Last updated on September 17th, 2024 at 05:55 pm
Video games continue to dominate consumer spending on mobile, accounting for eight out of the ten highest grossing apps. Mobile gaming has seen significant growth in East Asia, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. According to a new report by Adjust in collaboration with Sensor Tower for Q1 2024, there was a 3% increase compared to Q4 2023. Total mobile consumer spending in 2023 reached $17.9 billion, with Japan ranking third behind China and the US. The report also provides insights into the Japanese mobile audience, revealing that 73% of the population regularly uses a smartphone.
In the mobile development field, an increasing number of independent developers are leveraging advanced technologies, innovations, and the freedom to create, injecting vitality into the gaming market. For example, let’s discuss uCool, Inc. and Top Games, Inc.
Common Traits of uCool and Top Games:
- Both Started as Small Studios and Grew into Medium-Sized Independent Developers: Both companies began as small game studios and gradually evolved into medium-sized independent developers. Notably, Top Games has seen remarkable growth, with over 400 employees, more than 8 game projects, and annual revenue exceeding $350 million.
- Focus on Mobile Games:
- uCool specializes in RPG mobile games, with game strategies being less complex compared to Top Games. For instance, their game Heroes Charge features over 50 heroes categorized into four roles: Tank, DPS, Control, and Support. Inspired by Lulu’s innovative vision, the developers have created a strategic yet accessible combat system that allows players to learn battle intricacies step by step. Strategic hero combinations encourage players to master combat techniques over time.
- Top Games’ well-known core game, Evony: The King’s Return, is a real-time strategy war game set in the medieval period, incorporating seven major civilizations. Through core gameplay that attracts users, it has accumulated over 200 million downloads, becoming a successful mobile strategy game.
- One of the features of Evony is that players can participate in various battle modes within the game, including PvP, SVS, and more. For example, after meeting the conditions to enter the battlefield, players can first sign up to participate in the Battle of Gaugamela to test their skills. This battlefield has fewer participants and less complicated gameplay, allowing beginners to learn strategic attacks. Once you have a certain grasp of PvP, you can then learn how to capture buildings in the Battle of Constantinople. Later, you can also try larger and more complex PvP modes, such as the Battle of Chalons.
- Emphasis on Innovation and User Experience:
- Both uCool and Top Games emphasize that one of the most crucial factors for a successful game is the user experience. If a game doesn’t consider its users, it will fail. With this belief, Top Games’s CEO David Guo requires the entire team to be driven by this value, focusing on user feedback to continually enhance the user experience. Top Games has also collaborated with well-known IPs such as Godzilla, King Kong, and Napoleon films, integrating these IP characters into their games to delight fans and players.Aside from its breakout hit Evony, the business has now developed a number of other games that customers are keen to try, such as Alliance of Glory, Kings Legion, Mafia Origin, Infinity Clan, and Salon Superstars. Top Games Inc.’s apps have garnered great ratings, many of them rating over 4 stars in app stores.
- Forward-Thinking and Strategic Vision:
- uCool was established in 2012, and TGI was founded in 2015. Both developers have undergone years of development, continuously devising business strategies amid fierce competition with forward-thinking approaches to support overall company growth. Their excellence is reflected in project selection, technological innovation, and adaptability to market changes. While many independent developers struggle to survive, the continuous growth of these two companies over the years is a stroke of luck, reflecting the hard work, capability, and teamwork behind them.
In the future, as technology advances and the barriers to entry lower, the pressure on mobile game developers will intensify. Without forward-thinking, adaptability, and the ability to monetize projects, companies risk being eliminated. However, for those daring to challenge and continuously innovate, like uCool and Top Games, this represents an opportunity to strengthen their own capabilities.
