You might never have thought that a day would come when Candy Crush would not just be competing with triple-A games, but be outperforming them by a mile, yet here we are.
According to some recent sales data estimates from Appfigures, it turns out that smartphones aren’t the best place for AAA games to thrive. It’s not like this was a very obvious outcome, right?
Mobile Gamers Shun AAA Games
When it was revealed that games like Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed were being ported to iOS, it was shocking to say the least. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hunch over a tiny screen, trying to parkour across Baghdad without fat-fingering the controls?
Sarcasm aside, it would be a lie to deny that the very idea of porting such high-fidelity games to a tiny, portable device wasn’t interesting. What would this mean for the future of mobile gaming?
Well, it doesn’t mean much, according to a recent report by mobilegamer.biz using data from Appfigures.
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which launched on June 6, has seen only 123,000 downloads and generated $138,000 in revenue. Priced at $49.99 and compatible only with the latest iPhones and high-end iPads; fewer than 3,000 people have purchased the game.
Other major titles are also struggling. Resident Evil 4, (priced at $29.99,) has been downloaded 357,000 times, generating $208,000. Village has 370,000 downloads and $92,000 in revenue.
Death Stranding, (costing $20,) has earned $212,000 from about 10,600 downloads since January 2024.
These would be great figures for someone making a Flappy Bird clone using pre-made assets, not for established companies that spent millions of dollars producing their games.
Candy Crush Outplays, Outsells, and Outshines the Competition
While AAA titles were struggling to make back production costs, the usual kings of the App Store were performing extremely well as always. This includes Candy Crush, PUBG Mobile, Subway Surfers, and Roblox.
Last year, Candy Crush alone surpassed $20 billion in lifetime revenue. One of the biggest reasons for this disparity is in the difference of audience and expectations, something the big suits should’ve taken more seriously.
Mobile gamers usually seek simple, quick, and easy-to-play games that suit a small screen. That isn’t to demean mobile games—there are a ton of well-made mobile games, whether it be a gacha, a story-driven narrative game, idle clickers, match-4s, and the like. But the expectations you have when picking up a mobile game vs. a console or PC game are simply different.
Not to mention, the appeal of paying full price for a subpar AAA experience on a mobile game is nearly non-existent. It’s not hard to imagine why many people would prefer to play Mirage on the big screen.
With this in mind, it was inevitable that AAA game sales on mobile would pale in comparison to others.
We’d love to hear your opinion on why you think that AAA games are underperforming on mobile. Let us know in the comments section below!
