you’ll be equipped with the logic and knowledge to design your own!

First Layer - Premium Track Battle Pass

In a battle pass, players do actions in-game, earn XP for those actions, and progress along the track. Each level up earns them some rewards. The rewards typically consist of timed XP boosts, skins, resources, exotic items, and so on. Really, anything that can be awarded in the game can be awarded through the battle pass.

Fast Tracking Progress - Battle Pass Missions

To further reinforce the loop within the player’s session, daily missions are added that contribute to the battle pass. Players are given a series of missions every day, which they can complete for additional progress along their battle pass. This is built on top of the XP they would be receiving for playing the game. This helps to not only create a variety of objects every day for players, but it typically gives them a little bump in their battle pass progress. When balanced correctly, this guarantees that they advance at least one battle pass level per day if the user completes all the missions.

Second Layer - Free Battle Pass Track

To try to get more players involved in the battle passes, most games have added a free track. As premium battle passes require players to spend money to participate in them, the free track encourages non-spending users to engage with the battle pass loop as well. Players would make progress along the battle pass and get only free rewards. This is most easily seen in Destiny 2’s battle pass:

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Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review February 2022

It may be the shortest month of the year, but February was an excellent time for developers to boost game revenue and player numbers thanks to seasonal event opportunities from Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. Alongside a busy calendar of events, there were plenty of big updates and game launches, too. Here are the biggest highlights of the month.

In the US, a seasonal event in Merge Mansion helped the merge game’s daily revenue reach a new all-time-high ($84k). In Japan, Animal Crossing Pocket’s popular flower event returned with a Valentine’s Day theme, while Fate/Grand Order, Ensemble Stars!! Music, Guardian Tales and State of Survival joined the festivities with a variety of events that included everything seasonal from event quests and daily log-in rewards to themed currencies and new features such as buddy mechanics.

Chinese New Year celebrations continued to dominate in China, where Tencent’s arcade kart racer, Popkart Racer, got one of its biggest updates yet with limited-time IAP offers, recurring events and new PVP modes.

February was also a big month for collaborative events as big brands explore opportunities in mobile games and the metaverse. The Chinese battle royale game, Sausage Man, collaborated with Pizza Hut for a limited-time event based on…sausage-stuff-crust pizzas, while The Brit Awards showcase in Roblox featured a live performance from the artist PinkPanthress along with social hangouts and even a screen where players could watch the awards together. One of our favorite events was a PUMA X Minecraft collaboration, which introduced new gameplay elements with its PUMA-themed sprint levels.

Other highlights include Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier celebrating the original FF VII’s 25th anniversary with old-school polygon versions of characters, and the launch of turn-based RPG based on the anime My Hero Ultra Impact, and an idler game based on the hit TV sitcom, The Office. Japan saw some major new entries too, with the turn-based RPG Heaven Burns Red staying within the top-grossing 15 since launch and Attack on Titan Brave Order peaking at 36.

This is just a topline summary of what you’ll find in this month’s mobile game update, so keep reading for the full rundown.

US Market Overview

Royal Match turned its Save the King ad creatives into a daily “side mission” game mode called King’s Nightmare, whose “minigame” levels are timed puzzle levels where players need to complete a puzzle in a limited time to save the King. The actual core mechanic is the same as usual, but in this mode, the number of moves is unlimited and the main focus is completing the level in time. Players can see the “King in trouble” on the top of the screen, but he gets rescued if the level is completed in time.Dream Games has been using these “King in trouble” settings in many of their UA campaigns, which is most likely the reason why they’ve been now added into the game itself (this is similar to what Playrix has done before with their “UA campaigns turned into in-game minigames.”) Previously, these King’s Nightmare levels have been popping up to players quite randomly (targeted to only some and not after any specific level number, etc.). However, at least in our game analyst’s case, King’s Nightmare is now permanently on the main menu screen, and there’s a new level to beat once a day.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review February 2022 appeared first on GameRefinery.

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Arcade Idle: Creating the new Hybridcasual genre

Hybridcasual: Emerging genre to improve user retention

During the past few years, Hypercasual games (HC) have revolutionized the gaming market in the number of downloads and the variety of new products. In the last 12 months alone, HC games’ ad-monetization revenue reached $3.4 billion.

The HC genre has established itself as a separate category divided into ultra-casual, idle, mergers, and other subgenres. Some have become mobile classics, but sometimes we see a new genre emerge in the HC scene.

You constantly need to test and iterate to produce successful games in the Hypercasual world. One of the primary metrics publishers are optimizing for is user retention. Developers’ desire to make users play their games longer has helped the Hybridcasual genre to appear.

Hybridcasual is a game category that combines simple HC gameplay with mid-core progression mechanics. One of the main Hybridcasual subgenres is Arcade Idle. It combines adventure-like arcade attributes with power progression and metagame systems from the Idle genre.

Arcade Idle is Hypercasual at the core: satisfying & simple core mechanic, combined with marketable visuals. The most successful Arcade Idle games involve players controlling an avatar using virtual joystick controls. The hybrid nature of Arcade Idle games is shown through the games’ progression system: players progress by unlocking a building, upgrading their character and their environment. That leaves room for deeper metagame systems than is traditionally the case in Hypercasual, increasing playtime, retention, and extending LTV. These factors translate into hybrid games with medium/low CPI but much stronger playtime metrics that can reach 30+ minutes.

What is fun about Arcade Idle?

According to Quantic Foundry’s model, these are the key factors that create motivation among gamers.

Arcade Idle: Creating the new Hybridcasual genre was originally published in ironSource LevelUp on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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Different Kind of Storytelling in Mobile Games – NieR Re[in]carnation Storytelling Deconstruction

Every now and then, we come across mobile games that do things differently from the rest in some aspect of the game. In the case of NieR Re[in]carnation, that aspect has been the storytelling. Even though the game has been having only modest success in the US and Japan, we wanted to showcase the peculiar narrative elements of the game as they deserve to be shared.

In order to discuss some of these narrative aspects, some story twists are going to be spoiled. If you don’t want to be spoiled on this specific game, please play through the first 12 chapters of the game yourself.

Editor’s note: Around Christmas, NieR Re[in]carnation added an update that included a new story set. That set of stories is not covered in this post, but you can check the recent update in our service if you’re interested to know more.

What is NieR Re[in]carnation?

NieR Re[in]carnation is a mobile game related to the world of console games NieR Automata and NieR Replicant, although, at this point, it is not yet clear exactly how. The storytelling in the series as a whole is known for darker and tragic fates. The games also experiment on a variety of gameplay styles as the hack-and-slash gameplay can suddenly turn to Bullet Hell, text-based game, or sidescroller. The series has recognizable music that is appreciated by many.

Before moving on to the storytelling part, let’s first take a look at the features of the game to get a basic understanding of the game as a whole.

Core

The battles in NieR Re[in]carnation are done in a 3D space with Auto-battle mechanics. Characters keep on randomly attacking enemies with their basic attacks. Players can make an enemy a focused target by tapping them or their 2D image above their HP. There are two weapon skills, one character skill, and up to three companion skills available to be used. Each of them has its cooldown timers, but companion skills can only be used once per battle for each companion. Auto-battle can be activated to remove the need for manual skill use. As a gimmick, players can move their main character around on the battlefield, but it only has a cosmetic effect.

📷Core gameplay in NieR Re[in]carnation

Meta

The player collects and develops characters like in any RPG. Here, however, there are only a handful of people as the new characters are usually the same old characters with different costumes and skills. Each character can have their levels and skills upgraded individually for that specific person. A person can also have their stats boosted through all costume variations on a “skill tree” like attribute increasing system called Mythic Slab.

Players can also collect plenty of equipment items. There are weapons, companions, and memoirs to collect, with each type having its own upgrade materials and methods.

Exploration

Storytelling is not necessarily the only aspect that makes NieR Re[in]carnation stand out from the crowd. Usually, mobile RPGs tend to have you be either in the menus or in the battles. This game deviates from that pattern by having players traverse through the location called The Cage as players progress in the story.

📷In exploration, players travel through The Cage with a little ghost that chats with them.

This covers the basics of the game. If you want to take a closer look at, e.g., monetization mechanics or First Time User Experience, check out our analysis in the GameRefinery service. Let’s now move on to the main topic.

Storytelling in NieR Re[in]carnation

In general, the storytelling in mobile games tends to be very dialogue-heavy. Characters are shown in their 2D artwork, and a box of text under them shows their lines. In the bit more expensive productions, voice actors interpret the lines for those playing their games sound on.

📷Storytelling in mobile games tends to follow the same pattern — examples from Disney POP Town, AFK Arena, Matchington Mansion, and Hidden City.

Entering a weapon

NieR Re[in]carnation does things a little bit differently. In the game, you enter inside weapons to live through the weapons’ previous owners’ stories. You transition from the 3D world into a storybook-like 2D, and instead of controlling the character you use in the exploration, you control the weapon’s previous owner. The story is narrated with that character’s voice but in the third person. It essentially feels like you are listening to an audiobook.

📷Entering a weapon from the exploration mode

Sometimes the game adds twists to just running around in the 2D story by adding simple puzzles or mixing core gameplay elements to it. At the most gruesome bits, the player has to make a choice before the story progresses.

📷Within a weapon, the storytelling can vary a bit even if visually the style remains consistent. The top image shows regular dialogue from Argo’s story, and the bottom image is a screenshot of a puzzle in Noelle’s story

📷The top image shows core gameplay elements from Lars’ story, and the bottom image shows the kind of painful choice a player has to make in F66x’s story to advance in the game.

Character quests

As the player keeps using the specific person enough, they unlock character quests. As those quests are cleared, additional stories about the person’s life can be viewed. The player can move in them but only to search and tap blackbirds that activate storytelling sequences.

📷Examples from Character Story of Noelle and EX Story of Gayle

Each person also has an EX version of them, which unlocks an additional story for the person. EX characters are the strongest version of the person and are only available through extensive grinding of special quests. These quests have a very low rate of dropping special material items that are needed to upgrade the weapon. Fully upgrading the weapon unlocks the character for players use. The EX Story is unlocked little by little as the weapon is upgraded with the final part being available after the weapon is maxed.

The EX stories lack the interactive element. The backgrounds feature stylized black and white scenes from the story as text appears, and the character’s voice reads in third person how the story plays out.

Main storyline

While weapon-based storytelling goes on in the 2D world, the 3D exploration is telling another one. For the first 12 chapters, the story follows a young girl Fio and a black insect-like creature Levania. For the first half, the player controls a girl running up The Cage. Halfway through, the main character seemingly changes as the player gets to experience what happened before. This is done by making the same trip in the opposite direction while controlling Levania. It later turns out creatures like Levania eat dreams of humans to become humans. What they don’t know is that they essentially switch bodies with the human whose dreams they eat. So for the first half, the player was also controlling Levania, who had become Fio while she became a black insect-like monster. The two had become friends, so this surprise twist was not to Levanias liking. He manages to reverse the change, and both return to their own bodies.

📷There are two different-looking main characters to control in the game’s first two chapters

NieR Re[in]carnation is set to continue from chapter 13 onwards with two different characters themed with Sun and Moon. In other words, the main characters will be completely different from that point onward.

As mobile games tend to keep on going year after year, at some point, writing a story for the same character can be difficult. Switching the playable character as the story progresses is a nice way to keep things fresh. As another example, The Alchemist Code game also does this nicely by completely switching to a whole different character in a different setting to lead the story that later connects with the earlier bits.

Equipment items

Moving on to more minor storytelling elements. The different equipment items in the game also hold stories that lore-hungry players can digest. These are easy to ignore entirely but can be interesting to some, especially in terms of collaboration content.

📷Example of a weapon story that has the last part still locked

Weapons hold the story in four lockable pieces. The first is available instantly, while the other three are unlocked by upgrading the weapons. These stories don’t relate to the characters that the player knows but give an idea of the world of NieR.

Companions have their stories written in full in a couple of paragraphs on their info screen.

📷Examples of Companion and Memoir story screens

Memoirs have their stories told the same way as Companions but with an additional simple visual twist. Each Memoir represents a point in some character’s life that can shed further light on their history. This is shown in the Memoir icon. Some Memoirs can also have Easter Eggs. For example, Heart to Heart Memoir has a character from NieR Re[in]carnation holding a King’s mask from NieR Replicant.

To wrap it up

NieR Re[in]carnation has a fresh take on storytelling on mobile games. With many layers of stories going on and 12 people (+ 8 collaboration ones) being used repeatedly, players can get really invested in their stories. The third-person narration of the events can also suck you in as if you are listening to an audiobook. The game is definitely worth checking out for those wanting to expand their views on mobile game narrative.

The post Different Kind of Storytelling in Mobile Games – NieR Re[in]carnation Storytelling Deconstruction appeared first on GameRefinery.

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Single Image: The title here oh yeah!

The mobile game market has started to hit its early teens, as title after another reaches its 10th-anniversary mark. Japan, in particular, is known to really hold onto its past success titles: games like Monster Strike, Fate/Grand Order, and Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle frequent the top 200, some even the top 10.

In this blog post, we want to take a closer look at one of such stories, GungHo Online Entertainment’s Puzzle & Dragons (パズル＆ドラゴンズ). Even after hitting its 10th anniversary on 20th February, the game has kept its original aesthetic almost intact but has seen some improvements throughout the years, which we will go through in this deconstruction. In this post, we also take a brief look at the Puzzle RPG genre in Japan and peek at how the game has fared in the international market.

What is a Puzzle RPG exactly?

Puzzle RPG is a Midcore subgenre that combines the addictive and satisfying match3 core gameplay to a heavy collecting and development meta. Motivations data for the subgenre showcases that players who like to pick up a Puzzle RPG title tend to prefer collecting and exploration combined with progression and completing milestones over social elements, customization, and resource management.

📷Motivations data from the US market comparing Puzzle & Dragons to other Puzzle RPGs (source: GameRefinery SaaS platform).

The subgenre is much more popular in Japan than in the US or China, which is logical: Games that have found success in Japan tend to have very heavy meta progression, and a lot of the gameplay is built around that, rather than the meta being the supporting element to the core gameplay. Additionally, the subgenre is in a bit of an awkward spot between casual game-like core gameplay but heavy midcore-like meta progression, which could be a “best of both worlds” situation or a repelling combination for both casual and midcore players.

The puzzle RPG subgenre makes 7.44% of the total revenue in the Japanese market (Q4 2021) and is the 4th largest subgenre on the market. Top-performing games on the market are Puzzle & Dragons, with over 65% of the subgenre’s revenue, Dragon Ball Dokkan Battle, and Youkai Watch Punipuni. In the US, Puzzle RPG is the 15th largest subgenre with 1.77% of total revenue. In China, the subgenre is the least popular, with only 0.07% of total revenue.

Puzzle & Dragons’ performance in different markets

In Japan, Puzzle & Dragons has performed undeniably well, maintaining good numbers even against newer entries to the market. New Puzzle RPGs have not been able to match its success, and the game has maintained its spot in the top 50 quite well. However, the revenue numbers have been gradually dropping in Japan as well, and the game has had to keep adding new things to keep the loyal player base invested.

📷Puzzle & Dragons’ revenue trend in Japan is negative (source: GameRefinery SaaS platform).

In the US, the game has not performed as well at all. There could be a multitude of reasons why this is the case: maybe the brand is not interesting enough for the Western audience, or maybe the character selection is just too overwhelming for a regular player. The puzzle levels are uncommonly long, and the gameplay is a bit frustrating at times, which might alienate some. In comparison, a Japanese Puzzle RPG that has performed well in the US and Japan alike is Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle. Dragon Ball Z is a familiar brand in both markets, and the game has rather accessible core gameplay.

Lastly, the collaboration events seen in Puzzle & Dragons are very Japan-specific. Many of the manga series that are featured in the collaboration gachas are not necessarily familiar to the larger audience and hence not that relevant to them.

What is Puzzle & Dragons like?

Puzzle & Dragons is, first and foremost, a Puzzle RPG. The game features match3 mechanics, where you move a single orb across a board trying to make as many combinations as possible in one sweep. The board can be affected by various effects caused by the enemy or the player’s own characters. The goal is ultimately to bring the enemy’s HP down to zero. The core gameplay requires slightly more skill and strategy than your regular match3, giving the game a midcore feel.

📷The core gameplay in Puzzle & Dragons requires the player to move any orb across the board, trying to match as many same-colored orbs together as possible.

The player brings a team of characters to each battle, and each combo affects the damage the player’s characters deal to the enemy. Each character has skills that either deal damage to the enemy, affect the board in some way, or provide boosts or heals for the whole team. A huge part of team composition is to choose characters that synergize with each other the best. In other words, just choosing the characters with the most attack power is usually not enough for later stages of the game, but a lot of strategizing is involved. The good old internet is full of different team composition suggestions that players can try to copy – only limited by their gacha luck. Character upgrading is a major part of the game, and there are multiple ways of making the characters stronger.

Puzzle & Dragons has in no way been immune to power creep. Making the characters more and more powerful has led to a situation where a lot of the event content has had to be made so difficult that it can not be completed with a regular, haphazardly made team. This is good for those seeking a challenge, but for a more casual player, it might not be as motivating.

All in all, the gameplay is very satisfying when mastered, and especially in the more challenging stages, the game really shines. It is arguably also the game’s biggest downfall: it is not necessarily very beginner-friendly in terms of content and seems to cater more to players that have already played for years.

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Text: The Biggest Mobile Gaming Trends Coming Your Way in 2022

It’s been another big year for mobile games. We’ve seen some of the biggest trends from 2020 such as battle passes build in momentum as they move into 2021. In fact, features such as these and in-game events have now reached a level of popularity where they’re becoming the norm and creating trends of their own. Battle passes have bashed their way out of battle royale and are diversifying into new genres, while events have found a new home as a customizable minigame mechanic for hybrid elements.

While a lot of 2020’s biggest mobile gaming trends have carried over into 2021 and will do so again into 2022, that’s not to say 2021 hasn’t delivered in terms of innovation; we’re seeing plenty of gameplay features being used in new and exciting ways.

This is alongside major game studios creating mobile-only versions of their IP, with titles such as Final Fantasy: First Soldier and Marvel Future Revolution delivering AAA gameplay on portable devices. Elsewhere, games such as Top War are using hybrid gameplay elements to boost their UA by appealing to new players, while others such as Cooking Diary are adding social elements to boost player retention.

With so much more to look forward to in 2022, here are some of the biggest mobile gaming trends you can expect to see next year.

1. 2022 will be a big year for AAA mobile games and crossplay features

If you thought 2021 was an exciting year for AAA mobile games, just wait until you see what 2022 has to offer. Blizzard is launching a mobile-only version of one of its oldest franchises, Diablo, with the release of Diablo Immortal. Taking a similar approach to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy: First Soldier, Diablo Immortal is moving the franchise into uncharted territory, embracing MMORPG elements rather than the ARPG gameplay it’s known for. Blizzard is also using the release to bring some of its PC players to mobile by using the game to fill in the narrative gaps between Diablo II and Diablo III – an offer that die-hard Diablo players may find hard to resist.

We’re also expecting the mobile version of Ubisoft’s action RPG, The Division, to land on mobile devices in 2022, along with the mobile version of Riot’s hugely popular FPS, Valorant. The game has maintained 15 million active monthly players throughout 2021, so while we’ll have to wait and see how many of those decide to download the mobile version, we’re expecting to see big numbers at launch.

Alongside major launches like these, you can also expect to see more crossplay elements appearing as more AAA titles move to mobile. The battle royale shooter, Apex Legends, will launch its mobile version of the game in 2022, while Star Wars: Hunters, Farlight 84 and Honkai: Star Rail are three more examples of major titles that will embrace crossplay elements in 2022.

It will be exciting to watch how all of this plays out, especially with so many of these new AAA titles dominating the shooter space. This is an incredibly competitive market dominated by titles such as PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Fortnite. Will there be room in the market for mobile versions of Apex Legends and Battlefield alongside these major titles? We’ll just have to wait and see!

2. New types of gacha will appear in mobile games

Gacha games are especially popular in Japan, where 92% of the top-grossing 100 mobile games feature gacha mechanics, compared to 80% of the top-grossing 100 mobile games in the US.

If you’re not familiar with gacha mobile games, they utilize gacha (Japanese toy machine) elements as one of their main features. This involves players activating the gacha and receiving randomized awards, but there are several types of gacha implementation such as box gacha, where players draw a random item from a set which is then removed from the gacha pool (Honkai Impact 3); charge point gacha, where the rarity of gacha increases as players earn points (Monster Strike); and step-up gacha, where the odds of receiving rare gacha increase every time the gacha is spun (Bleach: Brave Souls).

While most gacha features are utilized as free-to-play elements with paid-for incentives, they have been associated with loot boxes, a similar feature to gacha but one that often involves spending money to receive the items you want. They’re a popular monetization tool in console games such as the FIFA series, but a lot of countries are now introducing legislation against loot boxes so players can see the items they’re getting before they decide to purchase them.

As a result, we’re expecting to see iterations of this preview mechanic move into mobile gacha in 2022. While the preview option may seem counterintuitive to gacha, it could actually lead to more monetization channels being created. These may involve lock-out features, where players can only preview a certain number of items a day so decide to purchase the gacha they’re opening to avoid the lock-out of future preview mechanics.

We’re also expecting to see more innovation with social gacha mechanics too. A great example of this is in the mobile game Kotodaman which uses co-op gacha. They’re not exclusively co-op, but there’s an option to enter the gacha pool with up to six other players, all of which can select a character from the gacha pool. After all of the characters have completed the gacha, they receive each others’ characters.

Social features in mobile games have been one of the biggest trends in 2021, so it’s no surprise to see them finally appearing in gacha. With the number of top-grossing 100 mobile games in the US using five or more gacha growing from 37% to 45% in the last 12 months, expect to see even more types of gacha in 2022.

3. Events and minigames will innovate and experiment with meta elements

While the COVID pandemic has stopped many real-life events from taking place in 2020 and 2021, mobile developers have used the opportunity to bring people together in virtual worlds. There are so many different types of events in mobile games, from the massive collaborations that take place between mobile developers and international brands to virtual concerts in Roblox and Fortnite featuring artists such as Ariana Grande and Lil Nas X. It’s events like these that often dominate the headlines, but there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes.

Alongside these concerts and collaboration events, there are also seasonal events, anniversary events, timed events, new server events, and plenty more. The growing popularity of events has led to new event trends emerging in 2021, and we’re expecting these to grow throughout 2022. Two of the biggest examples are different types of meta elements appearing in event design and special game modes or minigames being added to events.

Renovation elements have been hugely popular in 2021 and can be seen in games such as Gardenscapes and Homescapes, where players invest time into decorating or renovating the game landscape or buildings. This taps into the psychological drive of wanting to clear up space and improve it, as well as top player motivations amongst casual players such as completing milestones and customization/decoration.

We’re now starting to see these renovation elements implemented in games that you wouldn’t typically associate with renovation or decoration. The popular card game, Phase 10, and the puzzle adventurer, Best Fiends, both use renovation elements in their limited-time events.

Besides renovation events, the other big trend in event design is the utilization of surprising core gameplay mechanics. Examples include Playrix’s Fishdom, which uses minigame events unrelated to the regular match3 gameplay. Another example from the mid-core side of the spectrum is AFK Arena, which has a recurring match3 mode completely unlinked to the normal RPG gameplay.

We’ve also noticed that publishers are using hybrid elements as part of their marketing and UA strategies, as they can be easily repurposed for interactive ads and snappy marketing videos. This can be an attractive value proposition for players to experiment with a genre they wouldn’t normally play. Top War is a 4X strategy game that uses merge elements, which are much easier to visually demonstrate in ads and more appealing to casual players. Mobile users might download Top War because of the merge elements but end up discovering that they really enjoy 4X strategy games.

We’ve spoken about the importance of social elements in mobile games a lot this year, such as the 10% annual increase of the top-grossing 100 US mobile games using guild mechanics. While this is a big increase, there’s no reason why the trend of social elements appearing in mobile games won’t continue through into 2022. We see a lot of potential in ‘hang-out’ features, where players can interact with other players in a social environment outside of the main game. Cooking Diary is an interesting example of a game embracing a social hang-out area, as we haven’t seen this implemented in time management games before. This is indicative of a wider trend showing social elements appearing in games that haven’t previously used them.

4. Games utilizing blockchain technology appearing in the mobile market

Blockchain games have lately been one of the most trending topics in the game industry and arguably the most divisive since the early beginnings of free-to-play mobile games. While it may seem this trend has appeared suddenly out of nowhere, blockchain games have been around for a while now, with, for example, Axie Infinity being one of the first more popular ones and already released back in 2018.

Currently, there are already a handful of live games in the market utilizing at least some sort of blockchain technology, even on mobile, which include games such as the Multiplayer Battle Arena game Thetan Arena, MMORPG MIR4, and two games also in the more higher grossing ranks Upland and Highrise.

📷Thetan Arena NFT characters and Highrise NFT cosmetics

All of these four aforementioned games are quite different from each other in terms of gameplay but also in the utilization of blockchain technology. For example, in Thetan Arena, you can earn cryptocurrency by playing with your heroes that are NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and in Upland, you can own in-game properties that are NFTs tradeable with other players. Also, Highrise launched first as a normal free-to-play game but now has been implemented with NFT cosmetic items and is planning on expanding its metaverse through player-owned NFT lands, where users can monetize and generate their own content to share with others.

📷Early gameplay of Cryowar and Embersword

The blockchain trend seems to be getting hotter during 2022, and we will most likely be seeing more of these games in the mobile space. Many new studios are either developing or planning to release their blockchain games during the year, most of them on PC first, but there are plans for mobile crossplay versions as well. Some interesting upcoming mobile titles include the Build & Battle game Heroes of Mavia, Multiplayer Battle Arena game Cryowar, and MMORPG Embersword. Additionally to this, multiple of the largest AAA studios have announced their future plans or interests for the blockchain gaming spaces. It will be interesting to see what the blockchain gaming scene looks like at the end of 2022.

Summary

📷Fishdom’s renovation events are limited-time events during which players help characters restore a scene (a beach house, for example) or an aquarium.

2021 has proven that gameplay features and elements such as battle passes, social features, gachas, renovation events, and minigames can be molded to any genre if they’re used in the right context. More developers are starting to realize this, and we’re seeing a lot of experimentation and meta elements appearing in games as a result, and we can’t wait to see how this trend will evolve throughout 2022.

And with the mobile game market growing bigger every year, it’ll be interesting to see how many more traditionally-console AAA developers start moving their IP into mobile games. The challenge for the biggest developers – especially those experimenting with gameplay styles that aren’t typically associated with their franchises – will be convincing their console players to join them for the ride. But with so many exciting prospects in mobile gaming right now, we can’t imagine that will be too difficult!

The post The Biggest Mobile Gaming Trends Coming Your Way in 2022 appeared first on GameRefinery.

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A chat here

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My brain: sdgfs sdsd f...

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Link share: The Complete Guide to Mobile Game Gachas in 2022

Gachas are dominating the mobile game market at the moment, and the popularity of both gacha games and gacha features in traditional mobile games continues to grow year on year. 66% of top-grossing 100 mobile games in the US market feature a shop with gacha mechanics or refreshing wares, while 45% feature five or more gacha types. In Japan, where gacha games are even more popular, these figures jump to 92% and 54%, respectively.

The reason behind these booming figures? The gacha system is one of the most effective ways developers can monetize their mobile games, especially as many gacha games are free-to-play, which incentivizes downloads. The loop-based mechanics and randomness of gacha rewards – where players pull the gacha in return for an in-game asset, whether that’s a character, item or currency – keep players hooked. And as mobile game developers continue to innovate, new types of gacha implementation are popping up all of the time.

In fact, there are so many different types of gachas that we thought it would be useful to round all of them up and explain why one of the mobile gaming market’s most popular features is only going to grow stronger in 2022 and beyond.

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Quotes: Gachas are evolving – here’s everything you need to know about them as well as the latest trends you can expect to see in 2022.

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Video by Link: The Power of Invisible Choices

Gacha games are especially popular in Japan, where 92% of the top-grossing 100 mobile games feature gacha mechanics, compared to 80% of the top-grossing 100 mobile games in the US. As a result, we’re expecting to see iterations of this preview mechanic move into mobile gacha in 2022.

If you’re not familiar with gacha mobile games, they utilize gacha (Japanese toy machine) elements as one of their main features. This involves players activating the gacha and receiving randomized awards, but there are several types of gacha implementation such as box gacha, where players draw a random item from a set which is then removed from the gacha pool (Honkai Impact 3); charge point gacha, where the rarity of gacha increases as players earn points (Monster Strike); and step-up gacha, where the odds of receiving rare gacha increase every time the gacha is spun (Bleach: Brave Souls).

While most gacha features are utilized as free-to-play elements with paid-for incentives, they have been associated with loot boxes, a similar feature to gacha but one that often involves spending money to receive the items you want. They’re a popular monetization tool in console games such as the FIFA series, but a lot of countries are now introducing legislation against loot boxes so players can see the items they’re getting before they decide to purchase them.

As a result, we’re expecting to see iterations of this preview mechanic move into mobile gacha in 2022. While the preview option may seem counterintuitive to gacha, it could actually lead to more monetization channels being created. These may involve lock-out features, where players can only preview a certain number of items a day so decide to purchase the gacha they’re opening to avoid the lock-out of future preview mechanics.

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If you thought 2021 was an exciting year for AAA mobile games, just wait until you see what 2022 has to offer. Blizzard is launching a mobile-only version of one of its oldest franchises, Diablo, with the release of Diablo Immortal. Taking a similar approach to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy: First Soldier, Diablo Immortal is moving the franchise into uncharted territory, embracing MMORPG elements rather than the ARPG gameplay it’s known for. Blizzard is also using the release to bring some of its PC players to mobile by using the game to fill in the narrative gaps between Diablo II and Diablo III – an offer that die-hard Diablo players may find hard to resist.

We’re also expecting the mobile version of Ubisoft’s action RPG, The Division, to land on mobile devices in 2022, along with the mobile version of Riot’s hugely popular FPS, Valorant. The game has maintained 15 million active monthly players throughout 2021, so while we’ll have to wait and see how many of those decide to download the mobile version, we’re expecting to see big numbers at launch.

Alongside major launches like these, you can also expect to see more crossplay elements appearing as more AAA titles move to mobile. The battle royale shooter, Apex Legends, will launch its mobile version of the game in 2022, while Star Wars: Hunters, Farlight 84 and Honkai: Star Rail are three more examples of major titles that will embrace crossplay elements in 2022.Image multiple: It’s been another big year for mobile games. We’ve seen some of the biggest trends from 2020 such as battle passes build in momentum as they move into 2021. In fact, features such as these and in-game events have now reached a level of popularity where they’re becoming the norm and creating trends of their own. Battle passes have bashed their way out of battle royale and are diversifying into new genres, while events have found a new home as a customizable minigame mechanic for hybrid elements.

While a lot of 2020’s biggest mobile gaming trends have carried over into 2021 and will do so again into 2022, that’s not to say 2021 hasn’t delivered in terms of innovation; we’re seeing plenty of gameplay features being used in new and exciting ways.

This is alongside major game studios creating mobile-only versions of their IP, with titles such as Final Fantasy: First Soldier and Marvel Future Revolution delivering AAA gameplay on portable devices. Elsewhere, games such as Top War are using hybrid gameplay elements to boost their UA by appealing to new players, while others such as Cooking Diary are adding social elements to boost player retention.

With so much more to look forward to in 2022, here are some of the biggest mobile gaming trends you can expect to see next year.

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Image Single: The competition for players’ attention and engagement is fierce in the mobile gaming market. With so many games to choose from, it’s never been more important for publishers and developers to understand the key motivations of players so they can create gaming experiences that keep players coming back for more. In this report, we show with implementation examples how these motivational drivers are reflected in the mobile gaming market and what types of demographics they typically interest.

But getting to the heart of what mobile gamers want isn’t easy. The resources that go into creating polls, surveys and feedback channels can eat up valuable time and it’s difficult to use these methods to gain insight into an entire market. On top of that, we all have different reasons for playing mobile games. These motivations do not just vary significantly from player to player, but also in ways of how these motivations can be implemented in games. For example, improving skills motivational driver can be implemented in games either through features that require mastering reaction-based skills, like multi-touch controls, or through gameplay that requires thinking-based skills, like Word games.

If you’ve ever wanted to understand the behaviors and motivations of a game’s playerbase or how to attract new players to your own game by introducing gameplay elements that appeal to their motivations, you’re in the right place.

In this report, we show with implementation examples how these motivational drivers are reflected in the mobile gaming market and what types of demographics they typically interest.

We know that the key to creating outstanding games is understanding both market trends and your competitors. Thanks to GameRefinery’s easy-to-use platform, we’ve gained valuable insight into what makes a successful mobile game. From there, we’ve been able to create a benchmark for what makes good games even better. The range of available features and data is impressive, and we appreciate how easy it is to use.  We also really like the frequent news and market trends updates.

When we began working with them, the GameRefinery team thoroughly analysed two of our games, Spades and Dominoes. Their input helped us decide what additional features were needed to make these titles even more entertaining for our players.

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Text: The Complete Guide to Mobile Game Gachas in 2022

Gachas are evolving – here’s everything you need to know about them as well as the latest trends you can expect to see in 2022.

Gachas are dominating the mobile game market at the moment, and the popularity of both gacha games and gacha features in traditional mobile games continues to grow year on year. 66% of top-grossing 100 mobile games in the US market feature a shop with gacha mechanics or refreshing wares, while 45% feature five or more gacha types. In Japan, where gacha games are even more popular, these figures jump to 92% and 54%, respectively.

The reason behind these booming figures? The gacha system is one of the most effective ways developers can monetize their mobile games, especially as many gacha games are free-to-play, which incentivizes downloads. The loop-based mechanics and randomness of gacha rewards – where players pull the gacha in return for an in-game asset, whether that’s a character, item or currency – keep players hooked. And as mobile game developers continue to innovate, new types of gacha implementation are popping up all of the time.

In fact, there are so many different types of gachas that we thought it would be useful to round all of them up and explain why one of the mobile gaming market’s most popular features is only going to grow stronger in 2022 and beyond.

Gacha games, mechanics and how they work

Gachas take their name from Japanese toy vending machines called gachapon. Insert your coins into one of these vending machines, and you’ll receive a random toy or piece of merch. The first gachapon machines were set up in the early ’60s, but it wasn’t until 2010 that Konami had the bright idea of incorporating similar mechanics into its free-to-play card-battler mobile game, Dragon Collection.

The premise of the game is simple: you complete quests by battling powerful enemies and other players with monster cards you collect as you progress through the game – or pick up from treasure chests at random, which is where the game’s gacha mechanic comes in. You can open a limited number of chests as you complete quests, or simply part with some of your cash to go on a chest opening rampage, gaining randomized rewards in the process.

This is the main premise of gacha games and mechanics: you activate the gacha (usually by pulling a lever, rolling dice, or spinning a wheel) to obtain a random reward. Typically, these rewards will all have a different level of rarity, dictated by a drop rate, which incentivizes players to keep activating the gacha until they get the reward they’re after.

How much and what you need to spend to pull these gacha varies dramatically from game to game. Some gachas can be pulled using real money, while others require you to use an in-game currency that you either obtain through playing or purchase.

As Dragon Collection is a card-based game with a lot of strategy incorporated into building the perfect deck of characters, gacha mechanics were a perfect fit, and the game did pretty good for Konami. So good, in fact, that Dragon Collection found six million players by 2012 and helped Konami increase its year-on-year net profit in the same year by almost 80%.

The entire gaming market has never been the same since. Over the years, publishers that were traditionally console-focused have been exploring mobile games with growing interest, typically experimenting with gacha titles. Gacha mechanics are now pretty much unavoidable in even the biggest IPs, whether that’s Fire Emblem Heroes, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Pokémon Masters EX, or Dragon Quest Tact. But what’s interesting about all of these games is the different ways in which they use gacha mechanics.

Different types of gacha mechanics in mobile games

Gacha mechanics have come a long way since Dragon Collection, as developers put their own unique spin on things. One of the most popular gacha implementations right now is gacha shops, where the items on offer change over set time periods, but there are plenty of other innovative ways in which gachas are being utilized.

Here are some of the most popular gacha mechanics in mobile games:

Box gacha

Box gachas have a limited prize pool, so players don’t have to worry about receiving duplicate prizes. Every time a prize is rewarded, it’s permanently removed from the gacha prize pool, increasing the chances of obtaining rarer prizes. Box gachas are a popular choice amongst developers as they’re more transparent for players. As well as having a better idea of what rewards are up for grabs, they can also see the drop/pull rates of specific items in some cases.

Call of Duty: Mobile uses box gachas in its limited-time Lucky Draws, where players spend COD points to be in with a chance of winning rare and unique skins. Similarly, the Japanese rhythm game ヒプノシスマイク -A.R.B- (Hypnosis Mic -Alternative Rap Battle-) uses box gachas for events. For example, in its March 2021 White Day event, players could earn the game’s special currency, Ribbons, to purchase the event tickets needed to use the box gacha.

📷Call of Duty Mobile’s Lucky Draw event

Sugoroku gacha

Inspired by the traditional Japanese board game of the same name, Sugoroku gachas involve rolling dice to progress through a game board that has the gacha rewards on its individual board spaces, so the easiest way to think of this gacha mechanic is as a mini-board game.

This mechanic can be found in the asymmetric survival horror mobile game, Identity V in its Logic Path game mode, where players earn dice by winning matches that are spun to progress through the Logic Path game board, picking up new skins, characters, and items along the way.