I've said it before and I'll say it again: there's no sure-fire way to find success on any mobile platform. An over-saturated market that makes discovery almost impossible, and consumers that demand high quality products at rock bottom prices see to that.
Even when you do manage to find a foothold, and somehow create a game that millions of gamers are willing to spend money on, the pressure doesn't let up.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what route you take, because there's no easy way to the top.
That's the only truth in the mobile industry, and it's one that has hit Super Evil Megacorp, the creators of Apple endorsed-MOBA Vainglory, squarely in the jaw.
Vain attempt
On the US top grossing chart for iPhone, it'd be fair to say Vainglory hasn't yet become the chart-topper it's Apple promotion - and that Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon advert - might have led you to believe.
Since launch the same has struggled to get out of first gear, and could only manage to peak at #212 on the US iPhone top grossing chart before suffering a dip in performance.
As it stands, it doesn't look like Vainglory will be troubling the top 200.
The game's performances might be slightly better on the European top grossing chart for iPhone - which looks at Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and the UK - but don't mistake that for success.
Vainglory is still struggling, and even though it did manage marginally better peak positions of #150 in Spain and #195 in Italy, I'd be very surprised to see the it in the top 100 any time soon.
Of course, poor chart positions aren't necessarily indicative of the game's quality, they merely prove that finding your feet on mobile isn't getting any easier.
Building a franchise
One company who does know all about building a mobile brand is King, the developer behind everybody's favourite match-3 title, Candy Crush Saga.
The studio's latest release, Candy Crush Soda Saga, aims to build on the success of the original, but does it really have the potential to become the App Stores next big-hitter?
So far, it seems the answer is a resounding yes.
Candy Crush Soda Saga has taken the US by storm, powering straight into the top 10 on the US top grossing chart for iPhone, where it peaked at #4.
King's latest effort has also been performing extremely well in Europe, where it currently sits in the top 5 top grossing charts in all countries.
If peak positions of #3 in the UK, Italy, and France are anything to go by, you should probably get used to seeing Candy Crush Soda Saga at the top of the pile. It won't be going anywhere soon.
