The Charticle

The Charticle: Minecraft proves that premium titles can bring in big mobile bucks

It's a longterm goldmine

The Charticle: Minecraft proves that premium titles can bring in big mobile bucks

The App Store is a place where F2P titles reign supreme, and where, for better or worse, games that employ IAPs dominate the grossing charts.

Paid titles have a notoriously tough time climbing up the grossing charts, and those that do manage to climb the ranks often struggle to carve out a permanent place within the utopia that is the top 50.

In this week's Charticle, however, we'll be seeing how it's possible to buck that trend by taking a look at Minecraft: Pocket Edition, the mobile version of one of the biggest paid gaming franchises in the world.

Priced at $6.99 (and without IAPs), Minecraft: Pocket Edition is a title that many mobile gamers might deem too expensive, but the might of brand power has propelled it into a winning position - as we see. 

If you build it, they will come

On the US top grossing chart for iPhone, Minecraft has been doing extraordinarily well.

The game has only fallen out of the top 50 on two occasions since it launched back in November 2011, having spent the majority of its time within the safety of the top 20.

It entered the chart at #1 upon release, and since then it has claimed the top spot on two other occasions, while also managing to regularly break into the top 10.

Minecraft's top grossing performance in the US iPhone top 50 chart - via App Annie

Minecraft's showing on the top grossing charts for iPhone in the EU5 - the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain - isn't quite as impressive, as the game hasn't managed to find the same level of success across all five countries.

The game has been performing well in the UK and Germany, where it is sitting pretty inside of the top 50, peaking at #2 and #4 respectively, and performing strongly within the top 50.

In France, Spain, and Italy, Minecraft initially struggled to break into the top 100, however, it has recently climbed up the charts in all three countries, and since launch it has peaked at #19 in France, #18 in Spain, and #21 in Italy.




Minecraft's top grossing performance in the European iPhone top 50 charts - via App Annie

Yet as is often the case with western games, Minecraft has been struggling to make a mark in the East.

Taking a look at China, Japan, and South Korea - Minecraft has struggled to carve out a long-term position, performing best in South Korea, where it peaked at #21.

In Japan and China, things are notably more patchy, especially in China where it's never entered the top grossing top 100. 

Minecraft's top grossing performance in the Korean and Japanese iPhone top 50 charts - via App Annie

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What do you call someone who has an unhealthy obsession with video games and Sean Bean? That'd be a 'Chris Kerr'. Chris is one of those deluded souls who actually believes that one day Sean Bean will survive a movie. Poor guy.