The big hitters on the gaming app sphere
Mobile gaming apps have changed the gaming entertainment industry more than ever before. The upward curve of innovation has never been so steep and with every release, new games take the ball and run with it. With this rise in quality, some serious money is being made.
An increasing number of mobile games have generated over $1 billion of lifetime revenue and others now do so on an annual basis. In June 2020, the mobile version of the popular Battle Royale game, Fortnite, generated daily revenue of over $2.39 million from iPhone users in the United States but many others now regularly compete with these figures or definitely aspire to.
The top-grossing iPhone mobile gaming apps in the United States as of June 2020, ranked by daily revenue are as follows;
Despite these financial giants, there are other worthy mentions too. One example was the Angry Birds franchise. Angry Birds 2 was one of the biggest games on the App Store back then, and it’s not hard to see why.
The game’s mix of physics gameplay, carefully constructed puzzles with cute characters manage to amuse and infuriate in equal measure. What started as a simple puzzler eventually turned into a marketing juggernaut, spinning off into countless sequels and sister releases, culminating in the 2016 Angry Birds: The Movie.
Similarly, taking inspiration from the 1980s arcade game Frogger, Crossy Road successfully paid homage to a classic while setting a new standard for free-to-play gaming. It’s so simple to play, making it a perfect time killer for departure lounges or the Tube, and the familiar mechanics mean that everyone can grasp what to do from their very first tap.
Just cross the road and don’t die in the process. Following the simple theme — which sells by the way — Fruit Ninja was one of the first truly great high-score chasers on the App Store. It’s not only about splitting produce but about beating your personal best, making it doubly addictive. Frantically swipe your finger to destroy as much fruit as you can while also trying to dodge the bombs that can bring a quick end to your life as a sword-wielding warrior.
Do you like incredibly accessible strategy games? Hearthstone is set in the Warcraft universe and designed by the master game makers at Blizzard. It retains all of the warmth and charm of its source material while crafting a new experience that’s both deviously strategic and infinitely collectible.
It’s growing all the time too — Blizzard continues to add new expansions and adventures all the time. So Gen Z is dictating the way the online entertainment industry evolves, and more and more money is being invested into the sector each year. As games get even better and more consumers get hooked, sit back and watch that revenue curve get steeper still.
One could only imagine the future of SuperOne and our position in this market — The sky is NOT the limit.