This text is a part of an ongoing sequence of data-driven articles from PocketGamer.biz and knowledge.ai (previously App Annie) highlighting developments within the world cellular video games sector utilizing knowledge.ai’s Sport IQ analytics.
Whereas Apex Legends cellular incarnation has been a worldwide success, the sport’s success within the notoriously difficult Japanese market has been a standout, remaining within the prime 10 video games by obtain for 54 consecutive days.
knowledge.ai leveraged its gaming intelligence suite to interrupt down how Apex Legends cracked the market.
Japan is without doubt one of the world’s largest and most profitable markets for videogames of all kinds. Whereas the nation is the eleventh largest on the planet by inhabitants, it was the world’s third largest cellular video games market within the first half (H1) of 2022 with a client spend of over $6.7 billion.
International gaming hub
Japan can also be a worldwide powerhouse in terms of recreation growth with most of the world’s best-loved titles rising from growth studios throughout the nation. This could results in charts that are stuffed with home-grown titles – which may improve the difficulties of success for titles developed abroad.
So how did Apex Legends obtain chart success? The information.ai platform offers perception into customers and helps them create a localised technique, primarily based upon extra knowledgeable decision-making.
The sport contains a number of key options that play very nicely inside the Japanese market, together with:
A concentrate on sturdy characters and mental property (IP)
Japanese players might be seen to react favourably to heroes/character-based content material. To place this in context, Apex Legends changed Disney as essentially the most downloaded IP by complete app downloads in Q2 2022, throughout iOS and Google Play.
Advertising with a neighborhood flavour
EA targeted exhausting on localised promoting for consumer acquisition and was cautious to focus on the most well-liked platforms. Within the case of Apex Legends, EA noticed its share of voice on YouTube rise from 3.3% to 7.4% three weeks post-release, and from 0.33% to three.6% on Twitter.
EA additionally localised its promoting artistic, selecting a definite cell-shaded anime type which differs from the in-game graphics.
Offline, the corporate partnered with the Koshigaya Rice Paddy Artwork Government Committee in Koshigaya Metropolis, Japan to sponsor the creation of Bloodhound rice paddy artwork in a subject seen to commuters on a busy practice line. Viewers may scan it to win prizes.
Understanding participant sentiment
Apex Legends scored extremely when it comes to participant critiques. knowledge.ai’s Rankings Over Time operate, which exhibits historic rankings for an app exhibits greater than 80% of reviewers in Japan rated it 5 Star for iPhone, in comparison with 72% for PUBG Cellular and 62% for Knives Out.
It is price noting that knowledge.ai subscribers can go deeper and analyze critiques by ‘matters’ similar to ‘efficiency and bugs’, ‘design’ and so on to assist prioritise ache factors that players are discovering in rival video games.
Obtain Now
DATA.AI’s Q2 2022 Cellular Market Pulse High Apps and Video games provides even higher perception into the worldwide cellular markets and the efficiency of the main apps and video games in key areas worldwide. The report is on the market free and might be downloaded right here.
Discover Out Extra
If you happen to’re having fun with the insights from knowledge.ai, you may hear in to the corporate’s new Sport Changers podcast, which takes a deep dive into totally different features of the worldwide cellular video games market.