This article is part of an ongoing series of data-driven articles from PocketGamer.biz and data.ai (formerly App Annie) highlighting trends in the global mobile games sector using data.ai’s Game IQ analytics.
League of Legends: Wild Rift is the mobile version of the massively popular PC game League of Legends. It’s a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that attracted large numbers of League of Legends fans since its launch.
Fan favourite
Launched in October 2020, League of Legends: Wild Rift has gone on to generate more than $750 million in consumer spending around the world.
The game began life as a regional open beta in key markets across Asia Pacific (APAC) such as Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, before rolling out across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Russia in March 2021. The game was finally released in China in early October 2021, at which point, consumer spend in the game increased sevenfold.
One of the key reasons for the game’s success in the mobile market is undoubtedly the preservation of key in-game mechanics, along with a well-considered revision of the control system for mobile devices.
League of Legends: Wild Rift offers the same familiar MOBA mechanics as the PC original. Much loved mechanics such as champion characters and the player progression system appear in the mobile version, with a somewhat simplified control scheme and newly optimised gameplay rules for mobile devices.
This makes the game far more accessible to new players, who may never have played the PC original, as well as hardcore fans who can stay engaged with the game while on the move away from their home PC.
MOBA mechanics
League of Legends: Wild Rift employs some of the most popular MOBA genre monetisation mechanics, including in-app purchases and subscriptions. The majority of the popular MOBA mobile titles also offer innovative ways to keep players highly engaged – even those who are not paying money directly – to obtain premium items through participation in daily missions, tasks and special events.
One of the most popular mechanisms within the game is a distinctive ‘gacha’ feature called a ‘Poro Chest’. This offers exclusive rewards from a limited pool which are then removed from that pool once obtained. This gives players an understanding of and insight into the types of prizes available and encourages regular activity as players return to the game on an ongoing basis, boosting both engagement and overall consumer spend.
Top MOBA(Action) Games by Global Consumer Spend, H1 2022
(iOS & Google Play Combined)
- Honour of Kings
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Arena of Valor
- Pokémon UNITE
- Onmyoji Arena
- MARVEL Super War
- Inhuman Academy
- Heroes Evolved
- 梦三国
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