A Taste Of The Top The top games for downloads are shifting as new stars rise and puzzle games conquer Japan
Casual Comedown As RPGs and casual genres drastically decline, Monopoly Go! gives casino a 34% revenue surge
Financials Nexon banks on $22bn IP Dungeon & Fighter being a mobile hit in China as Q1 revenue declines
May 7, 2024 Nintendo Numbers Nintendo made $10.8 billion in FY24 with mobile and IP income up 81.6% It’s been another successful year for Nintendo, but mobile victories are harder to find
May 7, 2024 Vibrant Victory Goddess of Victory: Nikke reaches $750 million in 1.5 years Shift Up is celebrating Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s latest milestone with new characters and free gacha pulls
April 30, 2024 Honkai Hoorah Honkai: Star Rail zooms beyond $1 billion on its first anniversary Honkai: Star Rail generated $1.3 billion in its first 12 months, with 25% from 6% of players…
April 2, 2024 Indie Game Devs Japan launches So-Fu accelerator to support indie game developers The program will provide indie devs with mentorships, create business connections in the industry and even cover expenses.
March 14, 2024 Monster Milestone Six months of Monster Hunter Now: A well-earned celebration as Niantic catches lightning twice Monster Hunter Now has generated $150 million in its first six months, making it Niantic’s second-biggest game behind Pokémon Go
March 7, 2024 Fun At The Fest Pokémon Go Fest 2024 will span three continents across three months Pokémon Go Fest is the game’s biggest event of the year, with dates announced in Japan, Spain and the US for 2024
February 12, 2024 Japan Generation Japan generates 50% of worldwide geolocation game spending Niantic and Square Enix lead the way for player spending in location-based games
January 15, 2024 Rallying Relief Capcom and Square Enix donate millions in relief funds to support victims of Japan earthquake Donations of ¥120 million and ¥50 million from two of Japan's gaming giants will support victims of the earthquake and rebuilding efforts
January 10, 2024 The Greatest Genres RPGs dominate consumer spending, generating 30% of all 2023 mobile game revenue data.ai’s new report reveals reveals that the genre generated $24.5 billion - a huge 30% of revenues - from only 3% of total game downloads
January 10, 2024 Regional Revenues China and US accounted for more than 50% of the $107 billion spent on mobile games in 2023 data.ai’s latest report reveals all about regional revenue and download differences
January 2, 2024 App Authority Japanese legislation looks to confront Apple and Google monopolies in 2024 New regulations could require both Apple and Google to allow alternate billing systems
December 5, 2023 American Ascent The US accounted for 53.5% of casual game installs in Q3, but what are the hottest genres globally? Monopoly GO and Subway Surfers prove to be the quarter’s most downloaded games
November 27, 2023 1999 Reasons To Play Bluepoch’s debut time travel game Reverse: 1999 reaches $15 million The latest Chinese gacha game is coming out of stealth with impressive early figures
November 27, 2023 Not So Monkey Dory One Piece: Thousand Storm is the latest Japanese mobile game reaching end of service Bandai Namco and DeNA first released the IP adaptation in 2016
November 14, 2023 Web3 World SBI Holdings reveals ¥100BN fund to bolster Web3 in Japan Sega and Square Enix are already well underway on their blockchain journeys, and up to 200 other devs could join them through SBI’s support
November 14, 2023 Rising Revenues Nexon’s Q3 2023 smashes records with 78% revenue rise in North America and Europe This marks the sixth consecutive quarterly report with double-digit growth
November 7, 2023 Franchise Fortune Monster Hunter Now is officially a hit, but is it the next Pokémon Go? Almost two months on from Niantic’s latest launch, we take a deep dive into Capcom’s beloved franchise and promising new collaboration
October 30, 2023 Japanese Journey SinoAlice to close down in Japan two months after SinoAlice Global's end date Another Square Enix mobile game approaches the end of the road as the Japanese game - thought safe - is similarly getting the chop
October 25, 2023 Kingdom Come Square Enix drops Kingdom Hearts Missing Link tease after nine-month silence The fan-favourite mobile spin could prove to be Square’s missing link after multiple middling releases
October 23, 2023 Walking Whereabouts Monster Hunter Now set to "surpass" Pokémon Go as geolocation games get moving in Japan Sensor Tower’s latest report reveals location-based games’ performance in Japan
October 18, 2023 Joys Of Japan Japan’s mobile playerbase spends above and beyond on new mobile games Diandian’s report shows how much Japanese players are willing to spend on the hottest new games
October 16, 2023 Saved From Stress Almost half of all gamers find a good friend or spouse through gaming The majority of gamers use games to de-stress and improve skills along the way
October 9, 2023 Statistics Konami is the king of mobile sports games in Japan - and worldwide While best known for its big name gaming franchises, Konami's sporting portfolio on mobile is certainly no slouch
September 27, 2023 Female Gamers Games favoured by women set to exceed $16 billion in revenue this year Women account for over 50% of mobile gamers, and almost 30% of revenue
September 19, 2023 Revenue Nier Automata collaboration pushes Goddess of Victory: Nikke to a half-a billion in revenue The collaboration saw a 215% increase in sales for the title
September 14, 2023 Blue Protocol Tencent reportedly adapting Bandai Namco’s Blue Protocol for mobile The upcoming title is anticipated to be a smash hit
September 12, 2023 Millions And Millions Brave Nine successor Brown Dust 2 earns $10 million in two months GempsN and Neowiz’s new game has generated 80% of its revenue in Asia
September 12, 2023 Japan's Genres RPG, adventure or Waifu? Which genre has made Japan's players the most monetised? So far, revenue from in-app purchases has surpassed $9 billion in Japan this year
September 7, 2023 Gust Gacha Atelier Resleriana is Koei Tecmo’s first mobile game of the decade Featuring characters from the Atelier Ryza series on Switch and PlayStation
September 6, 2023 Attend And Announce NetEase’s first ever Tokyo Game Show appearance will feature 10+ games A new game announcement has been teased for the event
September 4, 2023 Slipping Square Square Enix’s SinoAlice Global will reach end of service this November Another Square Enix mobile game bites the dust
August 10, 2023 Birds Of A Feather Sega to finalise Rovio acquisition next week Sonic and Angry Birds to be one big family as Sega takes 96.3% of shares
August 1, 2023 Report Japan’s consumer spend set to surpass $12.6 billion in 2023 RPG continues to dominate, but hypercasual is on the rise
July 28, 2023 Monster Hunter Monster Hunter Now opens for pre-registration ahead of September 14 release The game will bring the hit franchise to mobile for the first time
July 26, 2023 Financials CyberAgent sees lean financials with game sales down 27.7% The company operates major hits in Japan such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby
July 25, 2023 Ranking Japan's top earning mobile games continue to dominate in the first half of 2023 Pole position and number two swap places while third place holds its own
July 21, 2023 Here Be Dragons Dragon Quest Champions surpassed $10 million two weeks after release The game is closing in on Dragon Quest Walk in Square Enix’s mobile revenue share
July 12, 2023 Joining In Japan New studio Denkiworks aims to bring "East meets West" perspective with Project Tanuki A trio of former Q-Games designers and programmers have formed a new Kyoto-based studio
July 12, 2023 Making Magic Harry Potter: Magic Awakened generated $2.3 million in first week of global release NetEase’s version generated $1.3 million; Warner Bros. Games’ made $1 million
June 19, 2023 Payments Japan to stop Apple and Google charging through proprietary payment systems Alternative payment systems will need to be offered
June 19, 2023 Partnership Animoca Brands partners with Japanese Web3 company Matsui Animoca has been trying to expand its global reach after divesting from the US
June 13, 2023 Gaming In Japan Why we want more Square Enix mobile games in the West Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights deserves a chance to shine outside of Japan. And that's not all…
June 1, 2023 Milestones Bleach: Brave Souls surpasses 75 million downloads The title is based on the popular manga and anime series
May 30, 2023 New Studio NetEase unveils Japanese studio PinCool Inc. The studio will be led by Dragon Quest veteran Ryutaro Ichimura
May 16, 2023 Gamerefinery Report Updates and record breakers: How did mobile gaming do in April? GameRefinery analyses the mobile gaming market last month
May 16, 2023 Shuttering Rising of the Shield Hero mobile title to be shut down One of a number of anime-inspired games to go under
April 14, 2023 Releases Bandai Namco and DeNA to release Takt Op Symphony for Western audiences The title will be available in English officially for the first time