NetEase’s casual simulation RPG Vikingard will be hosting a second collaboration with MGM’s drama series Vikings.
Vikingard is a simulation RPG centering around the historical Viking culture, very similar to the setting of the TV series Vikings. The two first partnered back in September of 2022 and with enough success that a second collaboration is now live. This second partnership includes new cosmetics, storylines and missions based on the popular drama series, which follows the fictionalised life of historical viking king Ragnar Lodbrok.
Vikingard has seen a great deal of success since it was first released in 2022, and recently came to alternative app stores courtesy of publisher Flexion. As noted by Gamerefinery in their case study of the first Vikingard and Vikings crossover, the collaboration brought a 25% increase in downloads and catapulted the game into the US top-200 highest grossing mobile games at the time.
Raiding the app stores
Character crossovers which fit into the game world naturally have a place, especially with other wild crossover events such as in battle-royale game Fortnite usually taking precedence. At Pocket Gamer Connects London earlier this year Data.ai senior marketing manager Chris Uglietta picked out the use synergy between well known IPs and games sharing similar themes to help widen the acquisition funnel. Done right – as with the connection between of Vikingard and Vikings – the strategy can be a winner.
After a rough 2022 it’ll also be encouraging for NetEase that they once more secured a valuable crossover partnership with a popular series and are doubtless looking to repeat the boost that the first collaboration brought them.
Not only that, but as one of their most recent releases internationally – at a time when rivals like Tencent are bringing popular Chinese games to the rest of the globe – Vikingard will remain a litmus test for the popularity of NetEase’s original titles outside of the Chinese market.
