LogInOver the past 365 days, 9 mid-core mobile games have entered the list of 200 top-grossing mobile titles in the US, while only 3 casual mobile games made it into the top 200.
According to the recent report by GameRefinery, the mobile games landscape is changing in terms of the genre with mid-core games (such as Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Apex Legends Mobile) gradually growing its popularity among mobile gamers.
The report reads that over the past 365 days, 9 mid-core mobile games have entered the list of 200 top-grossing projects in the US. For comparison, only 3 casual mobile projects made it into the top 200.
The analysts also revealed that mid-core games currently account for 37% of all US revenue on iOS making it the only category that has grown over the past year. The biggest mid-core releases of the last six months were Diablo Immortal, Dislyte, and Apex Legends Mobile.
The report also claims that the top-grossing AAA mid-core games. are distinguished by more intuitive control systems that allow for experiences similar to PC and console gaming. Successful mid-core games are also defined by multiple monetization streams, like gachas and new Battle Pass styles. For instance, over 65% of the top mid-core titles contain more than five different gachas.
The analysts note that the success of mid-core games does not mean that the casual and hyper-casual genres are no longer popular. Instead, they emphasize that the growing popularity of mid-core games suggests that major AAA developers and publishers are starting to take the mobile market more seriously.