In the world of gaming, online or otherwise, mobile gaming has taken the world by storm and millions around the world are spending their free time playing their favourite games. If you see a friend staring at their smartphone for hours on end, we can assure you that they’re either on social media, playing mobile games, or a good combination of both! We look at the most profitable mobile games around today.
The most profitable mobile games today
Pokémon GO
Developer: Niantic
Based: San Francisco, USA
Released: July 6th, 2016
Genre: Augmented reality
Worldwide success
What started out as an April Fools’ joke in 2016 which filled Google Maps with Pokémon, quickly became an overnight sensation after the idea was developed into a fully-fledged game. Pokémon GO reportedly generated over $1 billion in the 7 months after its release.
Clash Royale
Developer: Supercell
Based: Helsinki, Finland
Released: March 2nd, 2016
Genre: MOBA / CCG
Worldwide success
Supercell is taking no prisoners in their quest to develop world-dominating profitable mobile games. Building on the popularity of their Clash of Clans success, Clash Royale was able to generate $1 billion in less than a year.
Honor of Kings
Developer: Tencent
Based: Shenzhen, China
Released: November 26th, 2015
Genre: MOBA
Found initial success in China
At last count it was estimated that Honor of Kings has an estimated 70 million active daily users. With numbers like that it’s not surprising that the game has generated over $1 billion since it’s beta release in November 2015.
Candy Crush Saga
Developer: King
Based: London, UK
Released: November 14th, 2012 on mobile
Genre: Match-three
Worldwide success
Candy Crush Saga may in fact be the most well-known and one of the most profitable mobile games worldwide. It’s hard to understand why, but perhaps it’s because it satisfies fans of mobile pokies with its use of colour and catchy tunes. In September 2016 it was estimated that an average of 18 billion rounds were played in Candy Crush every month – which has translated into massive profits.
Mobile Strike
Developer: MZ
Based: Palo Alto, USA
Released: 11th July 2015
Genre: 4X Strategy
Worldwide success
MZ first found major success with Game of War and their follow-up release, Mobile Strike, did not disappoint. They even have Arnold Schwarzenegger as the face for their media and marketing, and this quickly translated to a $1 billion game.
Summoners War
Developer: Com2Us
Based: Seoul, South Korea
Released: 12th June 2014
Genre: Strategy / RPG
Worldwide success
Summoners War is unique in that it has generated more popularity overseas than it has in its home country of South Korea. With $890 million generated overseas and $100 million in South Korea, this 3-year old game seems to gain more success with each passing month.
Game of War: Fire Age
Developer: MZ
Based: Palo Alto, USA
Released: 25th July 2013
Genre: 4X Strategy
Worldwide success
Even though Game of War: Fire Age is now a 4-year old game, it is still generating income for MZ. While MZ may cut a somewhat controversial figure in the world of profitable mobile games development owing to their at times harsh monetisation practises and complex game designs, it hasn’t stopped this incredibly popular game from generating over $1 billion in revenue.
Clash of Clans
Developer: Supercell
Based: Helsinki, Finland
Released: 2nd August 2012
Genre: Strategy
Worldwide success
There really is only one company like Supercell and it’s therefore not surprising that the Finish company is on the list of the world’s biggest mobile revenue generators. Clash of Clans was released 5 years ago and to this day it remains one of the highest grossing mobile games of all time.
