The post Episode 55: From Niche to Global – Top Tips to Cracking the Lucrative Japanese Mobile Market appeared first on GameRefinery.
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Join industry experts Teemu Palomäki, Chief Games Analyst, and Sonja Skoglund, Games Analyst at GameRefinery, a Liftoff Company, as they discuss actionable insights to help you navigate the unique opportunities and challenges that the Japanese mobile scene presents.
You can also watch the episode on YouTube:
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]]>The post Game-Changing Storytelling: How To Integrate Narrative Elements in Mobile Games appeared first on GameRefinery.
]]>Storytelling elements are such a powerful tool for game developers because of the strong connection they can create with a player base. Over time, players learn more about the worlds they’re exploring and become immersed in them, promoting emotional engagement. They learn about their favorite characters and forge connections, which motivates them to keep playing.
A narrative can also help with pacing, building and releasing tension alongside key story beats while directing the players’ attention and emotions through them, all the while supporting other features and creating a meaningful foundation for retention. Metacore’s successful UA tactics with Merge Mansion’s marketing campaigns and disturbing lore showcase how storytelling can be a powerful tool to attract new users, even if your game sits outside of the genres typically associated with strong storytelling.
That said, incorporating storytelling elements into a game can be challenging, as it relies on a carefully crafted amalgamation of rich narrative design with imaginative gameplay – and the two don’t always come together naturally. To put you on the right track, we’ve taken a deep dive into four games that have delivered innovative storytelling in four subgenres: Merge Puzzle from the Casual category, and MMORPG, Action RPG, and 4X Strategy from the Mid-core category.
One of the most common places to encounter storytelling elements on mobile is within the puzzle genre, and while this might sound unconventional, it’s all relatively seamless in practice. Typically, a player completes specific puzzle tasks or matches, which unlock short story segments that play out before the next challenge begins, adding an extra layer that encourages users to continue playing a bit longer.
The most well-known examples are from Playrix: Homescapes and Gardenscapes, although their storytelling features act as more of a secondary feature rather than a core motivational driver. Several exploration games also incorporate similar story designs. If we look at the overall change in popularity of storytelling and dialogue elements featured in casual games, there has been a 7% growth in the top 20% of the games, which is a considerable number of titles.
One title that truly stands out from the pack is Microfun Limited’s Gossip Harbor, which features a storyline that is unique both in terms of its actual narrative and how it’s incorporated into the gameplay experience.
In Gossip Harbor, players follow the story of protagonist Quinn, who has just divorced her husband after she discovers his massive gambling problem. Her restaurant also had a mysterious food poisoning incident, and the story follows the aftermath, with Quinn solving the mystery of food poisoning. The story has multiple main and side characters, and besides the mystery theme, there are also some romance and LGBTQ themes.
What makes the story aspect of Gossip Harbor stand out from Playrix’s games and other puzzle titles is how important the story is to the overall experience. Rather than being tacked on, the game is presented like a visual novel, which brings the story to life. The storyline also goes hand-in-hand with the gameplay, with the meta-layer revolving around renovating different parts of the restaurant in the game (by completing merge2 challenges) to help Quinn get her business back on track.
Better still, new episodes are released on a regular basis, meaning that players who have completed the main game still have something to keep bringing them back.
Other examples of successful merge games include titles such as Merge Mansion, Travel Town, and Love & Pies, all of which rely on continuous narrative elements to keep players coming back for more. The same goes for other puzzle games in the market, which all typically feature narrative elements, even in the most casual genres, to boost player immersion and drive engagement.
In contrast, if we compare this logic with some merge titles that lack narrative elements, we can see the detrimental impact this has had on their overall success. For example, titles such as Chef Merge and Merge Inn do not have a constant narrative element, and both have proven unprofitable.
Including narrative elements in the meta layer of the game certainly has a positive impact on the revenue. GameRefinery’s motivational data shows Gossip Harbor does things differently than most merge games. The motivation “Expression – Role-playing & Emotions” is related to the storytelling aspects of the game that draw players in with a deeper exploration of the characters and their lives. We can see from the chart below how this motivation is much higher in Gossip Harbor than in other merge games, which makes the game more appealing to players across other genres who are typically interested in storytelling aspects and emotional impact.
Historically, role-playing games have been the home of complex narrative design in video games, and that’s still the case on mobile. One of the best examples on the market today is Blizzard’s portable take on its dungeon-crawling RPG, Diablo Immortal, which takes players on an epic fantasy adventure set between the events of Diablo II and III.
Most of the game sees players facing off against the main antagonist, Skarn, who seeks to gather the Worldstone fragments to resurrect the series’ titular villain, Diablo. This storyline is the primary driver for most of the game as the player levels up their character. However, these storytelling elements go far beyond the main narrative, with cutscenes and dialogue seamlessly integrated throughout the experience to build a truly immersive world.
In most RPGs (and games in general), major new features are usually introduced with just a simple tutorial explaining how everything works. In Diablo Immortal, when a new feature or gameplay mode is available, players receive a new questline that naturally brings it into the world, explaining its place in the Diablo universe while also acting as a tutorial. For example, when the game introduced the Fractured Plane roguelite game mode, players had to complete a lengthy Fractured Plane questline first before they could participate.
Another good example is how a new class, the Blood Knight, was introduced. Players weren’t just told they had a new class to play with. Instead, they went on a new quest that introduced the class and showcased how to best utilize its special abilities within the context of the game’s world. Players could also engage in an Elite Quest, Vowed in Blood, which introduced more lore behind the Blood Knight class and explained how this special class of characters is created.
Diablo Immortal also builds on its narrative by periodically adding expansions, which add additional playable areas introduced through new story content. For example, when the game added Stormpoint to the world map, a new main storyline quest was added to encourage players to explore this new area.
Continuing in the RPG genre, Level Infinite’s Goddess of Victory: NIKKE has been a huge success since it first appeared in November 2022, hovering around the top 20 on the Japanese market and the top 200 on the US market. The game combines a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting with a heavy RPG focus and shooter gameplay – not to mention some very provocative character designs for the women in the game, which has undoubtedly contributed to its popularity. However, the seductive elements are not the only notable aspect of the game. Goddess of Victory: NIKKE excels in nurturing a deep bond between the player and its characters, cleverly weaving storytelling elements around the game at almost every opportunity.
Similar to most RPGs, Goddess of Victory features a campaign mode that takes the player through a rich, detailed storyline. It features traditional voice-acted storytelling with 2D stills and dialogue boxes, dialogue choices for the player, and flashy anime cut scenes during significant story moments. The main storyline focuses on the player’s faceless avatar character, the “Commander,” and their NIKKE, a squad of sexy female combat androids.’
The story starts with a tragic scene where the squad loses a comrade NIKKE to the enemy, highlighted by a lengthy anime cut scene that brings the 2D characters to life. The characters from the squad have distinct personalities and relationships with each other and remain central to the story throughout the game, nurturing a long-term emotional connection. Despite the dark, tragic setting of the story, the dialogue has a lot of situational humor sprinkled in, showing the more serious figures in an endearing light.
Much of the game’s financial success can be attributed to how it has intertwined its likable characters with its monetization mechanics. The NIKKE, which make up a player’s squad, are drawn from a character gacha, with duplicates being used to upgrade them further. The game relies heavily on the idea of players growing attached to specific characters and investing to make them a key part of their arsenal. The overall pool of NIKKE seems to have been calculated to include enough variety in “waifu” types to accommodate different players’ tastes, with new characters and stories introduced through big events and event gachas. (See the end of this chapter for more on story events in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE!)
Introducing newly acquired characters is done thoroughly to ensure the player gets hooked on learning more about them and their personality. When a player acquires a new SSR NIKKE, a series of story events open to the player around the game. First, the new NIKKE will send a private text message to the player introducing themselves and giving the player a nickname reflective of their own interests.
Then, the player can go to the Command Center, chat with the NIKKE, and advise them on their personal problems. The player is rewarded with more “Attraction Rank” exp points for knowing the NIKKE’s character and choosing the correct dialogue option. As the Attraction Rank increases, the NIKKE gains stat boosts, and intimate story sequences centering on that NIKKE and the player become available to roleplay through.
Acquiring a NIKKE may also trigger a unique “Brief Encounter” story segment accessed in specific buildings in the player’s base, the Outpost. Some Brief Encounters require the player to own several NIKKEs featured in that story to become available.
After advancing the story and acquiring certain NIKKEs, the androids will also take it upon themselves to organize group chat rooms where they interact with each other and invite the player to participate. This helps to build the illusion that the characters have lives and personalities beyond their interactions with the player and is an excellent example of how to create more minor game features that deepen the relationship to the characters, story, and world.
Outside the main narrative, the game revolves around large-scale events focusing on specific NIKKEs. These are designed so that the player gets a boost for acquiring the NIKKE(s) in question from the exclusive event gacha or rewards and using them in battle. The event-exclusive special NIKKEs’ have personal stories in the Advice / Attraction Rank feature that act as side stories to the event’s main story, revealing exclusive details of the plot and characters, ultimately linking longer-term character acquisition benefits and emotional attachment to the limited-time event gameplay together.
It is clear that hybridization in the form of roleplaying elements and Hero character focus has established its presence in the 4X Strategy scene. One newcomer to the subgenre that has been putting this to the test is Farlight Games’ Call of Dragons. Designed by the same team behind Rise of Kingdoms, this title incorporates storytelling and mechanics familiar from RPG games with a depth unseen on the strategy game mobile market, fleshing out the world and lore around the heroes to forge a stronger connection with players.
Like many other titles in the subgenre, Call of Dragons features playable hero characters that players collect through gachas and story progression. Farlight Games has put a lot of effort into bringing these heroes to life with AAA-quality 3D animation and voiceover work.
Similar to Goddess of Victory, players are also encouraged to build long-lasting relationships with their favorite characters and form an emotional connection. Each hero has a ‘trust level,’ which is increased by talking to them and completing quests or giving them gifts. As this trust level increases, the player unlocks more story content, including additional dialogue options and background story chapters.
The 3D characters can be seen strolling around the city with a dialogue symbol above their head, prompting the player to chat with them and make dialogue choices that fit their personality. After certain conditions are met, and the player owns all the required characters, heroes can also gather as a group in a corner of the city, with unique dialogue sequences that showcase the heroes’ relationship with each other.
Another excellent detail that adds depth to the exploration is the short story snippets that players encounter when entering new villages. These stories have dialogue choices, and the result in the story changes depending on how the player answers. If the choice is bad and the result is unfavorable, you tend to get slightly worse rewards, and vice versa.
These four games demonstrate how storytelling elements can create a more immersive, engaging experience for mobile players and showcase the impact building an emotional connection can have on player retention, regardless of genre. Better yet, some of these titles also illustrate the narrative’s impact on revenue when storytelling becomes intricately woven into a game’s monetization strategy.
Here are the four key lessons to take from these four innovative titles:
If you enjoyed this blog post and would like to learn more about storytelling elements in mobile games, then check out some of our other narrative-focused content:
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]]>The post Episode 51: How to Navigate the Evolving Landscape of Advertising and Revenue appeared first on GameRefinery.
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We’ll discuss the constantly evolving dynamics of advertising and revenue, as well as the transformative impact of AI and user acquisition strategies.
You can also watch the episode on YouTube:
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]]>The post Monster Hunter Now: Has Niantic Finally Found Another Pokémon Go-Sized Hit? appeared first on GameRefinery.
]]>Based on Capcom’s massive Monster Hunter franchise, which has collectively sold more than 94 million copies over various platforms and iterations over the past two decades, Niantic’s latest title was off to a good start. The game maintained a position within the top 100 highest-grossing apps in the US during its initial month of release, reaching its peak when the event boss Diablos was introduced on the weekend (keep reading for more details on these boss battles). While it has since settled within the top 200, the achievement remains noteworthy, especially when compared to the company’s prior title, Peridot, which, although briefly ranking in the top 200 upon release, quickly fell out of that tier.
Monster Hunter Now is much more popular in Japan than it is in the US, where it’s been hovering around second place in the download charts since its launch. The game jumped to the top 10 in grossing ranks and reached its highest spot around a special in-game event focused on the Diablos monster on 20 September, which caused daily revenue to increase by almost 300% in the days that followed. This isn’t surprising as, historically, the Monster Hunter IP has been significantly more prevalent in Japan than in any other part of the world. For example, one of the series’ best-selling installments, Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (2010), sold 4.9m units over its lifetime, with over 4m of those sales coming from Japan.
This can be attributed to the franchise having almost always been based on portable gaming platforms, such as the Nintendo 3DS or the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which are more widely adopted in Japan, as many people use them to pass the time on their daily commute on public transport through densely crowded cities. The franchise also built on that large user base through local multiplayer, which brought all the fans together to become a cultural phenomenon.
It’s worth noting that the regional divide has lessened in recent years, with the success of recent titles like Monster Hunter World, which was released on home consoles rather than portable platforms, making it a more recognized IP among Western audiences, largely explaining Monster Hunter Now’s success in the US.
Of course, there’s more to Monster Hunter Now than just brand power. It’s an entertaining game in its own right, revolving around solid tapping and swiping controls that players must master to succeed. Tapping the screen performs a basic weapon attack while holding it results in different effects based on the selected weapon. For example, when using the sword and shield, tapping results in a sheathing dash attack, and holding brings the shield up for defense. Players can also swipe the screen to dodge, which provides a special attack boost if timed correctly.
These mechanics come into their own against Monster Hunter Now’s bosses, which are stronger enemies that players can take on solo or with a party of up to four hunters. These bosses each have different difficulty ratings that indicate their level of challenge. Defeated bosses drop material items, which are used to forge and upgrade equipment sets based on the monster they were attained from, a mechanic derived from mainline Monster Hunter titles.
In terms of progression, players unlock new boss monsters and difficulties through a linear task system. They receive an “Urgent Quest” detailing a new boss, which they must defeat in battle on their own. Once they’ve felled the monster, it appears in the wild, where it can be hunted for material items. A new urgent quest will also appear, which players can take on once they feel suitably prepared.
While the game can be played solo, most players will eventually seek the help of other monster hunters once they start to take on higher-ranked bosses. This is because all boss battles must be completed within an allocated time, and it can be difficult to deal enough damage on your own. Thankfully, it’s easy to get a full party because there are no restrictions preventing players from joining boss hunts they’ve not yet unlocked on their own.
World exploration works differently in Monster Hunter Now compared to Pokémon GO. On top of the standard neutral area, Now also features three randomly placed habitats: Forest, Swamp, and Desert. Each habitat shuffles around daily and features unique bosses and materials, encouraging players to explore. Material Spots, Monster Hunter Now’s version of Poké Stops, also update more regularly at every three minutes, compared to five.
Regarding monetization, Monster Hunter Now is surprisingly limited on this front, with just a couple of starter bundles and a selection of consumable boosts. Comparatively, it’s much more difficult to progress in Pokémon GO without IAPs, as players need to buy more Poke Balls to carry on playing once they’ve run out of nearby PokéStops. There are also raid boosts, exp boosts, accessories, storage expansion upgrades, and so much more.
That being said, once players hit higher levels in Monster Hunter Now, unique materials are required to upgrade gear, which can only be obtained from challenging boss fights or via in-app purchases. More detail on how this works can be found in our complete analysis of Monster Hunter Now.
Monster Hunter Now’s success is part of a wider trend; the rise of location-based games in Japan. To put that in perspective, there are three AR titles frequenting the top-grossing 20 in Japan: Dragon Quest Walk, Pokémon GO, and Monster Hunter Now. Moving slightly further down the ranks into the wider top 200 reveals a few more: Pikmin Bloom, Eki Memo, and a new Nobunuga 4X game.
These titles are able to coexist because they each cater to wildly different audiences and their motivations through their unique gameplay. For example, Monster Hunter Now’s mixture of skill-based gameplay and epic monster battles appeals to Thrill-seeking players. Pokémon GO and its expansive library of hundreds of rare creatures stand out to Treasure Hunters. Pikmin Bloom, meanwhile, is relaxing and therapeutic, with players collecting seeds to grow new friends; this appeals to Thinkers who want to take their minds off the outside world.
Looking ahead, Japan’s fascination with location-based gaming is set to continue as Square Enix recently unveiled their upcoming title, Kingdom Hearts Missing Link, described as a “GPS Action RPG,” slated for a 2024 release. While specific details about the game are still under wraps, it seems that real-life locations will play a significant role in its gameplay, further fueling the trend of location-based gaming in Japan.
Comparatively, looking at the US market, the only top-grossing 200 AR-based location titles there are Pokémon GO and Monster Hunter Now. Outside the top 200, the best performer is Jurassic World Alive. This difference can largely be explained in the same way as the success of the Monster Hunter IP as a whole.
It’s all down to lifestyles. In Japan, most people have no choice but to commute using public transportation, and location-based games are a good way to pass the time on the journey. In the US, a lot of people have the luxury of their own car, meaning they have the convenience of being able to drive to and from work. The offset of that convenience is that for most people in the US, it means going out of their way to play, such as by walking to work instead or wandering out on their lunch break, and this has seemingly stifled the success of the genre.
Another key factor behind their success in the region is brand awareness, with almost every single one of the top-grossing location-based AR games being based on an established Japanese franchise, each of which brings something unique and engaging to the format:
The big question mark hanging over Monster Hunter Now is its longevity. Niantic’s Harry Potter: Wizards Unite had a similarly successful launch in 2019 with over 6m downloads but was shut down just two years later due to its consistently poor performance. What’s to say Monster Hunter now won’t meet the same fate once the initial hype has passed?
The big difference between Monster Hunter Now and Wizards Unite is that this title is more respective of its source material, which stems from a lengthy four-year development cycle with Capcom. Players follow the same monster slaying, armor crafting cycle as they do in Monster Hunter’s popular console titles, such as Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise, except with a location-based spin.
Comparatively, Wizards Unite simply didn’t go far enough to distance itself from Pokemon GO and make the most of its source material, with a big focus on merely collecting magical creatures rather than battling evil wizards and casting elaborate spells. There’s also the matter of Niantic’s Peridot, although the lackluster performance of this title likely relates to its risk as a new IP.
And yet, while we believe this means the game has a sound basis on which to grow, it’s unclear whether the gameplay loop of hunting the same bosses over and over to upgrade specific equipment will be as successful on mobile as on console. That success will largely depend on Niantic’s ability to keep players motivated through an engaging LiveOps strategy; we’re excited to see if they can pull it off.
If you are interested in a more detailed breakdown of features in Monster Hunter Now, be sure to check out our full analysis in the GameRefinery service. You may also enjoy some of our other content based on popular mobile titles:
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]]>The post Episode 50: The Top 3 Trends in the Chinese Mobile Game Market in 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.
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We’ll discover what makes China an unrivaled hub for mobile gaming as we delve into the fascinating phenomenon of popular mobile games. We’ll also uncover the profound impact of government regulations on the industry, spanning from game approvals and content restrictions to censorship.
We’ll also predict how China’s gaming landscape will evolve over the next five years—considering the game-changing role of technology, shifting player preferences, and ever-evolving industry trends.
You can also watch the episode on YouTube:
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]]>The post Episode 49: Chocobo On-The-Go – Exploring Final Fantasy on Mobile appeared first on GameRefinery.
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We’ll look into how Final Fantasy’s success in mobile gaming is tied to its monetization strategies and what truly sets Final Fantasy games apart, from their captivating stories and immersive gameplay to their stunning visuals. Beyond the technical aspects, we’ll examine the immense impact of the Final Fantasy brand on both the gaming world and popular culture.
You can also watch the episode on YouTube:
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