Start your week right with our quick take on the stories that are impacting the mobile industry right now.
To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.
1) XCOM Legends shutdown rumoured as the game only made $2,637 last month
Iridium Starfish’s XCOM Legends is believed to be shutting down next month, having generated a mere $2,637 in March by AppMagic data. This expected end of service is coming just shy of three years since the XCOM mobile spinoff launched to lukewarm reception.
Lacking appeal to many main series fans, XCOM Legends’ financial performance has been less than stellar for a franchise with three decades of brand recognition, with AppMagic estimates placing its lifetime revenue at only $87,461.
2) Supercell’s Squad Busters heads into soft launch on April 23rd
Supercell’s multiplayer squad-building action game Squad Busters is entering soft launch on April 23rd, 15 months on from its reveal in January 2023. The title saw a brief, limited beta release in Canada last year and though it is soon due to expand, Supercell’s track record for cancelling soft-launched games means there’s far from a guarantee that Squad Busters will reach full launch.
The game features characters from Supercell’s IP like Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Hay Day and Boom Beach.
3) Miniclip moves into PC and console publishing with FuturLab partnership
Casual games maker Miniclip has acquired PowerWash Simulator creator FuturLab Casual in what is effectively the former’s first expansion into PC and console publishing. FuturLab CEO Kirsty Rigdenour will continue in the role post-acquisition, leading the same team built over 20 years.
Miniclip CEO Saad Choudri said: "In March, we proudly welcomed the award-winning game studio, FuturLab, to the Miniclip Group. The success of PowerWash has catapulted the studio into a genre leader and pioneer in the market for ‘games that soothe’."
4) Royal Match races from $2 billion to $3 billion earnings faster than any other game
Dream Games’ Royal Match has increased its earnings from $2 billion to $2 billion in only five months, faster than any other title in gaming history. This means Royal Match has outpaced the likes of Genshin Impact, Roblox, and even Clash of Clans.
The achievement also adds Royal Match to the growing list of games making the $2 billion to $3 billion jump within one year: a list that now comprises 12 games. And of course, Royal Match has flown straight to the top of that list.
5) Rainbow Six Mobile’s rollout on pause as "areas for improvement" are addressed
Over half a year on from the soft launch of Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six mobile adaptation, the development team has provided an update on the direction of travel for this title and what fans can expect going forward.
While "incredibly proud" of how Rainbow Six Mobile is shaping up so far, the team has acknowledged that there are "areas for improvement" and so has halted new content additions for the time being. The rollout to more territories is on hiatus too, giving the team time to address feedback from players and improve the experience first.
