Five mobile games that utilised well-known IP accumulated a combined player spend of $1.4 billion in the US across 2020.
As confirmed by Sensor Tower, Pokémon GO, PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile all placing within the top 10 for revenue generated within the year at fourth, ninth and 10th respectively.
Marvel Strike Force then earned 14th position, while Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle snuck in at the number 20 spot to boost the IP player spending to the aforementioned figure.
Pokémon GO from Niantic once again was the most lucrative licensed mobile game in the US, earning an estimated $480 million.
The worldwide catch ’em all soared past $4 billion in player spending in November 2020.
Overall, the biggest game for the year across App Store and Google Play in US went to Roblox, before Candy Crush Saga and Coin Master settled for second and third respectively.
Brand recognition
As a result of the continued strength of already established brands, 23 per cent of overall mobile game player spending in the US originated from titles that utilised an IP in 2020. Additionally, 17 per cent of all downloads came from these types of games.
Sensor Tower data also showed that the revenue growth of IP games in comparison to non-licensed titles both had a similar increase of 33.8 per cent year-over-year. However, Installs for IP-reliant games shot up by 31 per cent, a big difference from the 3.9 per cent decline for those that didn’t.
Across the board, video game IPs made up a third of all revenue generated by licensed mobile games in the US in 2020. This was more than double any other sector’s share.
Outside of the US, it was recently revealed that Uma Musume: Pretty Derby stormed the mobile revenue chart for April 2021.
Niantic, meanwhile, has begun offering developers more access to its Real World Platform after renaming it to Lightship.
You can read Sensor Tower’s full breakdown here.
