Analytics platform GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, has published its latest monthly review of the mobile games market. Backed by the latest data and insights from GameRefinery’s expert analysts, the report breaks down the biggest updates to leading mobile games across the US, China, and Japan.
Here’s what GameRefinery found during January 2025:
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Romance simulation game Love and Deepspace shot to #9 in the US iOS market grossing ranks following the launch of its first-anniversary content update. Most of the revenue was generated by a gacha from which players could obtain memories of passionate scenes with each of the game’s love interests. There was also a chibi side mode packed with various minigames.
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Pokemon TCG Pocket’s new trading mechanics generated a lot of criticism for having various restrictions in place, including the use of new currency called Trade Tokens, which GameRefinery argues was likely necessary to preserve the game’s economy. Despite the controversy, the game saw a 4000% spike in daily revenue on the US iOS market following the launch of Diamond and Pearl booster packs.
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The MMORPG Summoners War launched a massive collaboration with the anime Demon Slayer in January, which caused big daily revenue spikes in the US (1600%+) and Japanese iOS markets (650%+). Revenue was generated through IAP offers and premium gacha, which players could roll to acquire characters from the Demon Slayer universe. The event also had gameplay elements, like a Harisha Training Dungeon where players could try out the new Demon Slayer characters.
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Hay Day launched its first-ever collaboration event, partnering with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. While the crossover between a relaxing farming simulator and a hot-headed chef might seem like a strange one, Supercell used this distinction to its advantage by theming the whole thing around being “zen”. The event was split into four parts, including the ability for players to visit Gordon’s farm for a daily free gift.
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Call of Duty: Mobile introduced the Cache Tracker, a new reward system that allows players to progress toward exclusive rewards across multiple seasons. It has launched with three weapons for players to unlock. To acquire them, players must obtain “Secret Caches” from daily challenges and special events, which contain weapon shards. Once players gather enough shards for a weapon, they unlock it.
To see the full breakdown of the mobile games market last month, visit the GameRefinery website via the link below: https://www.gamerefinery.com/mobile-game-market-review-january-2025/
About GameRefinery, a Liftoff Company
GameRefinery, a Liftoff Company, is the leading provider of feature-level data in the mobile games market, with an ever-growing database covering hundreds of thousands of games. GameRefinery's customers include leading mobile games companies such as Zynga, Wargaming, King, and FunPlus.
The GameRefinery platform uses unique algorithms and a team of expert analysts to help developers, investors, and publishers delve into the very building blocks of mobile games to uncover the drivers behind success, understand why games are successful, and how to achieve success from pre-production to LiveOps.