From PUBG x Dragon Ball to Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x Nier: Automata and State of Survival x Resident Evil, collaboration occasions with famend franchises have constantly demonstrated their skill to considerably improve cell sport efficiency. These occasions can drive UA by tapping into an current fanbase, doubtlessly bringing in 1000’s of latest gamers who may not in any other case have thought of hitting the obtain button.
Collaboration occasions may present new monetization alternatives, with many gamers keen to buy cosmetics and different objects primarily based on their favourite franchises. These occasions may profit the franchises, as they get uncovered to an current sport’s consumer base—and plenty of of those gamers would possibly develop to grow to be long-term followers.
With all that in thoughts, it’s no shock that IP collaboration occasions have seen a surge in recognition over the previous few years on cell. That’s significantly true of the midcore facet of the market, with virtually 60% of the highest 200 titles incorporating them as a part of their LiveOps technique, particularly these inside the taking pictures, sandbox, and 4X technique genres. However they’re additionally turning into more and more outstanding in informal house, as demonstrated by the likes of Stumble Guys and Roblox, which have a brand new crossover each month (if no more).
Two individuals who know all this too effectively are Kalle Heikkinen, Market Insights at Liftoff Intelligence, and Altti Fromholdt, Content material Creator at Liftoff Intelligence. In our current Unlocking Development with IP Collaborations Webinar, the pair mentioned a number of the most profitable IP collaborations and appeared on the newest traits in branded LiveOps. Beneath, we undergo the highlights.
Transformers x Mob Management
We’ve written a lot about how cell video games have been utilizing blockbuster film releases to generate engagement, which Kalle mentioned was in full swing as soon as once more this 12 months with Transformers One. Nonetheless, this time, the crossover wasn’t simply in a single cell sport however a number of without delay—with Mob Management, Roblox, and Squad Busters launching occasions concurrently.
You’d assume that having a number of crossovers without delay would lead to over-saturation, with Transformers followers uncertain the place to show. Whereas which may have been the case to some extent, every title carried out effectively by itself deserves primarily as a result of all of them supplied wildly totally different experiences of their style. Mob Management is a tactical battler, Squad Busters focuses on motion, and Roblox is extra of a sandbox-style expertise, that means they keep away from stepping on one another’s toes.
Nonetheless, Kalle and Altti thought that probably the most profitable of those collaborations was that of Mob Management, which moderately unusually lasted for nearly six months, starting in March and wrapping up in September. Its drawn-out strategy meant that the sport launched its Transformers updates in phases moderately than abruptly, with highlights together with three battle passes with Transformer-themed cosmetics, a aggressive Transformers league, and a story-based occasion referred to as Echoes from Cybertron that explored the lore behind the franchise.
Mob Management noticed its greatest efficiency enhance in June following the discharge of its second battle move, which resulted in day by day income virtually doubling within the US iOS market. There was additionally the same spike close to the occasion’s begin, which noticed day by day downloads hit a 150% enhance over the earlier month.
Unusually, the occasion was its least profitable in September, when Transformers One was launched in theatres. After all, the movie had a prolonged advertising marketing campaign, and earlier spikes might have coincided with trailers and different commercials. Mob Management additionally generates important advert income, which isn’t mirrored within the chart beneath and will have elevated throughout the movie’s theatrical launch.
Spongebob x Brawl Stars
Supercell’s Brawl Stars has had a spectacular year-and-a-half on cell after launching and retooling a variety of options, which catapulted the sport again to the highest reaches of the cell market after a downward hunch. Kalle and Altti mentioned the newest addition to Supercell’s comeback efforts is collaboration occasions, which began with Spongebob Squarepants.
Squad Buster’s collaboration occasion was noteworthy as a result of it consisted of a number of separate but loosely linked occasions. It began with Krusty Kash, a brand new premium foreign money launched as a part of the occasion, which gamers might spend in a limited-time retailer providing a spread of Spongebob-themed skins and beauty objects.
That sounds very typical, however what’s attention-grabbing is that gamers might additionally use their Krusty Kash to buy Energy Meals, particular power-ups utilized in all-new Spongebob-themed sport modes. One such sport mode was Jellyfishing, the place two groups raced to seize a chosen variety of jellyfish. There have been seven upgradeable power-ups for every of the sport’s seven Brawler Courses—the Tank Class, for instance, might get a Krabby Patty that orbits round them as a protect.
All of it got here full circle, as the primary Spongebob-themed sport mode win of the day awarded the participant further Krusty Kash. It was a case the place you will need to spend cash to earn a living: By investing in Krusty Kash and getting the upgrades, you could possibly carry out higher and seize your day by day reward quicker. This was additionally bolstered by a collaborative guild occasion, The Membership, the place grouped-up gamers needed to work collectively to realize a certain quantity of Krusty Kash to unlock unique rewards, together with the SpongeBob El Primo pores and skin.
General, the crossover was an immense success, fuelling a 300%+ spike in day by day income on the US iOS market when the occasion launched on 5 September. Notably, the occasion additionally included most of the extra commonplace options you would possibly anticipate from a collaboration occasion, akin to a brand new premium battle move, which can even have supported the income enhance.
Dave the Diver x Goddess of Victory: NIKKE
Lastly, the final instance of profitable collaboration occasions that Kalle and Altti targeted on was in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE. This extremely well-liked title has launched just a few crossover occasions because it blasted onto the scene in November 2022—together with Chainsaw Man, Nier: Automata, and most just lately, Neon Genesis: Evangelion—however its partnership with the award-winning PC and console sport Dave the Diver was by far its most noteworthy.
Relatively than merely making a number of stay occasions impressed by Dave the Diver, developer Shift Up dived a lot deeper with Aegis the Diver, an virtually like-for-like model of Dave the Diver faithfully recreated inside the confines of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE. Recreating any sport from the bottom up is not any small feat, but it surely’s significantly spectacular as Dave the Diver, developed by MintRocket, is such an uncommon title.
For these unfamiliar with Dave the Diver, it’s an uncommon hybrid of an action-adventure diving and fishing sport with a restaurant administration sim, dropped at life with a soothing tropical soundtrack and a colourful pixelated aesthetic. That spectacular mixture has landed the sport an enormous quantity of crucial and business acclaim, successful in a number of classes on the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 and promoting greater than 5 million items to this point.
Taking part in by means of the occasion in Goddess of Victory unlocked Dave the Diver-inspired objects for the primary sport. There was additionally a battle move with a premium choice. Nonetheless, monetization was typically gentle, suggesting that the occasion aimed to drive consumer acquisition moderately than income. Including to that was the actual fact gamers might additionally get a particular Goddess of Victory-themed pores and skin for his or her boat in Dave the Diver by coming into a code, encouraging followers of the diving restaurant sim to check out Goddess of Victory’s recreation.
Dave the Diver itself was additionally on sale throughout PlayStation, Change, and different platforms during the occasion, presumably timed to push those that loved its gameplay in Goddess of Victory (and personal an acceptable PC or console) to select up the complete title.
Provided that Dave the Diver isn’t but obtainable on cell, this crossover virtually raises the query of whether or not this was some form of take a look at for the way it might work on pocket-sized units. That appears unlikely, provided that the sport’s director has gone on the document saying that Dave the Diver began as an thought for a cell sport however shifted to different platforms early in growth. However, Goddess of Victory proves Dave the Diver might work on the platform.
The way forward for IP collaborations on cell
With these three revolutionary and extremely profitable examples of collaboration occasions on cell, it’s arduous to think about crossovers getting any higher than they’re already. Nonetheless, in keeping with Kalle and Altti, that is probably just the start, and so they have three totally different theories as to how these occasions would possibly enhance within the close to future.
Extra manufacturers will collaborate with a number of titles concurrently
As demonstrated by Transformers, carried out accurately, it’s attainable for a serious franchise to efficiently crossover into a number of cell video games without delay. The important thing, it appears, is to make sure that every collaboration provides one thing distinctive or caters to a distinct style. For instance, having the identical franchise entrance and middle in a puzzle sport, a 4X technique, and a racing sport is most probably advantageous, however you wouldn’t need two shooters on the identical time.
With that in thoughts, it’s probably solely a matter of time earlier than different franchises with important fanbases begin taking a multi-game strategy, particularly when one thing necessary is occurring with the model—akin to a brand new film, online game, or milestone. We just lately touched upon one thing comparable taking place for Good day Kitty’s fiftieth anniversary in our September 2024 analyst bulletin, suggesting this pattern is already within the works.
Collaboration Occasions Will Turn out to be Even Extra Expansive
Whereas six months would possibly sound like a very long time to run a collaboration occasion, Mob Management has demonstrated that the long-winded strategy may be efficient. As time goes on, Kalle and Altti suspect that extra titles will lengthen their crossovers for longer intervals of time, particularly contemplating that there’s probably a variety of back-and-forth between the builders and the IP holders in negotiating some of these occasions.
The pair additionally predict that crossovers will incorporate extra occasion sorts, modes, and cosmetics to cater to as many various participant motivations as attainable. The potential checklist goes on, together with a story-driven narrative, aggressive leaderboards, guild-based challenges, and a number of battle passes.
There shall be much more collaboration occasions
Given the prices and challenges concerned with consumer acquisition, Kalle and Altti anticipate that collaboration occasions will grow to be much more commonplace as many see them as a possible resolution. Inevitably, as extra collaboration occasions launch available on the market, a minimum of some will grow to be a roaring success, which is able to encourage much more video games to leap on the bandwagon.
Should you loved this weblog submit and wish the complete lowdown on Mob Management, Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, and Brawl Star’s collaboration occasions, make sure you catch the complete Unlocking Development with IP Collaborations Webinar on demand.