How Supercell's Brawl Stars monetises, Mike DeLaet on sharing his smarts, and evolving from rinse-and-repeat
Nearly everything Supercell does has the rest of the industry watching, trying to learn just how it has run such a successful business.
So when we took a look at the monetisation of its latest game in soft launch, Brawl Stars, our readers were once again interested to learn just what the Finnish developer is up to this time, becoming our most read article from last week.
Second on out Hot Five is out interview with former Kabam exec Mike DeLaet on starting his new company DOD Media Group, which will be advising others across a wide range of business services.
Rinse and repeat, Wargaming, and Gameloft
Our third most read article of last week was Contributing Editor Jon Jordan’s analysis of gaming’s rinse-and-repeat moments, and whether design will move on to creating more meaningful moments for players.
Next up was our interview with Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi on the company’s big plans for mobile, and a look at how Gameloft is performing under the ownership of Vivendi.
#5: One year on: Whatever happened to Gameloft?
More Info
One year on: Whatever happened to Gameloft? »Following its acquisition by Vivendi, it looked like a new strategy was putting Gameloft on the road to recovery.
More than a year on, just how has the publisher performed? According to our Contributing Editor Jon Jordan, its trajectory has been something of a two-sided coin.
Sales are up thanks to its advertising business, but its mobile game revenues are in decline.
“Q1 game sales were down 4% year-on-year while Q2 sales were down 5%, and this despite Gameloft releasing six new games: Gangstar New Orleans, NOVA Legacy, City Mania, Blitz Brigade: Rival Tactics, Iron Blade and Asphalt Street Storm Racing,” wrote Jordan.
“This is a problem. Although these games weren’t the most innovative, they were high quality products, with strong gameplay and decent metagame mechanics that in most cases built on existing franchises. Yet, not even the most generous observer could characterise any of them as being commercially successful.”
#4: Wargaming CEO: Everyday mobile is more and more important
More Info
Wargaming CEO: Everyday mobile is more and more important »Wargaming has had a mixed bag in the mobile games market, and has yet to really replicate its barnstorming success on PC.
World of Tanks Blitz has been a hit, but the company has struggled to replicate that formula in its other games, resulting in the closure of the WG Cells Seattle office in 2016.
But recent moves, such as the acquisition of Finnish developer Boomlagoon, have signalled a new strategy from Wargaming. It seems intent on making a success of mobile.
And the company’s CEO Victor Kislyi told PocketGamer.biz that mobile is becoming more and more important to the company with each passing day.
#3: Can mobile gaming move from rinse-and-repeat to more meaningful moments?
More Info
Can mobile gaming move from rinse-and-repeat to more meaningful moments? »Mobile games play very differently to their console and PC counterparts, often focusing on the metagame rather than the standard gameplay.
Indeed, as our Contributing Editor Jon Jordan notes, gameplay is often just a means to the end, with many individual victories and defeats marginalised.
But can things change? There are strong economic reasons for things staying the same, but there are signs that there could be more typically gameplay-focused games on the way.
“The impact of industry trends, especially PVP, esports and streaming, means we can - and should - expect the mix of mobile games to change, and perhaps even the dynamics of what’s considered ‘a success’ too,” wrote Jordan.
#2: From Kabam SVP to DOD Media CEO: Mike DeLaet on sharing his smarts
More Info
From Kabam SVP to DOD Media CEO: Mike DeLaet on sharing his smarts »The ending of a company can often mark the start of a daunting but exciting new career path for some staff.
Former Kabam SVP of Worldwide Business Development and Licensing Mike DeLaet took the opportunity of the Netmarble acquisition of parts of Kabam to start up his own company, DOD Media Group.
Along with ex-Next Radio executive Eric Williams, the two are advising companies across a wide range of business services.
“We founded DOD Media Group to help developers scale and grow their business beyond the traditional means such as paid user acquisition campaigns or pure organic downloads from the various app stores,” said DeLaet.
#1: How does Supercell's Brawl Stars monetise?
More Info
How does Supercell's Brawl Stars monetise? »Supercell’s Brawl Stars is one of the hottest and most intriguing games on the mobile market right now.
Only soft-launched on the App Store in Canada, the team-based PvP shooter has Supercell once again innovating with game design.
After a few months on the market and following some major updates, how is the game currently monetising?
We put our resident In-App Purchase Inspector on the case to find out.