Understanding Gaming Trends

In 2027, all revenue segments are expected to increase significantly. According to Statista, the segment “Download Games” comes out on top with 25.4 billion US dollars. In contrast, the category “Physically Sold Video Games” decreases to 11.43 billion USD. The difference is 13.97 billion dollars.

New trends are emerging in the gaming industry, showing constant change. In the upcoming years, the following trends will have an impact on the video game industry, devices, and content consumption:

1. Mobile gaming is still expanding. The gaming industry’s most remarkable trend, mobile gaming popularity, will continue in the next years. This is due to the rising use of smartphones and tablets and the expansion of the selection of top-notch mobile games.

Despite already being the largest video game market, the mobile games market has tremendous growth potential in the future. Pokémon Go iteration, titles like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Nintendo’s expanding support for mobile games will influence the market growth. Additionally, the mobile versions of the well-known online games Fortnite and PUBG significantly affect the market expansion.

In 2023, the mobile games industry is anticipated to generate US$173.60 billion in revenue. Revenue is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.42% from 2023 to 2027, with a forecasted market size of US$222.70 billion. By 2027, there will likely be 2.3 billion consumers of mobile games worldwide.

2. The rise of cloud gaming. With cloud gaming, players may play games without downloading or installing them on their hardware. As a result, games may now be played on a more extensive variety of gadgets, such as smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. Although cloud gaming is still in its infancy, it is supposed to grow in popularity over the next few years.

According to Statista, in 2023, the cloud gaming industry is anticipated to generate US$4.34 billion in revenue. By 2027, a market volume of US$18.71 billion is predicted, with revenue forecast to expand at a 44.09% annual rate (CAGR 2023-2027).

One of the most common ways spectators watch their favorite players broadcast gaming videos is on live-streaming video platforms like Twitch. Twitch had ten million distinct broadcasting channels in the third quarter of 2022, significantly surpassing YouTube Gaming Live, its closest rival, which had 443 thousand different streaming channels.

3. Growth of esports. Competitive video gaming, or esports, is gaining popularity worldwide. Millions of people now routinely watch esports competitions, and prize pools regularly top $1 million. In the upcoming years, esports will continue to expand as more and more gamers show an interest in both watching and participating in competitive video games.

When we speak about “eSports” we refer to local or global video game competitions that pit professional and amateur players against one another. The estimated value of the worldwide eSports market in 2022 was a little over 1.38 billion USD. Additionally, Statista predicted that by 2025, the global market income for eSports might reach 1.87 billion US dollars. With China alone accounting for over one-fifth of the market, Asia and North America hold the top two eSports revenue markets.

Gaming Devices and Trends: Shaping the Gaming Forecast

Since the days of basic consoles and pixelated graphics, gaming gadgets have advanced significantly. They now include a variety of platforms, each of which offers a different gaming experience.

Gaming Device Evolution: Console Gaming

The PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch continue to be the gaming market’s mainstays. They offer excellent graphics, engaging gameplay, and a sizable selection of games. The latest next-generation system launches have pushed the limits of game realism.

However, consoles’ benefits before PCs are slowly blurring. For instance, many games release simultaneously console and PC versions, as opposed to console-first releases that were common in the past. So, consoles start becoming more and more like PC, as stated in an article on Polygon. They constantly improve graphics, start allowing mods, and add features that weren’t available before, such as streaming and browsing, and many support peripherals like keyboards and mice. Undoubtedly, new systems will increase the bar for home gaming.

PC Gaming Innovations

No need to say that the technical advance isn’t going to stop or slow down. Nvidia’s flagship RTX 5090 boasts 32GB of VRAM and introduces DLSS 4 technology. AI in gaming it’s not just about generative environments and generated NPCs, but also about the quality of the graphics. Nvidia’s DLSS 4 technology exemplifies this trend by using AI to upscale images and generate additional frames, resulting in smoother gameplay.

A lot of PC games currently support cross-platform play, allowing players from various platforms to play together. This development encourages inclusivity and increases the player base for multiplayer video games.

Virtual Reality Games

The industry has got a new way to make VR and AR gaming experiences more affordable to wide audience. Streaming VR/AR Experiences become more popular as cloud gaming and faster internet allow people who don’t have super expensive or powerful hardware (like a high-end VR headset or gaming PC) to enjoy immersive games.

The heavy lifting (like graphics and processing) happens on super-powerful computers in the cloud. The player just needs a lightweight headset or AR glasses and a high-speed and stable internet connection. The game is streamed, like watching a video, but interactive—a person can control it in real-time. Although this might not be what companies hoped for in terms of sales of expensive VR and AR gadgets, but it opens new opportunities for the industry that wasn’t adopted as fast as initially expected.

Mobile Gaming on the Rise

Mobile gaming’s ease has attracted a sizable and varied player base. The incredible development of smartphones and tablets is a trend we cannot ignore. From casual games to those with complex graphics, smartphones and tablets provide access to a vast ecosystem of games. Mobile gaming’s ease has attracted quite a big and varied player base. A part of it becomes more “serious”, which is reflected in significant growth of mobile eSports, something that was hard to imagine years ago.

Game designers make more intricate and sophisticated mobile games that compete with classic console and PC games. Even simple games are evolving into hybrid-casual genre that introduces more depth while keeping the gameplay simple and accessible.

Video Game Industry Ad Revenue

The diverse video game ad revenue ecosystem helps users, developers, and advertisers alike. In-game marketing, sponsored content, and product placements are now standard in the gaming industry. By enabling the production of free-to-play games, this revenue not only aids in funding game development but also increases the accessibility of gaming to a broader audience.

Game production is heavily reliant on ad money. It enables developers to produce top-notch games without relying primarily on upfront payments or in-app purchases. The emergence of free or inexpensive games that appeal to a broad circle of players starts from this. Developers can spend more on game design, graphics, and content as ad revenue rises, creating more entertaining and compelling games.

Free-to-play games with advertising have made gaming more accessible. Players can get the first-class games without having to pay a subscription fee. Instead, consumers can take full advantage of the experience without engaging with adverts or making in-game purchases.

Ad revenue advantages are obvious, but it also has drawbacks. Key considerations include balancing ad placement to prevent game disruption and guaranteeing that ads are pertinent and unobtrusive. The ability to generate income while maintaining the quality of the player experience is a tricky balance that game developers must master.

Video Game Content Viewership: A New Era in the Gaming Forecast

There has been a significant change in how people consume video game material. Gaming enthusiasts may now share, watch, and interact with content in new ways. We should thank for this the development of live-streaming platforms and short-form video content.

Streaming Platforms and Viewership

Live streaming services like Twitch and YouTube Gaming have completely changed how players interact with their viewers. These systems offer a real-time window into a gamer’s life, allowing spectators to watch them play, speak with them, and even impact gameplay choices. In addition to strengthening the sense of community among gamers, live streaming has grown in popularity, providing new platforms for content producers to demonstrate their talents and personalities.

Short-form video-sharing services like TikTok and YouTube Shorts also impact the game industry. Gamers use these platforms to produce brief but compelling gaming material suitable for viewers with limited attention spans. Short-form videos give a bite-sized gaming experience that appeals to a broad audience by displaying spectacular moments and offering fast tutorials.

Esports and Competitive Gaming

The popularity of esports, or competitive video gaming, has skyrocketed. Millions worldwide now watch esports competitions, and the biggest events pack stadiums and draw substantial online audiences. Esports have become a legitimate spectator sport because of their competitive character, competent players, and high-stakes competitions.

The gaming industry will be significantly impacted by these changes in viewing video game material. Whether they like in-depth live streams, brief and snappy movies, or the excitement of esports competitions, viewers now have a wide variety of content.

The Economic Landscape of the Gaming Forecast Industry

The gaming industry has become a giant industry worth investing in, as it shaping entertainment, technology, business, and culture and becoming a multibillion-dollar global market. It spans various platforms, from mobile gaming to high-end consoles and PC gaming, attracting diverse audiences. Factors like advancements in technology and the growing popularity of esports have contributed to this remarkable growth.

Market Projections and Revenue in the Gaming Forecast

The number of video gamers steadily increases yearly, improving the market’s prospects even more. It has significantly expanded due to population growth, changing opinions of gaming, expanding demographics, improved accessibility, social contact, connectivity, and changing societal norms. These elements have helped video games become a widely accepted form of entertainment, which has increased the number of players worldwide. As of 2023, there will be 3.22 billion gamers worldwide, according to Newzoo. By 2024, however, it is anticipated that there will be 3.32 billion gamers worldwide.

The growth of the 5G network has significantly increased the number of gamers as well. To provide top-tier 5G cloud gaming experiences, AT&T and NVIDIA Corp. announced their partnership in January 2022. With this initiative’s help, users can access over 100 free-to-play games and games they own on reputable PC game retailers like the Epic Games Store, Steam, Ubisoft Connect, Origin, GOG, etc. Gamers can explore a virtual world thanks to the realistic, cutting-edge graphics built on NVIDIA RTX technology and AI capabilities.

Investment and Funding Trends: Gaming Forecast Analysis

The gaming industry is experiencing a surge in investments across various segments. Game production studios, esports, gaming technology companies, and streaming services are all attracting significant financing. The current trends reflect a strong belief in the industry’s potential for continued growth. The emergence of cloud gaming, virtual reality, and augmented reality is anticipated to draw major funding. Esports, which has already received significant investment, will keep growing.

Social and Cultural Dynamics in the Gaming Forecast

The gaming business is a cultural trend that contributes to interactions and society. The cultural impact of gaming is in everything from fashion to music to art. It serves as a platform for identity-building, self-expression, and narrative. The effect of gaming on culture will only grow as in-game events, virtual concerts, and partnerships between game creators and artists become more common.

Gaming Communities and Social Interaction: Gaming Forecast Perspective

Online gaming communities will keep growing and establishing relationships between people worldwide. With more live events, conventions, and gatherings, these networks will extend outside the online environment. Games will incorporate social interaction even more, fostering opportunities for friendship and teamwork.

Video Game Industry Forecast for the Next Year

Finally, let’s take a quick look at what the video game industry has for the coming year. Despite the difficulty of making a 100% confident prediction, the following patterns are likely to persist:

Continued Growth: The video game business will probably expand due to new game releases, technological developments, and growing audiences.

Esports Ascendancy: With more tournaments, bigger prize pools, and more spectators, esports will only continue to grow in popularity.

Technology Evolution: As virtual reality, augmented reality, and cloud gaming make substantial advancements, expect further innovation in gaming technology.

Content Creation: The rise of content creation, including streaming and short-form videos, will continue to reshape how gamers engage with their favorite titles.

Kevuru Games Expertise in Gaming Forecast

Kevuru Games, a gaming company with 11 years of experience in the market. Our mission is to provide game publishers with full-cycle game development production and give our clients player-centric advice as to in-game investments. With these years of experience and a deep understanding of the gaming ecosystem, or video game economy design, we know how to make the game immersive and promote it to the market.

All in all, we offer a full range of mobile game development services, including:

Fully executed development;

Concept art and design;

Quality assurance and testing;

Game monetization consultations;

Post-release support.

We regularly refine our strategies and ensure that your game stays ahead of the competition and generates significant revenue.

Whether your video game falls into the action, puzzle, simulation, or RPG genre, whether it’s a mobile game, mobile app, or multiplayer game, we help you develop the proper market strategy. As different game genres require different approaches. The gaming industry is constantly evolving, as are the development trends. At Kevuru Games, we monitor the trends in the industry and adjust our strategies accordingly.

The post Gaming Forecast: Trends in Video Gaming Industry, Devices, and Content Viewership appeared first on Kevuru Games.

In 2019, hyper-casual games showed who was the boss:

• According to Sensor Tower, 77.6% of the 2.1 billion installs of the 20 most downloaded games released in 2019 turned out to be hyper-casual games.
• During the 2020 pandemic, hyper-casual games continued their triumphant march – the number of installations worldwide more than doubled (103%), and the number of sessions also increased approximately.
• Compared to December 2019, when there were already more than 1 billion sessions, the number of sessions in hyper-casual games in March 2020 increased by another 72%.

Five years after the pandemic, we can see that the swift growth of hyper-casual games stopped, and some reports show that there is even a slight decline. Yet, even with a decline, more than 1 billion hyper-casual games are being downloaded monthly, and the market is huge. Hyper-casual games make for 37% of downloads in mobile gaming in 2023, according to a research by Sensor Tower.

Now opinions are divided. Some believe that in the current year, they will continue to storm the heights of App Store and Google Play, while others are inclined to think that the market is already oversaturated and their popularity will soon fizzle out. We believe that there is no reason to diminish the impact of hyper-casual games. After the pandemic spike, the market can’t return to such high growth numbers, but that’s fine. People still need to spend time on the road, waiting for an order, or hanging out during other breaks between various events.

Today, we’re not just here to understand how to make hyper-casual games. We aim to tell you how to create a hyper-casual game that will stand up to the competition and generate great revenue. Ready to dive in? Then, let’s go ahead and make our path to the featured lists of Google Play and App Store direct, short, and fast.

A Hyper-Casual Game: Definition

These games can be summed up in one expression – “Play as much as you want, whenever you want!”

So what exactly are hyper-casual games?

A hyper-casual game is a simple game with elementary mechanics, rich visuals, minimalist design, and addictive gameplay.

This type of game is popular due to:

• short time to complete one session – on average, it’s 3-6 minutes;
• instant immersive gameplay;
• very simple, repetitive player action mechanics;
• no time limits unless the mechanics allow for it;
• no tutorial – everything is intuitive;
• almost instant transitions to new levels.

All hyper-casual games have the same key features, whether it’s a match-3 game or an endless runner. At the same time, seemingly countless hyper-casual game ideas ultimately boil down to one – to offer players an instant opportunity to start the game immediately after downloading from the store. There is no need to log in, register, or create a character – just click Play and start completing the levels.

While focusing on simplicity, it is important not to forget development. This is not about changing or complicating controls or functions. Assuming the player is already used to performing the necessary actions, you can:

• increase the pace of the game;
• reduce the time to complete the level;
• add more obstacles or enemies;
• reduce the amount of resources needed to complete a level, etc.

Doing the same things, but more dexterously and skillfully – that’s what we can offer players in terms of development so that they do not get bored even during the second or third game cycle.

A Genre or Not a Genre, That Is the Question

What are hyper-casual games in terms of genre? Are they a subgenre of some popular genre?

No.

Hyper-casual games are not a new genre, and indeed they are not a genre at all.

This is the designation of a certain game category, characterized by a similar audience, monetization models, and long gaming sessions – the same designation as casual, mid-core, or hardcore games. At the same time, it is sometimes difficult to determine the exact boundaries of all these categories.

We can highlight such key features of hyper-casual games:

Hyper-Casual Game Design Features

Even though there is a lot of information on this topic, many still try to clarify an important detail of hyper-casual games – how to make visuals that make the game stand out from others, while at the same time remaining true to the key characteristic of simplicity?

Hyper-casual games tend to have a minimalist and attractive design to further engage the user. In addition, they offer progressive and fast gameplay so that the person wants to keep playing for as long as possible. To achieve this, games need an eye-pleasing design with a simple and fluid color palette, beautiful geometry, and ample white space between assets. This is a kind of gaming feng shui – you optimally master the space, avoiding excessive complexity and piling up of elements.

Additional hint. If you are interested in how to make a hyper-casual game for a wide range of people, and not for niche connoisseurs, then refer to topics that will be relevant to different cultures and nationalities. Win-win options are animals, food, sports, transport, as well as impersonal variants such as pure geometry and well-known shapes and actions.

Hyper-casual games are not an option where you need to work out characters and draw complex backgrounds. There are often no characters here. The player is left face to face with some object offering to perform one or two actions. There is nothing else here, and it is perfect within this category.

Tap to dodge, swipe to shoot – these are the best tutorials you can offer the player. Sometimes even these words are not needed – it is enough to throw the player into the gameplay, which is very easy to master through trial and error.

Remember, you have 5 seconds to convince the player that the game is interesting and worth playing.

Basic Mechanics For Hyper-Casual Games

Considering the question of how to make hyper-casual games, it is impossible to bypass the question of mechanics. Everything is built around it. Often, developers take one or two mechanics – more leads to the complexity of the gameplay and violates the concept of maximum simplicity.

In terms of mechanics, the following options are the most popular for hyper-casual games.

Rising/Falling 

This mechanic encourages the player to contribute to the rise or fall of an object or the entire environment. To complicate the process, it is also possible to increase the speed or the number of obstacles. The player can manipulate both a specific object and the entire level in the form of a platform or wall. The main feature of this mechanic is a distinctive sense of gravity that will follow the player throughout the entire game session.

Tap/Timing

The meaning of the mechanics is to have time to touch the screen in order to perform a specific action. A natural complication would be to increase the speed and encourage the player to touch the screen more often and more accurately. For example, here you may need the optimal time to jump or hit the ball. This is often done through a shrinking window of opportunity with a clear distribution of favorable and unfavorable zones for action. If you miss a moment, you have to wait for the next opportunity.

Dexterity

Also known as agility game mechanics, this is sometimes confused with timing games. But if the essence of time trial games is to hit the screen at a specific moment, here the key action must be constantly repeated at a gradually increasing speed. The more agile the players perform the action, the higher the score they will receive. Because of the emphasis on dexterity and the need to develop it in order to progress, the mechanics got the appropriate name.

Merging

The essence of the merge mechanism is to find similar objects and merge them to get a new, improved object. It is important to understand that players can only merge items that are similar in certain parameters, and those that have significant differences cannot be combined. After a successful merge, the resulting element is used for a specific game purpose, such as a race. The better the merge options you choose, the more likely you are to win the race.

Stacking

This mechanic allows the player to stack objects. It is also possible to rotate or turn them, which can serve as a kind of complication. The higher the level, the more complex structures the player will have to stack. Suffice it to recall Tetris – the player manipulates the geometric shapes falling from the sky to match them and thus clear space for the next shapes. But it could be something even more interesting. For example, cats.

Turning

Turning left and right is all that is required of the player. Usually, these games are 3D, and this can make the game more complex. So it is very important to provide simplified controls to maintain the classic hyper-casual style. This is either a single hit on the screen in the right place or a sharp swipe in the right direction. The location of the camera is also important – the farther it is, the more time the player will have to prepare for the turn. Keep this in mind to gradually complicate the levels, but don’t overdo it. Find the right balance.

Growing

Here, the mechanic requires the player to gradually build up the object by absorbing others. Everyone knows the classic Snake, where the snake eats objects and becomes longer and more difficult to control. Moreover, the speed of its movement gradually increases and, accordingly, the player’s tension does. This is one of the simplest and most addictive mechanics, which has repeatedly proven its worth and advantage over others. It is as simple as possible, keeps the attention of the players at all times, and encourages them to keep playing to see the maximum length they can grow their object to.

Swerving

Often confused with turning mechanics, it means constantly maneuvering an object without lifting your finger from the screen. The more difficult the level, the higher the speed, the more obstacles and turns. The key is how the skid will be on the next turn and whether players will fly off the track. In some games, flying off the track can be a kind cheating and shorten the distance to the finish line.

Resizing

The task of such a game is to constantly decrease or increase the size of the controlled object in order to crawl through some holes or fill in some gaps. This must be done before the moment when the object approaches the control point, where it should already have a different shape. The mechanics are partially similar to the swerving options but offer more room for imagination and creating something unique.

Pushing

The goal of the players is to push objects, structures or other characters faster than they can push the players themselves. As a result, the player must remain alone on the map, and this will mean victory. It is important to provide the player with free movement of the character and more or less suitable physics. The game can be made more difficult by increasing the number of objects and enemies that need to be pushed out and the appearance of additional obstacles that complicate this task.

Puzzle

Although it is considered a separate genre, it is also relevant for hyper-casual games. The player is encouraged to place items in the right places, customize the pipeline, or paint over a specific space with a limited number of strokes. The complication here is implemented by an increase in the number of necessary actions to complete the level and the need to think through the actions more carefully. There is often no time limit here. This allows players to think calmly, without stress and rush.

Direction

These games often ask the player to remove obstacles in the way of a character, object, or flow. When obstacles are removed or the system is adjusted appropriately, players see objects or liquids moving towards their destination. There are different options here – you can offer the player both to remove objects from the path, and to control the level itself and its constituent elements in the form of slats, walls, and other things.

Monetization: How to Create Hyper-Casual Games That Bring Profit

Fun fact – hyper-casual games are usually free. Many of them don’t even offer in-app purchases. In this case, you are asking how much money do hyper-casual games make and how does it even happen?

In-game purchases are usually relevant for so-called hardcore games, where players spend a lot of time, where there is a large game world and a huge number of gameplay features and alternative story options. Players are ready to invest in large-scale games, the plot and intrigue of which captivates them for hundreds of hours.

But in-app purchases are not suitable for hyper-casual games.

Moreover, with persistent recommendations or frequent mentions, they can annoy and provoke a person to delete the game forever.

But you have some ways out:

• in-app advertising – ads that rotate in the game between different levels;
• payment for the premium model – an investment that allows the player to get rid of all ads at once;
• cross-promotion – ads for one game that appear in another game.

The most popular option is advertising. It works much faster than in-app purchases and can be very variable. There are 3 main types of ads in hyper-casual games:

1. Rewarded video ads. As the name implies, watching such ads gives the player some kind of reward: extra hit points, in-game currency, or a special one-time-use skill. Players are ready to make such a deal, which also increases session duration and retention.
2. Banner ads. Banners are very easy to add to the game – they are great for single-screen ones since it is easy to allocate part of the screen for advertising there. Banners are shown right during the game, but do not interfere with it.
3. Interstitial ads. These ads take up the entire screen and can be static or dynamic in the form of videos, geolocation guides, or playable content. It is important to properly test the pros and cons of skipping such ads, as they interrupt gaming sessions and do not offer any reward in return.

It’s hard to say exactly “how much do hyper-casual games make?”. But you can do your best to maximize their potential profit.

A great way to optimize ad revenue is to learn about user data and adjust the monetization method that users interact with the best.

If the player is not engaging with rewarded ads, show them more banners and interstitials. If they interact more with banners and interstitials, show them fewer rewarded ads. It is important not to bombard players with all sorts of ads, but to adapt their display in accordance with human behavior. Personalization works great everywhere, and in this case too.

How Much Does It Cost to Create a Hyper-Casual Game?

Everyone always wants to know the exact price and constantly rolls their eyes when they see the words that it depends on many factors, etc. Although it really depends on many factors, in particular the level of game mechanics and graphics, one thing is for sure – hyper-casual projects will cost you much less than other types of games.

First of all, this is due to the fact that to create a hyper-casual game, not as many specialists are required as, for example, for the AAA project. Enough for 1 person from each direction: game designer, 2D/3D artist, developer, UX/UI designer, and sound designer. Of course, a project manager is also needed to coordinate all processes.

The term for creating a hyper-casual game is from 1 to several months, depending on its complexity. Approximate stages look like this.

1. Prototyping. With the help of a prototype, you can assess the viability of the game, test the appeal of its main mechanics, and see if it makes sense to work on it further. Or you need to modify or redo something. It can take several days.
2. Graphic art. At this stage, all artistic and graphic elements for the levels, menus, and interface are created. The approximate time frame is a few weeks.
3. Development. Developers are on the task of making your game playable. They implement graphical integration, introduce game mechanisms, and all conditions are worked out. The term varies within a couple of months.
4. Other expenses. Do not forget about the need for music, testing, and coordination of the services of project managers. Quality checks can take a couple of days, and sound design can take about a week.

To sum up the cost of all of these stages, the development price of a quality hyper-casual game would range from $50,000 to $150,000. Expect to pay more if there are some complex elements, sophisticated graphics, or animation. The cost doesn’t include marketing expenses, which can easily reach up to 50% of development cost or more. If you need an estimate, contact us, and our professionals will prepare a budget of your project.

5 Hyper-Casual Game Trends to Expect in 2025

Hyper-casual games remain one of the fastest-growing areas of mobile gaming. We explored what to look for when creating and reviewing projects in this category this year.

1. Expansion of hybrid-casual games

Hybrid-casual games became more popular as a response to the saturated market with high competitiveness. This is where hyper-casual games blend with casual. Among hyper-casual games that don’t have a lot to stand out, the ones that develop engaging and deeper features, have a higher chance to capture players’ attention for longer.

Progression systems, unlockable content, storylines, and hybrid monetization strategies allow games to use the strengths of casual games to gain more traction.

2. AI-generated games

AI has been used in hyper-casual game development for a long time, but as the time goes, it starts to take on larger parts of the process. Now it’s not just assets, levels, art, but gameplay mechanics. Now, games fully created by AI will be released, and we’re just here to see if they become more popular than human-made games.

3. New monetization strategies

When it becomes hard for hyper-casual games to compete in such a huge market, the way to win is to experiment with monetization rather than with the game content. Most games that are highly successful in recent years, earned lots of money not just because they were of enormously high quality, but because they found the best ways of making money.

To find out more on how simple phone games like Candy Crush Saga make money, read a dedicated article. Recently, play-to-earn model and subscription tiers are being popular, but in the following year we are sure to see completely new monetization strategies.

4. Spread of user-generated content

Previously, USG was common for big games. Now, even hyper-casual games want to tap into this niche. The benefits are numerous: higher engagement, more personalization, community building, social dynamics. Although the UGC in hyper-casual games in most cases are limited to level editors and challenge creators, we can expect new creative ways to engage the creativity of the players in the hyper-casual world.

5. Introducing Deeper Mechanics

Similar to the first trend, this is about expanding the genre, trying to survive in a saturated market. This can lead to the creation of new subgenres with simple appeal but richer content. Resource management, RPG-Like Features, social mechanics, and so on. If this trend continues, hyper-casual projects may stop forgiving players and return to their roots, becoming more demanding on the skills of users.

How to Choose a Hyper-Casual Game Company?

It seems so easy to build a hyper-casual game. But this external simplicity includes:

• carefully thought-out strategy;
• re-tested mechanics;
• captivating storytelling concept;
• a huge amount of work to bring all the elements into a coherent and harmonious picture.

It’s not enough just to copy someone else’s idea and make a slightly different design. In most cases, you will come across just such an approach. Hyper-casual games are very popular, there are a lot of them, and every year it becomes more difficult to offer players something fresh and not repeating others.

When choosing a company that offers services for making hyper-casual games, first of all, pay attention to whether there are similar projects in its portfolio. Studios that have not done this before are not the best choice, especially if they say that there is nothing difficult here even without experience. It is highly likely that they will not be able to identify your target audience, interest it with exciting mechanics, or find a successful hook to stand out from the millions of similar games.

At Kevuru Games, we know how to build hyper-casual games that will grab the attention of players. And the attention of the players is what makes the game successful and helps you recoup the costs in the very near future. We:

• monitor the latest trends;
• pay attention to the preferences and interests of players;
• immediately implement the most advanced techniques and mechanics that appear on the market.

Games created with us are always bright, interesting, and memorable. We will guide you through the crowded environment of hyper-casual games and help you present your project in a way that will delight your target audience.

FIND OUT WHICH ENGINE IS BEST FOR YOUR FUTURE GAME AND ARM YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS TO SUCCEED

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The post About Profitable Hyper-Casual Games: Design Tips, Rates, and Upcoming Trends for 2025 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

And that means you’ve come to the right place.

Indie Game: Definition

First of all, you need to understand that indie is not a genre, not a class, or even a type of games. It is rather a characteristic of the conditions for their creation. The gaming world is conditionally divided into:

• Sponsored products backed by publishers and investors and created for purely commercial purposes.
• Independent games without such financial support, but with the freedom and courage to put the idea ahead of profit.

So what is an indie game? These are projects that are created by independent developers.

Independence means that they do not work for large studios like EA or Ubisoft, but only for themselves. These are kind of individual entrepreneurs in the gaming industry. Typically, indie studios are made up of just a few people. Most often, their number does not exceed 10 experts. There are also indie developers who make games alone.

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The gaming industry is one of the richest markets in the world—it is now worth $269 billion—but that money rarely reaches independent teams. Due to the availability of training courses and the gradual simplification of the development process, there are more and more indie studios every year. But only a few achieve financial success. And often it is largely based on pure luck.

On the one hand, this means that most indie developers are wasting money and energy almost in vain. On the other hand, it shows that these studios have to look for innovative ideas and new ways to make games. After all, restrictions and high competition force you to be creative.

Indie Example: Superhot

For example, let’s take a look at Superhot, a first-person shooter video game developed by the independent Polish Superhot team.

Game’s tagline: Time moves only when you move

The essence of the game is that time moves around players only when they move. That is, if the player suddenly stops, time also freezes.

The project was created in just a week as part of the 7 Day FPS Challenge in 2013. The widespread attention to the demo prompted the development team to create the full game. They received funding through Kickstarter.

In the first 7 hours, the creators of the game collected half of the required amount of $100,000, and by the end of the first day, the goal was almost completely achieved. As a result, the team raised $250,798, which allowed diversifying the game with additional challenges, a replay mod, and more advanced animation.

The PC version, released in 2016, surpassed the 500,000 mark in sales, generating $10 million a year after its release.

What Is Indie Game Development?

The word indie has nothing to do with India, as one might think. It is short for “independent”.

Indie game development is the process of creating a game by a small team or one person without the financial support of large publishers.

Indie developers do not have investors ready to fund all their ideas. Development money is most often raised on crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and CrowdFunder. Some also use Patreon, a subscription-based website that offers regular support to developers. While the creation of the game is in progress, indie developers can share exclusive materials, artwork, backstage videos, and more with their patrons.

Indie Example: Night in the Woods

For people to believe in an idea and join it, it is necessary to talk about it thoroughly and passionately. That’s exactly what developer and composer Alec Holowka and animator and illustrator Scott Benson did when they created the indie studio Infinite Fall and announced the start of a fundraiser for the 2D narrative-focused adventure game Night in the Woods.

Game’s tagline: At the end of everything, hold on to anything

Seen for the first time, this phrase from the very beginning causes a vague longing in the soul and an inexplicable melancholy musing.

A detailed description of the game, its ideas, locations, characters, and music resonated in the hearts of more than 7,000 people, which allowed the team to collect the claimed $50,000 in 26 hours and quadruple this amount in a month.

Player reviews about the game speak louder than any description.

The authors seem to have turned their souls inside out and filled Night in the Woods with their feelings, experiences, pain, and desperate questions turned to nowhere. This is an interactive psychological novel that touches a nerve.

Through incredible and multi-layered dialogues, they raise many relevant topics:

• the transience of being and the injustice of the world;
• the reality of the soul and the piercing essence of growing up;
• the vagrancy of the body and mind;
• the search for faith and its justification.

Everyone will find in this game something that will touch the soul. And it worked. The breathtaking atmosphere of the game has attracted a huge number of fans to it, who, with delight and horror, find parallels between their fate and the fate of the characters, between the history of their city and the gradually fading breath of Possum Springs.

Night In The Woods won the award for “Best Adventure Game” in IGN’s Best of 2017 Awards, “Best Cast of Characters” in Giant Bomb’s 2017 Game of the Year Awards, and “Best 2D Visuals” in the Unity Awards 2017.

Who Is an Indie Developer?

An indie developer is someone who develops games independently or is part of a small development team that produces video games for PC and mobile devices without the financial support of large companies.

Unlike most big studios that create big-budget AAA titles, indie developers are not afraid to use fresh and risky ideas, rarely follow industry-recognized standards, and do not create products solely for the purpose of earning money. They can make an indie game based on their personal experiences, perception of the world, comprehension of current social issues, and more. It will not be a product with ultra-modern graphics and mechanics, but it will definitely be able to touch the heart and awaken the most intimate thoughts and feelings. What stands out indie game vs AAA?

True indie developers:

• do not conform to the standard needs of the gaming market and do not seek to tailor their skills to hiring a large game studio;
• are distinguished by the presence of versatile useful knowledge in the field of game development and promotion;
• often combine the experience of several experts: programmers, artists, designers, etc.
• have a great desire to constantly grow and expand their skill base in all areas related to the creation of games.

We define indie games as relatively low-budget games created by a small team independent of major publishers. There can be thousands and hundreds of thousands of such games. In fact, even one person can make an indie game. But how do indie developers get their game noticed?

How to Fill the Missing Skill

There may be situations where you have an idea and certain skills, but they are not enough to cover the full range of work on creating an indie game. For example, you’re good at programming, but you don’t know how to draw at all. It is possible to find a temporary freelance companion, but no one guarantees the understanding and quality of what you expect. With a limited budget, any risk can be fatal.

A much more effective option is to order the desired art or animation from a game art outsourcing studio. Experienced specialists will quickly understand the essence of your request and immediately get down to business, ensuring consistently high-quality results. While they’re working on the art, you’ll be able to work on other aspects of the game and thus speed up the release significantly.

FIND OUT WHICH ENGINE IS BEST FOR YOUR FUTURE GAME AND ARM YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS TO SUCCEED

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Team Composition To Create Indie Games

How to make indie games? Just like other games, given the fact that finances will be limited almost all the time.

And of course, no indie game can be made without a team. Even if it’s about one person.

Despite the fact that often each member of an indie team is a multi-instrumentalist who understands several areas at once, it is necessary to remember the composition of the core, without which it is impossible to create a single game:

1. Game designer.
2. Artist.
3. Programmer.
4. Sound engineer.
5. Tester.

All these roles can be performed by one person. It is also possible that the programmer is good at testing, while the indie game designer does both art and animation. It’s just important to know what kind of work is ahead to make an indie game.

Let’s talk a little about each role.

Game Designer

More often than not, everyone on the small indie team contributes to the game design portfolio. This can be done by a programmer, sound designer, artist, etc. The main thing is that this person can see the overall and holistic concept of the game as the player sees it.

The contribution of each team member to the game design can be both positive and negative. On the one hand, there are a large number of interesting ideas and interpretations. On the other, there is a discrepancy between proposals and their possible inconsistency with the original idea. Therefore, it is important to have a game design document where the main points of the idea and style of the game will be spelt out. The whole team will rely on it as they work, and if there are questions or disagreements, they can reach a consensus.

Artist

An artist is a person who creates the visual component of an indie game. Art takes time and represents what players see during the game. Therefore, choosing a person for this role is a vital element of your project.

Working closely with programmers and designers, the artists will create the game’s visuals. It all starts with concept art before moving on to content that will appear in the game, including backgrounds, characters, animations, etc.

Artists also make sure that the content they create is technically compliant and builds the overall feel of the game. The more difficult the game, the more artists it is desirable to hire. This is especially true for 3D options with a large number of characters and locations. But if you are creating a retro platformer, then one artist can handle the creation of pixel art and animation.

Programmer

Your idea may be the best, but without hire game developers, it will most likely never come to fruition. A computer programmer is engaged in the development of the code base and tools for the game. Since video games are electronic entertainment, no programmer usually means no video game.

Note that the programmer usually does more than just coding the game while on an indie team. They will also take responsibility for debugging and beta testing to make sure the games are polished and acceptable.

Today, a game programmer does not need to know programming languages. There are many game engines (for example, Unreal Engine) that allow you to develop using blueprints, that is, visual programming.

A lot of indie games were made with just one programmer. So it mostly depends on the size and scope of your project.

Sound Engineer

The sound designer or composer will be responsible for creating all the sound effects and music for the game. Sound is a vital element in creating the atmosphere. Even if it’s not a horror game that needs scary music to enhance the experience, you still need a catchy tune to accompany your puzzle game or action platformer. Some particularly successful tunes become iconic for the game and even take on a new life in the form of fan covers.

There are many novice game sound engineers, and if you need one, then you should pay attention to specialists who have already done this kind of work before. For example, you can find someone who has already written chiptune music for other games if that style of music suits your project.

Tester

In most cases, this role is performed by the programmer. But it’s not always easy for them to spot errors in code they’ve been working on for many hours. Therefore, a fresh third-person view would be more relevant and effective here. The tester will carefully check the game and find all the inconsistencies, errors, problems, glitches, and crashes.

Your friends or volunteers who support your crowdfunding campaign, or anyone who enjoys playing games and can describe in detail what is going wrong can test the game and find glitches. But they can never replace a professional tester. It is better to allocate a budget for game testing services in advance if you do not want your game to fail purely due to numerous bugs.

Other Roles

We have listed the main people involved in indie development. There are other equally important roles that we have not highlighted in separate paragraphs, because in indie teams it is very rare to assign individual people to them. Most often, these roles are filled by those who are already doing some work on the project.

The first is a writer or a so-called narrative designer. Basically, any member of the team can write, tell the story, and shape the storyline. If the game is going to have a lot of text and dialogue, it’s best to at least have someone check all that text for errors before release. There is nothing worse than an indie game with typos in the text, creepy dialogues, and a boring plot, even if its gameplay is very beautiful and interesting.

The second is a project manager. The project manager’s job is to make sure the team is working quickly and efficiently, set deadlines, motivate team members that are lagging behind, and make sure everyone’s work gets done. Very often, indie developers fall behind easily and can miss deadlines because they don’t have a publisher or higher level person to push them. Therefore, they really need a person who will coordinate the work and maintain morale, whoever he or she is.

Pros and Cons of Indie Game Design

Indie games are very different from sponsored projects in many ways, both positive and negative. Our task is to give a complete picture of all of them without distortion and prejudice.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Top 10 Most Interesting Indie Games 2024

Despite the fact that many players accuse indie games of neglecting modern graphical achievements, their popularity among other players does not decrease. They are ready to support independent developers not only for the courage to challenge the grandiose AAA titles, but also for the twisted plots, touching stories, and hilarious twists that fully compensate for the minimalism of the art.

Let’s take a look at some of the most outstanding examples of indie games released in 2024.

1. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Genre: adventure

Platforms: macOS, Nintendo Switch, Windows, PS 5, Xbox Series X/S

Publisher: Raw Fury

Snufkin, a mysterious traveler from the Moomin series, as he returns to Moominvalley to find it disrupted by the construction of intrusive parks that disturb the natural harmony. The objective is to oppose Park Keeper, dismantle these parks and restore valley balance. Gameplay involves exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth elements, and the use of music as a core mechanic to interact with the environment and characters.

Developers based the events partly on Tove Jansson’s book Moominsummer Madness (1954). The game had good reviews and is enjoyed by both adults and kids. Take a look at the video to get a taste of its art and music style.

2. Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Genre: comic adventure

Platforms: macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5

Publisher: Panic Inc.

The main character of the game is a short, balding traveling salesman who arrives early for a meeting with the mayor in the fictional Northern English town of Barnsworth (based on Barnsley, a real town in Yorkshire where developers of the game come from). Players walk around the town and assist its residents with various odd jobs, such as helping a man retrieve his arm from a sewer grate or delivering meat from a butcher to a pie shop.

The game is praised for absurdist humor and original hand-drawn animations. The dialogue is fully voiced, incorporating authentic regional dialects that add depth to the setting. Thank Goodness You’re Here! was nominated for Best Indie Game and Best Supporting Performer (Matt Berry) at the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards.

3. Balatro

Genre: roguelike deck-building

Platforms: Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Playstack

Balatro is a card run-based game. As its developer, LocalThunk, said, “Balatro is a modern indie take on solitaire with a poker coat of paint”. The players can use jokers to modify the gameplay and invent strategies to rise up levels.

When you see a card game like this without having tried playing it, it does look surprising why it is so widely praised, has won several awards (including Best Indie Game by Joystick Awards), and has been nominated for Game of the Year. Sales figures are impressive, too: the game had made over US$1 million in gross revenue within eight hours of release. The secret to such a success is approachable design and innovative gameplay.

4. Little Kitty, Big City

Genre: adventure

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Double Dagger Studio

In 2024, black cats were in trend, as they were the main characters of the top animated movie of the year, Flow, and one of the most interesting indie games of the year, Little Kitty, Big City. In the game, players must help a kitten lost in a big Japanese city find its way home (and doing various cat things in the meanwhile). The city is an open world full of objects to explore and characters to become friends with and engage in the side activities.

The game is loved by the audience for its light art style, engaging exploration mechanics, and relaxing experience. Developer of the game Matt Wood said he was inspired by his cats Mario and Roxy and his children. The result is enjoyable for both adults and children. PC version of the game has scored 80 at Metacritic, and NS version reached 83.

5. Tiny Glade

Genre: city builder, sandbox

Platforms: Windows, Linux.

Publisher: Pounce Light

If one had to describe this game with one word, the first one that comes to mind is “cozy.” The pastel palette, soundtrack, nature… Everything in it is made to give that serene feeling when you can meditatively build something without risk of losing. There’s no risk to even build something unappealing, as the building materials are limited to medieval materials and idyllic landscapes. Tiny Glade was nominated for The Steam Awards in Sit Back and Relax category, and it’s surprising it didn’t win.

A game with very similar gameplay, Summerhouse, was released several months earlier than Tiny Glade, but the latter received a lot more downloads and overwhelmingly positive reviews. The key difference is aesthetics: Summerhouse is more squared and glitchy. Whether you want to dream of your own house by the seaside or a medieval castle, you have choice between the two great indie games.

6. 1000xResist

Genre: adventure

Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch

Publisher: Fellow Traveller Games

This is one of those indie games that is about tough and relevant issues like intergenerational trauma, the experience of members of diaspora communities, and the coronavirus pandemic. Developed by a team of four people with backgrounds in theatre, new media, dance and performance art, the game beautifully integrates different art elements in the graphics, motion, narrative, and gameplay. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic 2047. The main character is Watcher, a clone under the control of the enigmatic Allmother, who uncovers buried truths about the world through memory exploration and emotional storytelling.

At the end of 2024, 1000xResist was on many end-of-year lists but wasn’t nominated for awards. It surged some discussions online and placed the game in the spotlight. As the result, it reached top sales results on 2 January 2025, seven months after launch. Curiously, not being listed on The Game Awards helped promote sales, as more people discovered it and wanted to try and decide whether it deserved a prize or no. Also, it won the Best Narrative award at The Indie Game Awards.

7. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

Genre: puzzle

Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS

Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

This is a very aesthetic and stylish game with over 150 puzzles that can be approached non-linearly. Players control a woman involved in a mysterious project within an old mansion, exploring the environment from a third-person perspective. To progress, players must observe patterns, numbers, and connections.

The game’s monochrome visuals, along with its surreal storyline, make it truly stand out. The game was nominated for several Best Indie Game awards, and the players love it. It has 94% recommendations on OpenCritic.

8. Thronefall

Genre: strategy, tower defense

Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch

Publisher: Grizzly Games

Thronefall is positioned as a “strategy game for people who don’t have time”. And that’s exactly what it is: classic defense tower builder simplified to the level that everybody can enjoy it without dedicating too much time and without spending hours on understanding the mechanics. The visuals are simple and aesthetic at the same time.

Early access to the game was released in 2023, and it sold almost 1 million copies in one year before its full release in October 2024. Players take on the role of a monarch who prepares their kingdom to defend during the day and fight enemy occupants during the night. One has to balance investing in the economy or defense.

9. Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut

Genre: horror adventure

Platforms: Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Black Tabby Games

The game is created from hand-drawn gray pencil scenes and plays with overturning a classic story: instead of saving beautiful princess the player must kill her, which is necessary to prevent the end of the world. The game presents players with complex choices, leading to multiple branching paths and endings, each influenced by the player’s decisions and interactions with the princess.

This game is proof that not only AAA blockbusters love sequels and expansions. Slay the Princess was initially launched in 2023, and after receiving a lot of praise from the public, in 2024, the studio released an expanded version, The Pristine Cut. The latter presented new features, 35% more content, and even a new ending.

10. Nine Sols

Genre: action, platformer

Platforms: macOS, Nintendo Switch, PS 4, PS 5, Windows, Xbox.

Publisher: Red Candle Games

The game is set in a colourful universe which developers call “taopunk”—a fusion of Taoist themes and cyberpunk aesthetics. The game’s character Yi is on quest for vengeance against the Nine Sols, tyrannical rulers of this deserted land New Kunlun.

The combat system is inspired by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, emphasizing precise deflection and strategy. All together—great combat mechanics, intricate story, quality level design, and beautiful graphics—earned it a place on various lists of the best indie games of 2024.

How Much Can You Earn on Indie Games?

Independent game development goes hand in hand with the belief that it is difficult to stand out here and the financial reward will not be too great. Every year there are more and more indie games, the field is very competitive, and many indie teams are not focused on creating a full-fledged interesting product.

Indie games are not limited to the creation process. It is vital for them to advance, attract the attention of potential players, and make themselves known on popular platforms.

The lack of a marketing budget or the unwillingness to spend extra money on advertising leads to the fact that players simply do not know about really good indie games. Therefore, once again we remind you of the importance of promoting your indie game: this can be a decisive factor in its success.

Now let’s talk about specific numbers.

According to research by analytics platform VG Insights that studied 21,000 indie games on Steam, half of all released self-published options do not generate more than $4,000 in revenue. They do not even cover the resources spent on their creation. About 25% of indie games have earned about $25,000 in their lifetime. Remember that these figures should be considered in terms of the time spent and the number of team members involved in indie game development. If the game has been developed for more than a year by several people, then this result cannot be called particularly successful.

All this would look very depressing if not for the rest of the indie games, proving that not everything is so hopeless. 14% of indie games have managed to break the $100,000 mark in revenue. The top 10% of the most successful and consistent have been able to earn over $150,000. This can already be called a success and evidence that a good product can make a profit even without huge investments. Most importantly, the 1% managed to raise over $7,000,000.

Of the 21,000 games reviewed, this is about 200 pieces that managed to do the impossible. For example, entertainment products such as underwater survival Subnautica and simulation RimWorld grossed over $100 million and sold millions of copies. During the coronavirus pandemic, Plague Inc. gained immense popularity, capturing over 130 million players worldwide and generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Subsequently, the developers of Plague Inc. donated $250,000 to fight coronavirus infection.

Most Profitable Genres For Indie Games

After examining the sales and revenues of indie games across a variety of genres, VG Insights uncovered an interesting pattern.

The most promising genres in terms of earnings are RPG, strategy, and simulation.

They are followed by adventure, action, sports, and racing games, which are worth choosing only if you are completely confident in your idea. The most inappropriate genre for indie games are casual options, in which the likelihood of high earnings is negligible.

Models of Monetization in Indie Games

The indie game definition implies that people independent of the publisher are involved in the development. That is, virtually anyone with a sufficient degree of desire and enthusiasm can engage in indie development. And everyone is very interested in what methods of monetization can be implemented in indie games, in addition to direct sales in stores. We suggest considering the following options.

In-App Purchases

This is a classic way of monetization, which is suitable for almost all games. The bottom line is that during the gameplay, the player is offered some additional bonuses that will significantly improve and simplify the walkthrough or simply play a purely decorative role. These can be extra hit points, clothing for the character, bonus abilities, or weapons.

The most important thing is to give the player the freedom of choice and the ability to continue playing without making purchases. If you prevent players from moving on without committing a transaction, it could permanently push them away from the game.

Merch

The following options will only work if your game has already gained a certain popularity among some number of players. You’ve probably heard about merch – this is a very relevant option not only for the gaming world, but also for the film and music industry. For example, selling stuffed toys based on the Angry Birds game has become a huge source of income for the Finnish company Rovio, which started as a small independent developer.

You can sell anything: figurines of game characters, T-shirts and cups with their image, bags, shoes, key chains, wallets, and much more. The more players like your characters, the more likely they are to want to purchase physical replicas or items featuring them.

Partnership

Finding a partner can be quite problematic, but this does not make this method of monetization less effective. If you manage to find an interested person, then you can, for example, introduce a logo or mention of a partner into your game in accordance with the game setting, or offer other sponsorship services that will bring you additional income. This may be a notification to players that there are other similar games and a suggestion to pay attention to them.

Advertising

Video game advertising is a path that almost everyone who develops indie games eventually comes to: players don’t have to pay anything, they just watch ads. There are several main types:

1. Banners. One of the most common types of advertising in games. A banner is a colorful ad image at the bottom or top of the screen. It’s very easy to implement, doesn’t interrupt the gameplay much, but catches the eye and can lead to a transition if the player is interested in the offer.
2. Full-screen advertising. These ads, also known as interstitial ads, fill the entire screen, closing the game’s interface, remain on the screen for a short period of time, and then disappear. It can be either static or dynamic in video format.
3. Push notification. These ads use pop-up notifications to grab the user’s attention and redirect them somewhere. It can offer both to buy additional elements for the game, and to switch to other websites and applications.
4. Advertising upon exiting the game. These ads are triggered when a user leaves the game: this is a great time to advertise another game of your partner, for example.

How to create an indie game that generates income? You need to get used to the idea that this is not the area that consistently brings mountains of gold. This is a job for the soul, where earnings are rather a pleasant bonus that may or may not come, and you need to be prepared for this. At the same time, any monetization options you choose should be implemented very carefully and unobtrusively so as not to alienate the player from the main idea.

Indie games, corrupted by the desire to earn more at the expense of their essence, lose all meaning.

How to Make an Indie Game Successful?

All indie developers want to know about this and at the same time understand that there is no exact answer. On the other hand, no one has canceled the functional analytics of the best-selling indie games. So, let’s see how similar projects on the Epic Games Store and Steam approach genre selection, gameplay, graphics, price, and marketing.

Graphics as an Auxiliary Element

The first difference between indie games and big AAA titles is their simpler graphics. This does not mean that it is bad. It can be very beautiful and eye-catching. This means that it is not the main focus of an indie game, but rather an auxiliary visual component to help you better immerse players in storytelling. 

Therefore, for an indie game, it is enough to adhere to minimum graphical standards so that players understand what is happening on the screen.

You don’t have to try to impress players with modern graphical features, you can’t beat AAA games anyway. Indies do not undertake to compete with AAA in terms of the complexity of art, their essence is in a non-standard presentation and a fresh idea.

Indie Example: Hue

The graphics in the indie platformer Hue can hardly be called sophisticated. But at the same time, its presentation and the very essence of the game is a real artistic satisfaction. Fiddlesticks Games has offered an absolute innovation in game mechanics: the main character, a boy named Hue, explores colorless locations and finds new shades, which he uses to color the world around him. Puzzles and tasks that allow you to pass new and more difficult levels are based on the manipulation of colors, and there may be several options for solving puzzles. The alternation of static and dynamic levels will not let you get bored.

An amazing soundtrack, harmoniously changing depending on whether the atmosphere is tense or calm, makes solving puzzles a real aesthetic pleasure. Hue’s journey is based on the main heart-piercing plot that will touch anyone to the core: he is looking for his mother, who disappeared for mysterious reasons. On his way, he finds notes and memories that help him to better understand her past, the reasons for her disappearance, her study of the essence of color, and her inexplicable connection with the mysterious Dr. Gray, who periodically appears at the main milestones of Hue’s journey as if prompting him the right path.

Unlimited Gameplay Options

Based on the previous point, you might think that a complex and intricate storyline is vital for an indie game.

There are options that do just fine without a storyline per se, for example, Game Dev Tycoon or any other simulator that relies not on history, but addictive gameplay.

It is important to understand that players have different moods and different needs at different times. Sometimes they want something simple, uncomplicated and funny, and sometimes they will prefer a leisurely philosophical story that invites you to consider many important life issues. Determine from the very beginning what audience you are targeting, and do not try to put everything into the game: it should be harmonious and unidirectional.

Indie Example: Game Dev Tycoon

Game Dev Tycoon is an addictive economic simulation game developed and published by Greenheart Games. The action of the game begins in the 1980s, when the gaming industry was just emerging.

The players begin by giving a name to themselves and their future company. Players can then create their own games by choosing a game theme, genre, platform, and game engine. Also within 30-42 years set-top boxes of well-known companies will be produced. Sony will be represented in the game as Vonny, Microsoft as Micronoft, Nintendo as Ninvento, Sega as Vena, etc.

Initially, players start developing games in their garage, but may soon purchase 2 new offices. In offices, players can hire other game developers and work collaboratively with them.

Unique Feature

If AAA games have an average positive rating of 79%, then for indie games it can sometimes go up to 87%. At the same time, it is noted that the players are much more warm and sympathetic to indie games, realizing that they are not made by rich corporations, but by the same ordinary people, united and inflamed by a common idea.

The intimacy of indie games and the imprint of the developer’s soul in them invites much more participation and sincere comments on them.

Indie Example: Castle Crashers

The best indie games always show some kind of innovation, be it a feature of the gameplay, graphics, storyline, or game design. For example, Castle Crashers arcade offers very simple hand-drawn graphics, but its gameplay is so addicting and unusual that players give it 96% positive feedback.

The game takes place in a fictional medieval universe. From one to four knights (depending on the number of players) take part in a party in the king’s castle. Meanwhile, a dark sorcerer steals the mystical royal jewel and captures the four princesses. The king sends knights to retrieve the stone, rescue the princesses, and bring justice to the sorcerer.

Successful Genres

We have already said that some genres of indie games are much preferable to others. RPG, strategy, and simulation will be the best choice. They do not require many years of complex development. If you are planning an adventure or quest game, then you will have to work hard to grab attention with a story and plot: the competition is high here.

Indie developers better stay away from racing and sports games, as this is already the territory of big-budget AAA franchises with cutting-edge graphics.

Remember that indie games compete with other games not for their graphics, but for their creativity, story, and innovative ideas.

Correct Price

Many indie developers tend to undervalue their games, believing that this will increase sales and attract more buyers. On average, they charge $7 per game. Many are limited to the $5 price tag. At the same time, the best indie games sell for $15, which is close to the cost of AA and AAA titles.

There is no need to artificially lower the cost. You have to evaluate the game by its quality, that is, consider the entire amount of work done and make a financial verdict.

Too low a price raises questions and doubts whether your product is another option of controversial quality, which is better not to pay attention to.

Technological and Localization Availability

The more people who can play your game, the better. The best indie games are available for both PC and Mac. Despite the fact that the Mac accounts for only 17% of the device market, it is still a large audience that is often deprived of games because developers do not care about adapting them to this device.

In terms of localization, the most popular languages ​​are English, French, and German.

The best indie games expand the available languages ​​to 7 with the addition of Polish, Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese. This allows you to potentially increase your reach from 1 billion players to 3-4 billion. Many people will prefer to play the game in their native language if it is possible and are more likely to recommend it to friends.

Marketing Matters

The more people who know about the game, the more likely it is to succeed. Someone might purposefully search for a product similar to yours, but find nothing because you decided to bypass the ad campaign.

The best indie games never ignore marketing in one way or another.

This does not mean that you need to go to an advertising agency and pay them crazy money, twice the cost of development. These can be social media campaigns with captivating trailers and art, press releases, intriguing ads, and themed events. Games accompanied by such promotional efforts become known and expected even before they are released.

Reliable Companion in Indie Games Creation

Indie game development is an incredible barrier-free world where any of your craziest and brightest ideas can come true. You may encounter certain obstacles, but the most important thing is that you already know them by sight and are ready to achieve your goal, no matter what. Just don’t stop and keep moving forward. And Kevuru Games can become your trusted companion with game development portfolio if you need help with a certain aspect of creating your unique indie game or AAA games.

The post Indie Game Development: Guide to Revenues, Most Profitable Genres & Monetization [+10 Best Indie Games 2024] appeared first on Kevuru Games.

Top Secret: Why There Is So Little Information About Game Pricing

The first thing to understand and accept is that all games are different. Developers strive with all their might for authenticity and novelty to surprise players. This is a key reason why video games cost so much to make—each project requires a unique approach, custom assets, and careful attention to detail. Accordingly, there can be no static cost of making a video game that can be announced immediately after the first request.

Second, few people disclose this information. The number of development studios that kindly provided reports on the money spent is negligible. Most of the research we find online is the opinion of analysts or research groups based on a rough estimate of the time it took to make a game and the sum of the salaries of the development team members.

Thirdly, the range of prices may shock you. For example, talking about mobile development, we know that the cost of Angry Birds is estimated at $140,000, while the legendary Pokémon Go cost developers $600,000 due to the introduction of a large number of geolocation features. And that’s just mobile games. And PC giants like GTA 5 have a completely different $265 million budget.

Now that we’ve got you pretty confused, we can start thinking and talking about a video game budget.

Cost Line: General View

Game development is a complex process of creating and combining art, code, sound, and testing the performance of the result. If you’re wondering how much does it cost to produce a video game, the answer depends on subtleties such as:

• the complexity of the game;
• its functionality and design;
• the chosen platform;
• the experience of the team entrusted with development, etc.

An average cost of video game development depends on the location of the developers:

1. When outsourcing your game development to India, China, or the Philippines, expect average quality work for a low price tag.
2. Developers from the United States will charge higher prices – twice as much for their services, making the work at the highest level.
3. A combination of high-quality performance and competitive prices is found in Central and Eastern Europe. The cost to produce a video game in Eastern Europe starts at $9,000.

After you have decided on an outsourcing partner, the scale, and functionality of the project, the selected company forms a team. To create a simple mini 2D game for a mobile phone, one artist and one developer are enough. Thus, such video game production cost will be much lower than, for example, the cost to make an AAA video game that requires the participation of all studio employees.

Simple Math For Calculating Video Game Development Cost

We often hear the words “cost of developing a video game depends on the complexity”, but do not really understand their meaning. In fact, everything is very simple: the difficulty is equal to the time spent on creating the game. This, in turn, determines the average video game budget. More time means larger salaries for team members, which significantly increases the overall cost. The conclusion: complexity is directly proportional to duration.

Is it possible to calculate the cost to make a video game yourself? Why not, this math is elementary. You need to get the following data:

• The number of people who will work on your project.
• The average salary for a developer in the region of your choice.
• The approximate duration of the project.

As a result, you get a figure that reflects the net average wages of people. You can depart from it, but definitely not take it for the final cost.

First, the composition of the team can change throughout the project. The concept artist, having completed his or her work, leaves the project, but at the same time, animators and sound designers join the work. Secondly, focusing on how much does it cost to build a video game, do not forget about marketing costs, which can vary from 20 to 100% of the development budget.

Let’s try a little calculation. Let’s say 10 people from an outsource company will work on your game. The studio’s stated estimated development time for the game is six months. Taking into account the average salary of a developer about $40 per hour, working day 8 hours, and an average of 20 working days per month, we have the following calculation:

(40 x 8) x (10 x 20) x 6 = $ 384,000

We have received the amount that should be paid for the work of the team, provided that the composition of the team is stable throughout the project. In the same way, you can make your calculation by substituting the required numbers into the formula:

(Rate x 8) x (Employees x 20) x Months Of Work

This is your easy way to find out the answer to the question “how much does it cost to develop a video game?” without any hassle and headaches.

By the way, what do you know about the composition of the team that will work on your game? Let’s go over this issue.

Video Game Creation Team

When looking for an answer to the question of how much does it cost to make a video game, you need to understand that the cost is largely formed from the rates of the team members who are working on the project.

The core team for creating a game looks like this:

The number of specialists increases – the price increases.

Let’s look at an example of forming a team for a game creation project. Type of game – arcade puzzle. Working on the mobile game Crazy Roosty, designed for Android and iOS, the Kevuru Games team chose the most convenient and common Unity engine and gathered the following command:

• 1 game designer
• 1 3D artist
• 1 3D animator
• 1 developer
• 1 tester

From the beginning of development to release, it took 20 weeks to create the game, that is, 4.5 months.

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More than 10 years of experience in game development allowed us to build clear and well-established working procedures for transparent interaction between all departments. We know how long it takes to work on 2D and 3D games of different genres and how long the development will take if multiplayer is expected. Thanks to this, we can give a preliminary estimate of the cost of your future game with the functionality and graphics you are interested in during the day

The accuracy of the estimate depends on the amount of information you can provide us with:

1. Complete understanding of the project. You know your target audience, game genre, its functional and technical features, monetization and marketing options, and the degree of user interaction. If there are no additional improvements on our part, then we will be able to give an accurate estimate of the timing and, accordingly, the cost of the work.
2. Partial insight into the project. You know the target audience and genre, but have not come up with functionality, mechanics, and visual features yet. Then we conduct pre-project analysis and create a prototype, after the approval of which we can talk about an approximate cost estimate with a possible error of 10%.
3. Irresistible desire to implement the project. You just really want to make a game, but don’t know which one at all. Then we suggest trying to channel your disparate desires and come to a more concrete option together. Then we, as in the previous scenario, make a prototype and, after its approval, proceed to create a game. Given the possibility of a large number of changes and adjustments, we give an approximate assessment of individual blocks of work separately: art and animation, development, sound design, testing, and marketing.

Even if you only have an idea and a lot of enthusiasm, never give up on the desire to create a game. Contact us, and together we will evaluate the prospects of your idea and, if necessary, correct it and give an effective development.

FIND OUT WHICH ENGINE IS BEST FOR YOUR FUTURE GAME AND ARM YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS TO SUCCEED

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How Much Money Does It Take to Make a Video Game? Factors That Affect Cost

Categories And Scale

It won’t be news to anyone that AAA games cost way more to develop than indie games. Actually, the price of development is one of the main characteristics that define what AAA games are. But what is the actual difference in price? The average cost to make a video game varies significantly across categories. Let’s compare AAA, AA, and indie titles to understand the scale.

Among these three categories, indie games are the cheapest to develop. The price for an indie game can range from $50,000 – $500,000. AAA titles are the most expensive, with costs of $20 million – $300+ million in development and equally massive budgets for marketing. An example of an indie game are Sable, Hades, and 12 minutes. Examples of AAA games are The Witcher, Hogwarts Legacy, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2, and Grand Theft Auto.

Between these two groups fall so-called mid-tier games, which cost somewhere between $500,000 – $5 million. Some of the expensive indie titles fall in this category together with AA titles.

Genre

Casual games such as puzzles and arcades are one of the cheapest genres. They can be made for as much as $10,000 – $100,000. However, the revenue of successful casual games can be disproportionately big. An example of this is Candy Crush, with its billions revenue (read our article to find out how much money does Candy Crush make).

Simulation and strategy games are in the mid-range, with prices around $500,000 – $20 million. Although gameplay mechanics and AI development are complex, moderate asset requirements allow games like Civilization to be accessible to game development studios of different sizes.

Role-playing games (RPG), would range $1 million – $50+ million in development. Nowadays, when they are expected to have numerous branching storylines, movie-like graphics and animation, their price can go higher than that of a Hollywood blockbuster.

First-person shooters (FPS) are also quite an expensive genre, ranging from $10 million to $200+ million. Complex shooting mechanics and multiplayer modes raise the price tag, as does the use of AI for enemy behavior, which is highly common in modern FPS.

Open-world and MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) are typically the most costly genres, with development starting at $50 million and going as high as $500 million or more. These games need complex AI, as well as extensive server and backend development. However, the return on investment is also quite high, as often these games shape huge franchises of various genres. To find out how they work, read our article about how much money Fortnite makes.

Examples of the Cost of Famous Games: High-Cost And Low-Budget Options

For now, let’s digress a little and take a short excursion into the world of launches and budgets of games you know well.

Despite the fact that cost data are rarely publicly released, some information can still be found. Let’s start with the most expensive options you’ve probably heard of. This will give you an idea of ​​the staggering budgets that can be spent on both game development and marketing.

Grand Theft Auto V

We have already managed to mention this cult game at the beginning of our article. Released in 2013, it remains one of the most played PC games around the world thanks to its multiplayer mode and stunningly detailed world. It is also the third best-selling game ever, with over $6 billion in revenue and 110 million copies sold, second only to Minecraft (which we’ll talk about below) and Tetris.

So how much does it cost to produce a world-class video game animation that will forever remain in the history of the gaming industry? Its development cost, along with marketing campaigns, was around $265 million, making it the most expensive video game ever created.

Considering that the game was made for more than 5 years by a Rockstar team of 250 employees, it can be assumed that the game cost the company about $150 million to develop, and all the rest of the money was spent on marketing.

So far, there is no information about games that have surpassed the development cost of GTA V. Perhaps, when the notorious Cyberpunk 2077 or Star Citizen reveal their budget cards, the leaderboard will change. But we must not forget that GTA VI is also in development. With a high degree of probability, it will also make a big splash in the gaming market.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The sixth edition of the Call of Duty series, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, is not far from GTA V. At the time of its release in 2009, it was the highest-budget game in the world.

Its cost is estimated at $250 million, of which $200 million was spent on marketing purposes.

In the first 24 hours, it sold over 4.5 million copies. Grossing over $400 million in its early days of sales in the US and UK alone, the game entered Guinness World Records for the most successful launch in the entertainment industry. To find out how the game is calitaizing on its success, read our article on how Call of Duty makes money.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Based on the Star Wars universe and developed by BioWare Austin, this MMORPG was released in 2011. It never revealed its official budget. However, the researchers do not sleep: it is estimated that more than 800 people on 4 continents worked for 6 years for this game to see the world. Several thousand characters in the game required voice acting from about a thousand actors, which also affected the cost of the game.

It is valued at approximately $200 million including marketing.

The game’s revenue for all time is approximately $1 billion. It is still available for PC today and continues to attract players who are also looking forward to a new Star Wars IP based game called Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The estimated release date is the end of 2022.

Our next stop is some incredibly low budget games that ended up making some crazy money. There are no exact budget figures here since these games were often created by one person or a maximum of a team of several people. But it is all the more interesting to study their phenomenon.

Stardew Valley

American developer Eric Barone created this simulation role-playing game alone. He really wanted to understand what it was like to do everything on his own, from art to music. How much does it cost to create a video game like this? It’s hard to say, because it was made by one person, and the only resource here is his time. He started working on the project in 2012 and finished it in 2016. In its first year, it was acquired by over 2 million Steam users.

Based on this information, it was estimated that the game earned more than $25 million.

Since it was later released for Android, iOS, Xbox One (Stardew Valley also supports Xbox 360 controllers on PC), PS4, and Linux, this income could most likely be doubled. These are the wonders that just one person can do!

Minecraft

It’s hard to ignore another gaming phenomenon, also originally developed by one man, Swedish developer Markus Persson. The release of the demo version of the survival sandbox game took place in 2009. In 2011, a full-fledged release took place, and in the same year the millionth copy of the game was sold. The second million was sold a few months later, and the third after some time.

In 2014, Microsoft acquired Minecraft for $2.5 billion.

Over the years, Minecraft generated over $3 billion in revenue. To find out more about its monetization strategy, read our article on how Minecraft makes money.

That being said, the game has over 130 million monthly active players, ahead of Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Tetris

This is one example of a video game budget that you can’t help but talk about with respectful reverence. Tetris is a puzzle game originally invented and developed by Soviet programmer Alexei Pajitnov back in 1984. Particularly famous in the United States, Europe, and Japan is the version for the handheld GameBoy console produced by the Japanese company Nintendo.

The game consistently appeared on the lists of the best PC games by platform and throughout history.

With over 500 million copies sold, Tetris surpassed Minecraft to become the best-selling game in history.

Game Genres That Will Steal the Show in 2025

The gaming industry continues to evolve despite the unstable economic situation in the world. Furthermore, many are gaining momentum as they are quite a cheap entertainment. Many games that have become key entertainment milestones of the year have been released.

Take a look at the list of the top 10 best selling video games and their game publishers.

According to Statista, the ranking of the most played game genres in US is as follows.

Puzzles and arcades, leading by a significant margin, are another proof of the dominance of mobile games in the market. Among hardcore genres, action, shooters, and simulations remain the most popular.

How to Choose a Company to Develop a Game

Now that you have a video game budget breakdown, you might consider choosing a companion for development. We have already said which regions to target to find studios with an acceptable price-quality ratio – these are Central and Eastern Europe. Here you will find a large number of good studios with roughly the same average cost of a video game.

What then to look for when choosing a partner?

1. Team experience. Enthusiasm and creativity are important, but if they are not backed up by experience, the effectiveness of the project will be questionable. The modern gaming market is a mega-specific environment and the latest games simply dissolve in a huge number of analogues. Choose a studio that has been in game development for several years and already knows a thing or two about creating games.
2. Game portfolio. Note that it’s important to look at a portfolio of finished games, unless you’re going to split tasks and outsource art, animation, and development to different companies. Examine the portfolio for full-fledged projects: so you will know exactly what engines the studio works with, what the expertise of its artists and animators is, etc. You can even download the games released by this studio and evaluate them from the player’s point of view.
3. Feedback from previous clients. This is important because here you can get valuable insights about the convenience of communication with the team, the streamlining of processes, the timeliness of delivering results at different stages, etc. The testimonial section is usually located on the company’s website. If not, you can specifically request feedback from previous customers from company representatives.

Our team will gladly take on your project at any stage, be it just a raw idea, prototype, or half-finished product. Kevuru Games is a company of 400+ inspired people, passionate about games and new challenges. Extensive experience in the gaming market gives us the opportunity to direct creative initiatives into the most relevant channels in order to obtain the optimal result both in terms of player engagement and profit from the game.

And yes, we never get away from answering questions on how much does it cost to make a triple a game – such calculations are not difficult for us, so you can easily plan your budget.

Our team is ready to discuss your idea and start lighting a new game star – we are separated by only a few phrases from your side sent to contact@kevurugames.com. Take a look at our game design portfolio.

The post How Much Does It Cost to Make a Video Game: Clear Formula and the Highest-Grossing Genres in 2025 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

The game was innovative not just because it used AR but also because it made players leave their homes and explore the world around them. They would still explore while staring at their phones, but at least they would be walking outside. That was revolutionary at the time, and nothing similar has appeared since then.

How is the game doing in 2024, long after its hype time? Is it profitable? And how much money did Pokémon Go make in all these years? Read on to find out answers to all of these questions.

What is Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go went viral in 2016, right after its release. It’s an AR mobile game available on both Android and iOS platforms that lets players find, collect, train, and fight Pokémon that appear in locations around them using their cameras. Pokémon can be found on the streets of every city with the help of augmented reality tools. The game quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, captivating millions of players across the globe.

The game is a part of Pokémon, a Japanese franchise that started with a video game in 1996 and went on with manga, anime, and a trading card game. The name Pokémon comes from “pocket monster.” These “monsters” are little creatures of different species, each with a unique appearance and powers.

Pokémon Go was developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.

Pokémon Go Player Count and Popularity

Current Player Numbers

In December 2024, there were over 97 million active Pokémon Go players, according to activeplayer.io count. The maximum amount of daily players was over 26 million. Compared to the same month of the previous year, the numbers have grown by 15%. Here is the table showing dynamics over the last year and a half.

How Many Downloads Does Pokémon Go Have?

Pokémon Go has over 500 million downloads. Half of those downloads happened in the first year, but the game has maintained a stable number of players in the following years.

Is Pokémon Go Still Popular in 2024?

The number of players in the years following 2016 was drastically lower than the year of the release. It may look as if the game was just a momentary hype that didn’t last, but at a closer look, you’ll see that the game hasn’t lost its popularity much.

People who played it at its height in 2016 may just follow the hype, and naturally, they didn’t stay for long. However, the loyal fanbase is still big even after 8 years after the release. And these players are more important for the business than the ones that just downloaded it out of curiosity. Long-time players are the ones who are most likely to spend money in-game, and that’s what matters for the game developers.

Pokémon Go Revenue and Earnings

How Much Money Has Pokémon Go Made?

The data on Pokémon Go earnings is based on player spending (in-app purchases). From this source, by the end of 2024, Pokémon Go had made $8 billion. This doesn’t include the money from sponsor locations and the amount of money people spent on the Niantic web shop, where players can purchase game items. The shop was launched in 2023, and probably a part of in-app spending has shifted there.

How Much Money Does Pokémon Go Make a Year?

Based on the data on in-app spending, we know that Pokémon Go earns $800,000-900,000 a year through App Stores. In pandemic years, Pokémon Go annual revenue has been higher, reaching $1,3 billion in in-app purchases.

Pokémon Go Profit Analysis

The results of tracking in-app purchases and adjusting to inflation show that the game hasn’t been growing its player spending in recent years. However, it doesn’t mean that the Pokémon Go team isn’t very good at monetization strategies. Here is an example.

When we see the graph of the games’ earnings, a spike during the pandemic isn’t surprising. Most games had seen a rise in popularity when people were locked down and had more free time. However, it’s not so easy in the case of Pokémon Go, a game that requires players to go out and visit specific locations. 

It seems that the game would have a crisis period when most players had limited mobility during the lockdowns. Yet it wasn’t the case — Pokémon Go managed to gain new users and earn extra by introducing several innovations to the game that made it possible to play without having to go out — remote raids, GO Battle League, and Special Research stories, virtual events, and daily free items. Later, they canceled some of the pandemic innovations to return to their initial format and get income from sponsor locations again.

All in all, the profit of Pokémon Go is stable, as the game has diverse revenue streams. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Revenue Models of Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go operates on a freemium model. It’s free to play, but players can benefit by paying—for example, decreasing the waiting time for the next Pokémon to appear.

How Does Pokémon Go Make Money?

Pokémon Go has several revenue streams: in-app purchases, advertising (sponsored locations), ticketed events, and merchandising. These are typical for most viral video games, but using advanced technologies like AR gives Niantic some extra opportunities.

In 2024, they announced the creation of a Large Geospatial Model (LGM) to revolutionize spatial intelligence for augmented reality (AR) and beyond. Although this news has raised more concerns about privacy, for the business, it means a potential for big profits from such a model, which wouldn’t have been possible without millions of people scanning their surroundings in search of Pokémon.

In-Game Purchases

Like most freemium games, in-game purchases are the main revenue stream for Pokémon Go. The currency is called PokéCoins, and it can buy use Poké balls (containers for capturing Pokémon), items to attract them, double XP, and storage upgrades that allow players to hold more Pokémon.

PokéCoins can also be earned by completing game tasks, but buying is much easier and faster.

Advertising (sponsored locations)

Since the game requires players to leave home and visit various locations, business owners use it as an opportunity to increase traffic to their cafés or shops. Starbucks and McDonalds paid to be included on the list of Pokémon Go locations.

Starbucks had many PokéStops, and offered Pokémon-themed drinks to clients. People come to catch a rare species and grab a coffee on their way.

Ticketed Events

The number of events in the game is enormous. From big events like the annual Pokémon Go Fest to regular Community Days, there is always something going on in the world of Pokémons to attend. Some events are location-based, while others are virtual.

The prices typically vary from $1 to $20. However, some events offer additional in-game purchases that maximize the event experience. For example, the cost of the base ticket and all the additional items for the Into the Wild event (November 2024) would reach up to $340.

Some events are created in collaborations—with locations like those described above or with other popular brands or celebrities—for example, Ed Sheeran, Uniqlo, The North Face x Gucci.

H2 Want to Develop a Game Like Pokémon Go?

There are many games with augmented reality on the market, but Pokémon Go is the only AR game that went viral and became a cultural phenomenon. What it takes to make a successful game is not just technology knowledge — it’s an exceptional game design, art, and monetization strategy. This is what makes Pokémon Go so successful and profitable. If you need a partner to develop the next hit, contact our professionals, and we’ll see what we can do for you.

The post How Does Pokémon Go Make Money? appeared first on Kevuru Games.

And even though 65% of the global gaming market is accounted for by the top 10 gaming companies, even a small indie studio has every chance to achieve recognition and earn good money. And one of the key roles here is played by the right choice of the right game engine.

The game engine is literally a digital motor, a workbench, and a complete toolkit that allows, with due skill and dexterity, to create new incredible worlds. Given that different engines are tailored to different needs and levels of knowledge, it is important for you to choose one that offers specific tools. Those that help you perfectly represent your idea and achieve the desired emotional reaction of the player. But to choose it, you need to have some idea of ​​the proposed range.

So what is the best game engine? The secret is that each of them can be the best for you. It is simply important to understand what their strength is and which one is most aligned with your goals. Let’s take a look at the most popular game engines of 2025 and see what each one is good for.

What is a Game Engine?

A game engine is a software framework designed to assist developers in creating and designing video games. It provides a set of tools, libraries, and functionalities to streamline the game development process. Game engines typically include features such as rendering engines for graphics, physics engines for simulating realistic interactions, audio engines for managing sound effects, scripting tools for implementing gameplay logic, asset management systems for organizing game assets, and integrated development environments (IDEs) for editing and testing games. By using a game engine, developers can focus on designing gameplay mechanics, creating assets, and implementing features without having to build everything from scratch, thus expediting the game development process.

What is The Significance Of Gaming Engines?

A game engine is a set of tools that allows you to work with graphics, physics, scripts, and other elements that make it possible to create a game.

Choosing the right game engine for your needs can make or break the entire gaming experience. No matter how complex your game is, you should make sure that the engine you choose performs essential functions:

1. Input. Every interaction a player has with controllers and other input devices, even if it’s just tapping on a smartphone screen, should correspond to a clear intended action in the game.
2. Physics. The player physics of both a mobile platformer and a huge open-world RPG must balance perfectly between the high quality of the simulation and the technical limitations of the gaming device.
3. Visuals. The game engine allows you to program visual effects, lighting, shadows, sharpening, blurring, and more in an optimal way.

A properly chosen game engine greatly simplifies game programming by implementing the above functions in an optimized way. This reduces development time and allows the team to focus more on the conceptual aspect of their game in order to provide players, if not unique, then at least an interesting and exciting experience.

Top Game Engines in 2025: Detailed Dossier of Strengths and Weaknesses

Unreal: AAA Kingdom Overlord

Unreal Engine is one of the most famous and widely used real-time 3D game engines developed and maintained by Epic Games.

Although the engine was originally intended for the development of first-person shooters, its subsequent versions have been successfully used in games of a wide variety of genres, including stealth games, fighting games, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Unreal is especially good for creating multiplayer games – it provides many multiplayer features out of the box, and it’s easy to set up the Blueprint base game that runs over the network. Today, Unreal is a key driver behind most of the most advanced AAA games and has the widest and most appropriate toolkit for this particular class of games.

Pricing Policy

In the past, the engine was distributed on a monthly subscription basis. Since 2015, Unreal Engine has become free and production-ready out of the box, but developers of games created with it are required to pay a 5% royalty on sales if the product’s lifetime gross revenue exceeds $1 million. Unreal also offers special Enterprise program and Custom license packages that include premium support, training programs, and custom licensing terms. Their cost is discussed with clients personally.

Features: Blueprint and Particle System

Blueprint is a visual scripting system in Unreal. It allows you to implement your ideas in a simplified mode with a preliminary visualization of all changes. For example, without programming knowledge, you can create a cycle of day and night or make the environment react to the movement of the player. Most of Fortnite is implemented through Blueprint. You’ve heard of Fortnite, right? We created 120 skins for them (read case study here).

Also, a valuable feature of the Unreal Engine is the rapid creation of a game prototype. In the prototype, it is especially important to immediately convey the atmosphere. For this purpose, UE offers many tools − from the simulation of natural phenomena through the particle system to post-processing. In most cases, you don’t even have to look for video tutorials, since all the parameters are clearly named in the interface, and the desired effect can be selected intuitively.

Learning Curve

The entry threshold for Unreal is quite low: even artists with no programming experience can figure it out for their own purposes. At the same time, the toolkit of the program is huge and rich. Users have access to many free assets from the Unreal Marketplace. Also, Unreal’s modern editor includes integration with Quixel Bridge, one of the world’s largest photogrammetry libraries and toolset for creating high-quality 3D content. Unreal users can use the built-in Quixel tools and all the resources of the Quixel Megascans library for free.

Potential

Most of the next-generation console games that are released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are built using Unreal Engine 5. Now it is the best engine for game development of the most advanced AAA games. Two of its key breakthrough technologies are Nanite and Lumen. Nanite allows you to use unoptimized assets right in the game. Lumen is global illumination, which is calculated in real time and allows you to illuminate an object, taking into account the reflected light. Both of them create a completely new gaming experience and make it as realistic as possible. None of the other engines so far has come close to such a level of realism as Unreal. And this is not the limit.

Pros and Cons of Unreal

Unity: Life of the Cross-Platform Party

Unreal Engine vs Unity allow you to create both simple 2D games and complex 3D worlds.

This engine is preferred by completely different companies, from small mobile developers to large game publishers. However, independent studios prefer to hire Unity developers that have special skills to work with this platform. It is even unofficially called the best mobile game engine. Also, Unity 3D game engine is actively used to create VR games and AR projects due to the presence of a large number of convenient SDKs.

Pricing Policy

Unity offers a range of plans for different users and purposes, all of which are royalty-free.

Features: Bolt and Unity Asset Store

By analogy with Unreal Blueprint, Unity has its own visual programming tool called Bolt. Bolt brings complete visual scripting to Unity, allowing artists, designers, and programmers to create game mechanics and interactive systems without writing code. Visual scripting helps even a non-technical person to test an idea, make changes, or better control their work in Unity. Everyone will also be able to use custom nodes and graphs created by technical specialists.

Unity Asset Store is open for developers to buy 3D models, sounds/music, UI kits, shaders/particles, sprite kits, and tools to make the development process more comfortable and faster. For example, you can add ready-made sets of elements to the game: characters, enemies and their behavior patterns, levels, lighting settings, etc. At the same time, you do not need a single line of code to implement a new change.

Learning Curve

The Unity interface is quite simple and does not require any serious training or deep knowledge to get started. It uses a component-oriented approach: the developer creates objects and adds various components to them. Thanks to a convenient Drag & Drop interface and a functional graphics editor, the engine allows you to draw maps and place objects in real time and immediately test the result. The official website of the engine features an article on how to make a game without knowing the code, which describes in detail the tools needed for beginners to create games.

Potential

Unity’s cross-platform capabilities and its simplicity and ease of use for small studios allow the engine to stay at the top of the best. The ability to add new features to the engine, make changes to it, upgrade internal tools and create your own make Unity an extremely flexible tool for developing games of any scale. It is noteworthy that Unity does not try to compete with Unreal in matters of realism, but continues to emphasize its cross-platform and adaptability features. It also continues to be the best game engine for mobile development.

Pros and Cons of Unity

Amazon Lumberyard: Well-Connected Partner

As the product name suggests,

Lumberyard is Amazon’s all-in-one offering, which is a free AAA cross-platform game engine based on the CryEngine architecture that was licensed from Crytek in 2015.

The engine has integration with Amazon Web Services, which allows developers to create or host their games on Amazon servers, as well as stream video broadcasting via Twitch. Amazon Lumberyard is often used as a low-cost alternative to creating games for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

Pricing Policy

Developers can use the Lumberyard engine to create a game for free. This is because it is monetized through Amazon Web Services fees, which vary depending on which tools the developers prefer to use, if any. But if you don’t need a cloud connection, you pay nothing. There are no placement fees or subscription fees, and no profit sharing is required. In July 2021, Amazon announced that the source code for the engine is being made open source as the Open 3D Engine (O3DE) under the Apache 2.0 license.

Features: Script Canvas and Component Entity

Like most of its peers, such as Unreal with Blueprint or Unity with Bolt, Lumberyard has a visual scripting system called Script Canvas. It allows anyone to prototype or implement game logic without any code support. An important feature of the engine is modularity: it is provided by the Gems system, which are packages containing code and assets. This gives developers the opportunity to select the features they want and remove the features they don’t need without having to compile them later.

Lumberyard also offers the Component Entity system, a modern approach to creating complex entities from simpler ones. As a content creator, all you have to do is drag and drop components to the right places to set specific behaviors, change settings in the editor in real time, or create Lua scripts or visual scripts to change or extend the behavior of an entity on the fly. To simplify work on more complex scenes, entities can be combined into sectors, which, in turn, can be included in sectors of a higher level, thus organizing a full-fledged cascading system of blanks.

Learning Curve

Despite the presence of visual scripting, Lumberyard remains a large engine for large projects with a large number of online components. It makes no sense to make simple mobile games on it: it will be difficult, problematic, and impractical. Lumberyard’s resource handling system and internal components are not tailored for small projects.

Moreover, a smaller user base results in little documentation and possible help on various issues, the answers to which become outdated very quickly as the engine develops. Without community support and a good knowledge base, the learning curve can be quite steep for inexperienced developers.

Potential

Lumberyard’s visualization technology is based on a set of popular and powerful development tools licensed from CryEngine and includes all the traditional bells and whistles, from particle effects support and real-time fluid flow modeling technologies to plant creation tools with an unprecedented level of realism. It is important to remember that the game created will be tied to Amazon in many ways: the company does not allow the use of competing cloud services from other companies like Google or Microsoft. However, this is not a disadvantage: Lumberyard remains an AAA-level engine with great graphics potential that can be used to make an amazing single-player game absolutely free.

Pros and Cons of Amazon Lumberyard

CryEngine: Real-Time Sandbox Master

CryEngine is an AAA, all-in-one 3D game engine developed by German game developer Crytek and used for all of its games in the Far Cry franchise.

Its modified version is used by such studios as Warhorse Studios and Ubisoft, and in 2015 the license for CryEngine was transferred to Amazon. It released its own revised and extended version of CryEngine called Amazon Lumberyard, which we’ve talked about above.

Pricing Policy

The engine follows the pay-what-you-want model. Users can give any amount and get all its features and platform access. However, if their annual income from a game is over $5,000, they must pay a 5% royalty fee. This applies after the first year of such income. For big enterprises, there are individual agreements and special deals.

Features: CryEngine Sandbox and Flow Graph

Sandbox is a real-time game editor that allows you to design maps and modifications in the 3D CryEngine environment. The editing style is focused on creating large landscapes and free-style mission programming. The editor also supports the creation of indoor levels or locations. Sandbox has the ability to instantly switch from edit mode to play mode with the click of a button. This is similar to another 3D renderer, Blender. This feature eliminates the need to load the game as the game engine is already running during edit mode.

Flow Graph is a built-in CryEngine tool used to manage events and game logic within levels. In essence, it is a counterpart to the visual scripting tools of previous engines − a powerful node-based visual scripting system that helps developers quickly prototype functions and create layer-specific logic without having to work with complex code bases.

Learning Curve

Projects skillfully built on CryEngine can outperform Unity and even Unreal games. The engine is known for its real-time rendering power, which allows you to create ultra-realistic worlds and quickly test a newly created level or scene. However, its community is much smaller than that of the above engines. The learning curve is pretty steep, and there’s less documentation than you’d like.

Potential

The latest version of the engine, CryEngine V, version 5.7.1, has received such innovations as DirectX 12, Vulkan API, support for virtual reality, and support for writing scripts in C#. Crytek has announced CryEngine 6, featuring major updates to improve game development and support for external users.

Pros and Cons of CryEngine

Godot: Developer’s Best Buddy

Godot is a MIT-licensed cross-platform 2D and 3D game engine created in 2014 by two developers and currently maintained by the Godot Engine Community.

The task of the creators was to make a convenient self-sufficient environment for creating a game from scratch, without using almost any tools anymore. The engine gained immense popularity due to its simplicity and wide 2D and 3D functionality. Plus, it’s absolutely free.

Pricing Policy

Godot Engine is a completely free game engine. Therefore, among the rest, it is the best free game engine, or, in other words, the only completely free game engine without any “buts”. Unlike Unity and Unreal, there are no conventions like it’s free until a certain income is earned. The engine remains free forever.

Features: VisualScript and GDScript

For beginners, Godot offers a classic visual programming tool. The engine takes a convenient approach with its node and scene architecture to represent certain game features. Combining nodes to form a tree is a powerful feature for organizing projects. Visualization helps non-technical specialists to quickly understand everything that needs to be done to obtain the desired effect.

GDScript is a high-level, dynamically typed programming language built for Godot. It uses syntax similar to Python. Its goal is to be optimized and tightly integrated into the Godot engine, allowing for high flexibility in content creation and integration. It’s as readable as Python while retaining important development elements such as strong typing, better editor integration, and more straightforward speed optimizations.

Learning Curve

Godot has a nice intuitive interface. You can figure it out in a couple of minutes, it is not overloaded with many tabs and settings. All the necessary tabs are nearby, and the standard engine settings are enough to create a game. An active community around the engine will always come to the rescue in case of questions.

The engine is very flexible: it allows you to create games using a graphical interface, but you can also write games using GDScript, an analogue of the Python language. You can also use C++ or C# to write modules, plus there is also JdNative. Each user can make an add-on and use almost any programming language they are interested in.

Potential

Godot is actively developed and maintained by a passionate community. The Godot API exposes almost every element of the engine, and it’s rare to find features that aren’t directly available to code. Godot also works in real 2D space, expressed in pixels, which greatly simplifies the creation and optimization of 2D games. The engine is full of community-developed tools, and many users add unique elements to the engine as part of developing their games.

Pros and Cons of Godot

Game Engines Worth Mentioning

Cocos2d

A popular open-source framework for building 2D games and interactive applications across various platforms.

Cocos Creator

A game development platform that allows developers to create games using a drag-and-drop interface powered by the Cocos2d-x framework.

Marmalade SDK

A cross-platform game development tool that enables developers to create high-performance games for mobile and desktop platforms.

Spring Engine

An open-source 3D game engine primarily used for real-time strategy (RTS) games, offering advanced graphics and physics capabilities.

Panda 3D

A free and open-source 3D game engine and framework for developing immersive games and simulations.

GameSalad

A drag-and-drop game development platform that allows developers to create 2D games without writing code.

Phaser

A fast, free, and open-source HTML5 game framework for building 2D games that run smoothly on web browsers.

Cafu Engine

An open-source game engine and development environment for creating multiplayer 3D games.

Enigma

A free and open-source game development platform that supports multiple programming languages and enables cross-platform game development.

The Best Game Engines for Mobile

Here are some of the best game engines for mobile development:

Solar2D

A free and open-source framework for building 2D mobile games, formerly known as Corona SDK.

BuildBox

A no-code game development platform that allows users to create games visually without programming.

Construct 3

A web-based game development tool that uses a visual scripting interface to create 2D games for multiple platforms.

Clickteam Fusion 2.5

A game development tool that enables users to create games and interactive multimedia applications using a visual programming interface.

MonoGame

An open-source implementation of the Microsoft XNA framework for building cross-platform games targeting mobile devices.

Haxe

A high-level programming language and toolkit for cross-platform game development, supporting various target platforms including mobile.

Defold

A collaborative game development platform that provides tools and workflows for building 2D games for mobile and other platforms.

So Which Game Engine is The Best?

If you want to read more detailed information, check out our articles comparing Godot vs Unity and Unreal Engine vs Unity.

Utilizing Version Control with Top Game Engines

Version control is essential for managing collaborative game development projects and tracking changes to source code, assets, and project files. Here’s how version control can be implemented with top game engines:

Unity

Unity projects can be managed with version control systems such as Git, Subversion (SVN), or Perforce. Unity’s built-in collaboration features and Asset Server facilitate version control and asset management within the Unity Editor. Additionally, Unity Collaborate offers cloud-based version control and collaboration tools for Unity projects.

Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine projects are commonly managed with version control systems like Git, Perforce, or Plastic SCM. Unreal Engine provides:

• Built-in integration with Perforce Helix Core for version control.
• Enabling seamless collaboration and versioning of project files.
• Assets.
• Source code.

Godot Engine

Godot Engine projects can be managed with version control systems like Git, Mercurial, or Subversion. Godot’s project files, scripts, and assets are stored in a structured format that is conducive to version control. Developers can use Git or other version control tools to track changes, collaborate with team members, and manage project revisions.

Can the Game Engine’s Performance be Improved?

Improving game engine performance involves optimizing various aspects of the Engine, including rendering, physics, scripting, asset management, and memory usage. Here are some strategies for enhancing game engine performance:

Profile and Identify Bottlenecks

Use profiling tools to identify performance bottlenecks and optimize areas of the game engine that are consuming excessive resources. Analyze CPU and GPU usage, memory allocation, draw calls, and frame rates to pinpoint areas for improvement.

Optimize Rendering Pipeline

Optimize the rendering pipeline by reducing the complexity of shaders, minimizing overdraw, and implementing efficient rendering techniques such as level of detail (LOD), occlusion culling, and frustum culling. Use GPU instancing and batching to reduce draw calls and improve rendering efficiency.

Implement Efficient Asset Loading

Optimize asset loading and streaming to minimize load times and memory usage. Use asset bundling, asynchronous loading, and resource pooling to efficiently manage assets and avoid performance spikes during gameplay.

Profile and Optimize Code

Profile and optimize game code, scripts, and logic to reduce computational overhead and improve performance. Identify and refactor inefficient algorithms, loops, and calculations to optimize CPU usage and improve frame rates.

Utilize Hardware Acceleration

Leverage hardware acceleration features such as multi-threading, SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data), and GPU compute shaders to offload processing tasks and improve performance. Utilize hardware-specific optimizations and features to maximize performance on target platforms.

By implementing these performance optimization strategies, game developers can enhance the performance and efficiency of their game engines, resulting in smoother gameplay experiences and improved overall quality.

Kevuru Games Expertise in Unreal Game Development

Kevuru Games specializes in Unreal Engine game development, leveraging the power and capabilities of Unreal Engine to create visually stunning and immersive gaming experiences. Our team of experienced developers and artists has expertise in Unreal Engine’s advanced rendering techniques, real-time visualization, and game optimization strategies.

We offer a comprehensive range of Unreal Engine game development company services and Unity game development services including:

• Game design and prototyping
• 3D modeling and animation
• Level design and environment creation
• Gameplay programming and scripting
• VR/AR development
• Multiplayer and network programming
• Optimization and performance tuning
• Post-launch support and updates

With a proven track record of delivering high-quality Unreal Engine projects across various genres and platforms. You can hire Unreal Engine developer from Kevuru Games as your trusted partner for Unreal Engine game development. Whether you’re a indie developer, established studio, or enterprise client, we’re committed to bringing your vision to life and creating unforgettable gaming experiences that engage and captivate players.

Wrapping Up: What Engine Drives You Today?

We have provided you with information about the 5 most popular game engines most commonly used to create notable projects. Of course, there are many other options, such as GameMaker Studio or Phaser, used to create simple 2D games. But they’re not the type to steal the show in the gaming market and are used quite rarely and situationally.

So how to choose a game engine? We still say that everything depends on your needs and goals. Each engine has strengths and weaknesses, as well as optimal areas of application − Unreal for AAA games, Unity for beautiful 2D and 3D metroidvanias and platformers, etc. But the main thing is that all of them are relevant at the moment and continue to develop actively.

If you are in doubt about which engine will suit your project more, we suggest discussing it with us. Our developers work mainly with Unity and Unreal, but since they are proficient in C, C++, and C# programming languages, they are automatically aware of absolutely any engine written on them. We will carefully study the requirements for your project or determine them ourselves based on your concept, and select the most suitable engine.

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This technique increases engagement and brand loyalty. Both large industries with solid marketing budgets and small companies want to gamify their product and thereby distinguish their brand, stand out in a highly competitive environment and, of course, increase profits.

Why It’s Not Just a Game. Definition of Gamification

According to Gartner, an American research and consulting company that specializes in information technology markets,

Gamification is the use of game mechanics to stimulate participation in non-game business scenarios and change the behavior of target audiences.

In simple terms, gamification is about adding game elements to a non-game context.

Let’s take a look at the Google Trends chart for gamification. It has a steady success since 2021, going from 0 in 2008.

From timid attempts to research the topic in 2009 to a consistently high level of interest in recent years, gamification has firmly established itself in the market as an innovative practice that shows amazing results in the right hands. The reason is simple – people love games. Gamification touches upon the basic human need for self-realization. At the same time, the game engages, immersing a person in the game universe and giving an incentive to return to it again and again.

Points, badges, levels, progress bars, and awards are some of the most popular components of gamification.

Integrating game mechanics into business processes, marketing campaigns, websites, apps, online communities, or school classes and college courses has proven to be an effective and fun way to encourage engagement of the target audience. But despite the terminology, gamification of business processes is not just a game transferred to a slightly different environment.

The goal of gamification is to find fun, engaging, stimulating, and self-sufficient ways to shape the desired user behavior. There must be a real value behind the fun.

Why You Should Use Gamification?

According to a report by Precedence Research, gamification market size was $16.29 billion in 2024, and a rise to $190.87 billion is predicted by 2034, with a CAGR of 27.90%.

When it comes to marketing, which is often inextricably linked to gamification, it is true that many modern companies gamify their marketing activities to achieve customer acquisition and retention goals. Let’s look at a few companies that are a bright gamification-as-in-games examples.

Look at Myntra, an Indian online fashion retailer, one of the best gamification examples. Back in 2019, the company gamified its app to increase brand awareness and sales. The app allows users to play games in exchange for points and rewards. It also provides information on current fashion trends in the market. As a result, this approach attracted significant traffic to the application. During the campaign, more than 650,000 users interacted with the platform. In 2021, Myntra continued to use gamified mega-marketing campaigns to reach another 250 million customers.

But the effective use of the game component is not limited to gamification digital marketing examples only. Gamification can help cope with the physical to digital transition, keep staff motivated, and increase employee productivity. Many companies are great gamified learning examples as they implement a variety of practices to keep employees and customers engaged.

FreshDesk is one of the successful gamification examples. They provide a cloud-based support platform serving over 40,000 customers. In 2012, FreshDesk used gamification to engage its customers in their daily tasks. In turn, this increased the productivity of the team, which resulted in a 1000% increase in revenue in the first year after launch.

Who is the Target Audience of Gamified Products?

According to Kevin Werbach’s and Dan Hunter’s book For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize your Business, there are three main types of applied gamification:

1. Internal gamification targeted at company employees.
2. External gamification targeted at company’s customers.
3. Behavior-changing gamification that can target both employees and customers.

Internal gamification can be used in a variety of ways: to increase production and efficiency, improve internal processes, etc. Gamification brings pleasure to traditional workflows to ultimately generate intrinsic motivation. There are many gamification examples in learning that cover different ways to create employee training programs and increase employee engagement.

One of the best internal gamification examples in the enterprise is Deloitte, whose goal was to encourage consultants around the world to share valuable knowledge on their social intranet powered by a proprietary mobile application. By combining its internal Who What Where geolocation service with a mobile solution developed by technology company Badgeville, Deloitte created a reward system that recorded each consultant’s check-in, providing information on who they met, what they discussed, and where the meeting took place. For each valid check-in, consultants receive remuneration and status in accordance with a certain experience.

External gamification uses the same basic principles as internal gamification but focuses on the outside of the enterprise, that is, the customers. Typical applications are in marketing: increasing brand loyalty, boosting sales, attracting new customers and retaining old ones, and so on.

A successful external gamification example is Fitocracy. Fitocracy users enter their workout programs on the company’s website through the in-game app and earn points and new levels based on specific achievements, which are structured to provide equal motivation to all users, regardless of their current fitness state. This was done using one of the most powerful gamification tools – social communities.
In the Fitocracy community, users can share experiences, change workout schedules, and then set tasks and assignments that lead to rewards – better fitness on the one hand, and social recognition and status on the other. But instead of trying to build a community around the product, Fitocracy’s creators built the community around the workout experience itself, allowing users to play an active role rather than just being Fitocracy app buyers. As a result, Fitocracy has built a base of over a million users around the world.

The popularity of gamification in a wide variety of industries will continue to grow. These include IT, banking, the public sector, and even the military. Notably, the ongoing boom in the IT sector in the next few years will lead to an expansion of gamification throughout the industry. For example, IT companies will gamify large-scale recruiting activities to streamline the job application process. Recruiters will conduct virtual screenings and assessment tests to filter and select candidates.

The US Army has launched a gaming platform to support its operations. Specifically, applicants can test their skills and see if they have what it takes to become a soldier. Driving simulators for various military and civil vehicles have long been shown to be effective.

Key Principles of Gamification

There are many principles of gamification that are prioritized based on its target audience. But in general, one can single out key positions that will almost always be relevant for any gamification cases:

1. Motivation. A person will not get involved in gamification initiatives if the game does not imply some adequate reward in the event of a successful gaming session. It is important to skillfully combine virtual rewards, such as the name of the person at the top of the leaderboard, and material incentives that vary depending on the type of gamification (bonus or extra day off for an employee, discount or physical bonus for a client).
2. Evolution. After the main game cycle is determined, and users understands what is required of them in the game, you cannot keep them at the same level for a long time. As the skill of users grows, they must begin to face difficulties, overcoming which will help they to better understand and record their progress. At the same time, rewards also evolve – the more effort users put in to complete the abstract “level”, the more valuable their reward should be.
3. Limited resources. Many mobile games have currency or resources that players use to try to build the best base, city or village. By deciding how to spend these limited resources, they gain a sense of autonomy, authority, and achievement. An example is the dating app Tinder, where players get a limited number of super likes per day.
4. A sense of ownership. If players can personalize something, then they will be more interested in the product as a whole. You need to give users something that they will love and appreciate, so that they have a better chance of staying with your product, and not going to a competitor. Examples of gamification include player avatars on the popular Bitmoji app or the Mayor status on Foursquare.
5. Social integration. It’s not just adding a social feature to the app that matters, but rather making it a core part of a larger experience, showing off your status and accomplishments to other people. MyFitnessPal and Strava have incorporated social media into their apps. By allowing users to share runs, personal bests, and compete for best times on various tracks around the world, Strava has become one of the most successful fitness apps to date.

Gamification in Business: Examples of Famous Brands

The introduction of gamification by the world’s most popular brands is always the most striking and impressive example, attracting the most attention. Let’s take a look at a few gamification cases from well-known companies.

The Example of Social Gamification

Foursquare

Foursquare is a great example of social gamification. By checking in somewhere, you get points. By registering at a previously unvisited location, you will receive even more points. You can then compare the number of points you have earned on the leaderboard with your friends. You can also earn badges for completing special activities such as a check-in on a boat or check-in with more than 50 people in one location.

If you check in at a location more often than anyone else, you become the “Foursquare Mayor” of that location. Many cafes around the world offer “mayors” certain compliments in the form of free coffee, snacks, or discounts. This user experience is particularly game-like and has generated a lot of excitement among users. Foursquare has become a popular example of an app that increases user engagement through the gamification of its loyalty program.

As a result. By incorporating gamification into its mobile app, Foursquare has grown 10x in five years.

The Example of Gamification in E-learning

Duolingo

One of the best gamification elearning examples is Duolingo. The Duolingo language learning platform has set itself the goal of making learning not only fun but even addictive. The company’s product managers believe that gamification helps users develop everyday learning habits that are critical to the app’s popularity. Almost the entire app is designed as a game – a holistic approach to making language learning fun.

Of the individual gamification features of Duolingo, we can highlight the experience points gained by students after completing lessons or practice sessions; levels that are unlocked upon reaching a certain threshold of experience or the number of words learned; as well as lingots – in-game currency earned by players for the implementation of various goals with the ability to spend it on new lessons, bonuses and even new virtual clothes for the Duo owl, the main mascot of the application and a learning assistant.

As a result. The Duolingo platform, which uses gamification to teach languages ​​to users through mobile devices, has grown its user base to over 575 million.

Example of Gamification in Training

Autodesk

Autodesk software company specializing in 3D modeling, design and entertainment applications found that users who used the app at least three times during the trial were more likely to turn into customers. Then the company decided to find a way to increase the conversion rate of the trial – using gamification to create engaging tutorials and reward users. Users moved up the leaderboard as they earned points in the virtual “missions” of the online game Undiscovered Territory. For their efforts, top users received a reward.

At the same time, the company hooked up a social influencer by connecting users to their social media and community platforms, including YouTube and Facebook. The competitive spirit and the drive to share successes with friends increased not only engagement but also the income from each trial. So Autodesk became one of the iconic gamification examples in training.

As a result. Autodesk leveraged gamification to increase conversion rates by 15% and revenue from each trial by 29%.

Content Gamification Example

Starbucks

With a focus on employee motivation and customer loyalty, Starbucks launched the My Starbuck Rewards program. It uses gamification techniques to increase customer engagement and retention. Members can earn points or stars for every purchase and redeem them for certain items, free food and drinks. The more stars, the higher the status of customers, which, in turn, opens up privileges for them such as free drinks on their birthday or free coffee refills. The higher the status, the more benefits and privileges.

It is this system that fosters Starbucks customer loyalty. This gives them a sense of achievement and reinforces their desire to continue to connect with the brand.

As a result. After deploying the Starbucks Rewards app, Starbucks’ revenue increased $2.65 billion and the membership program attracted 25% more loyal customers.

Starbucks also collaborated with games like Pokémon Go to increase sales and attract customers. Read more about this case in our article on Pokémon Go monetizing strategies.

How the Gamification Boom Is Affecting the Gaming Industry

Game art and game development studios take on new challenges with great enthusiasm and are ready to offer clients a wide variety of ideas according to their needs. And the latter have really grown, become larger and more interesting. Gamification in the gaming industry is becoming a separate area of ​​services. Here it is very important to fully immerse oneself in the business and values ​​of clients in order to develop a product for them that will be interesting and in demand by their target audience.

In 2020, gamification took on a second wind. If, before the start of the pandemic, its implementation in various types of businesses could be postponed due to more pressing issues and needs, then when all physical social contacts ceased, the virtual environment demonstrated its full power. Large companies that managed to gamify their business were one step ahead with the ability to connect with their customers remotely and involve them in their new initiatives in a playful way. The same went for small and medium-sized organizations – those who had already gamified their website or application were able to differentiate themselves from competitors and provide their users with the much-desired and addictive gaming interaction.

Recently, many companies contacted us with a request to develop gamified apps for their projects. In the second year of quarantine, the number of applications increased by 15-20%.

Gamification Cases from Kevuru Games

If you keep track of what requests have come and continue to come, you can once again see that gamification is becoming a necessity for absolutely any business area: from sales to sports and education. For example, here are some of the most interesting queries that Kevuru Games have worked with:

1. Sports sphere. Creation of a wakesurfing simulator – riding a board behind a towing boat. The client wanted a simulation application that could be used at various exhibitions and events to demonstrate to people the basics and specifics of this sport without having to leave the land.
2. Education sphere. Development of a virtual application for a higher educational institution. Due to the pandemic, the organization could not hold an open day and introduce those who wish to all of its educational opportunities. The goal of the gamified product was to attract the attention of students and demonstrate not just dry facts, but the entire atmosphere of the learning environment, its unique capabilities, as well as the introduction of an interactive chat with the teaching staff.
3. Retail industry. A game project for a large retail chain, in which a person came into contact with all the company’s offers. Using the application, users could develop their virtual store, transferring all the capabilities of the real network to the online world. The main goal of such a product was to attract more people to stores and strengthen their connection with the brand.
4. Oil industry. A large company in the oil industry wanted to increase the involvement of its employees by introducing elements of gamification into the corporate training system. This way, employees would not read lengthy documentation and immerse themselves in numerous presentations.
5. Dating sphere. The dating app owner wanted to implement video game mechanics so that people can get to know each other while playing. Thus, it was possible to bypass competitors – large promoted dating applications.

Like any project, a gamified product takes a certain amount of time to evaluate, develop, and release. And the more complex the application, the more time it takes. But already now, Kevuru Games has a pool of completed gamified projects that have really become very successful and in demand. These include gamification elearning examples, onboarding gamification examples, and content gamification examples.

One of those that we can name according to the NDA is, for example, the PureStream trading simulator.

This gamification project was to create a trading simulator where people could practice and observe the results of their actions before starting the actual trading. This simulator modernizes the price and liquidity discovery process using open liquidity transfer rates similar to the protocols used in data networks. This way traders get better liquidity, correct prioritization and logical order matching based on their relevance. PureStream pulls market price and volume data through a consolidated feed. As a result, traders have the same picture as in the case of real trading, but all this happens in a playful way and does not bear any financial risks.

How Much Does It Cost to Gamify Your Project?

It is difficult to name the exact cost of gamification of the product – the number of factors influencing the final price is too large, and the scope of ideas potentially possible for implementation is too diverse.

However, if we take some abstract average project and assume that a team of 5 people (art director, game designer, artist, animator, tester) will work on it for 1-3 months, then we can talk about amounts from $30,000.

Naturally, if a project requires more specialists and more time, let’s say, a year, then we will talk about hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Wrapping Up

We have reviewed the best gamification examples that prove its effectiveness. Investing in gamification is not a risky adventure or a waste. Examples of large and small companies around the world have shown that such investments have a high ROI and, depending on the purpose and focus of gamification, return after a year or two. Companies get more inspired and motivated employees in the case of internal gamification, and engaged, loyal customers in the case of external gamification. Gamification strategy is the future. And if you clearly understand and accept this, then the market advantage will definitely be on your side.

Do not hesitate to contact Kevuru Games for gamification services – we are ready to offer you a full-cycle gamification service for your product from scratch completely on our side or in cooperation with you, as well as individual services for creating specific art elements, writing a game design document, or testing the finished product.

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As you’ve already understood, the hot topic of our today’s conversation is the confrontation between mobile vs PC games. So let’s dive in.

Mobile vs PC. Which Is the Better Platform for Gamers?

At first glance, it would seem, why try to compare the incomparable? PC and mobile games require a completely different approach, from controls and graphics to optimization and UX/UI. However, the debate of pc vs console vs mobile is more relevant than ever, with mobile games not only dominating the gaming market but also outpacing PCs and consoles combined in revenue. Here is how the distribution of gaming market by platform looks like now.

Let’s objectively evaluate PC and mobile games from the point of view of the average gamer.

Be that as it may, mobile games cannot completely replace PC games.

The mobile processor and screen are powerless to showcase the latest graphics and 4K resolution in AAA games. Playing Metro: Exodus or The Witcher on a smartphone is out of the question – none of the existing ones at the moment have enough power for this. Therefore, the very concept of PC versus mobile gaming is inappropriate. Each of these areas has its own niche, accessible only to one of them.

Developers have long documented the promise of a cross-platform approach. This allows you to cover a large part of the audience of players. A prime example is Fortnite, available for mobile, PC, and consoles. This is not only a multiplayer game, but also a full-fledged universe constantly updated with new events and skins.

We also had a hand in increasing the popularity of Fortnite – you can learn more about it in our case study, or just enjoy a few skins concepts we created.

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Development Cost

More often than not, developing a mobile game is cheaper than developing an entertainment product for a PC. But in the light of modern realities, this statement is rather ambiguous.

How much does it cost to make a video game for PC and mobile game development cost always depends on many factors. The scale of the idea, the size of the team, and the technologies used are just some of the aspects that will shape the price.

For example, the famous hyper casual game Angry Birds cost Rovio $140,000 to develop, although it would seem that games of this direction should have a much smaller budget. At the same time, the indie PC game Night in the Woods, conceived by two people, raised $200,000 on the crowdfunding platform, although the guys were asking for only $50,000. Crowdfunding makes game creation more accessible even for a single developer and greatly equalizes mobile vs PC development options.

Dive Deeper:
✔ Mobile Game Development Cost: Factors Influencing Price and Clear Estimates

The huge range of possible prices for mobile gaming vs PC game development often confuses and makes budgeting difficult. And while your competitors are groping, you can get a full calculation of your game and find out the purpose of every dollar spent. Tell us about your project and we will give you clear budget guidelines, detailing each expense item.

FIND OUT WHICH ENGINE IS BEST FOR YOUR FUTURE GAME AND ARM YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS TO SUCCEED

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Just a Minute for Statistics

Let’s back up our reasoning with mobile gaming vs PC gaming statistics. Newzoo claims there are now 2.67 billion mobile gamers worldwide. And DFC Intelligence adds that the number of PC gamers is approximately 1 billion.

Now let’s move on to mobile games vs PC games revenue. In 2024, revenue from the global PC games market was estimated at nearly $40 billion, while the mobile games market generated a revenue of over $92 billion. But in which year did mobile games overtake console games in terms of revenue? That milestone was reached in 2015, when the rapid growth of smartphones and mobile gaming ecosystems pushed mobile revenue past console gaming for the first time. Soon after, in 2018, mobile games surpassed the combined revenue of console and PC games.

If we consider the full picture of mobile vs PC vs console statistics, then we must also mention that the consoles segment came in second with $51 billion. What is important now is that the first generation of gamers has already grown up and has significant purchasing power.

The gaming market is projected to reach $211 billion by 2025. Already, mobile games bring in more than 60% of the income of the global video game market.

The size of the global mobile games market was estimated is expected to reach $214.61 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of over 11.88%.

Best Games 2024: Which Platform Give a Taste of Its Quality

Every year, everyone in the gaming industry looks forward to The Game Awards, an awards ceremony that celebrates achievements in the video game industry. The last one took place on December 12, 2024, and highlighted the most notable games of the past year.

Astro Bot by the Japanese company Team Asobi became the Best Game of the Year. This action role-playing game has also garnered several awards in other nominations: Best Game Direction, Best Action / Adventure Game, and Best Family Game

It is important to note that the number of games released each year for PC and consoles is about the same. And despite the fact that the console market often generates exclusives that are not available on other platforms, we remember that the console segment’s revenue is second only to mobile and significantly exceeds PC revenue.

Therefore, when talking about the gaming triumvirate mobile vs console vs PC in terms of return on development resources, it is safe to say that with the right skills and deep knowledge of the industry, you can succeed in any of the areas. For instance, the game AstroBot is available only on PlayStation, yet it won the top award among games available on many platforms.

No less interesting is the ranking of the best games of 2024 from the largest review website Metacritic. It was compiled based on the best average scores. And here we have the following picture.

The Best Mobile Game of 2024 according to The Game Awards is Balatro, a poker-themed deck-building game developed by LocalThunk.

However, the Players’ Voice fell on another game – Black Myth: Wukong, which also gained the Best Action Game award. This is an action role-playing game by Game Science.

Mobile games have many limitations that prevent them from competing with big-screen games on par. Yet they are very efficient in generating revenue, which is why the biggest franchises do their best to be present on as many platforms as possible.

Expectations From the Gaming Industry

As part of the conversation about how to make a mobile game and PC gaming, we can highlight several key expectations that have already largely been translated into reality:

1. Cross-Platform Gaming Dominance. The lines between mobile and PC gaming are blurring as cross-platform functionality becomes a new standard for big titles, set by games like Genshin Impact and Fortnite.
2. Mobile’s Move Toward AAA Experiences. Mobile gaming is rapidly catching up with PC in terms of production quality. Now, mobile can deliver premium graphics, complex mechanics, and rich storytelling once thought exclusive to PCs and consoles. Mobile-first AAA experiences are becoming increasingly common.
3. Cloud Gaming Driving Accessibility. Cloud gaming is becoming a game-changer for both platforms. Mobile devices can now stream high-quality PC games, which also allows the latter to tap into mobile’s massive audience base.

Mobile devices are expected to increase in performance and power, which will allow them to support even more advanced games. However, even with the progressive cross-platform trend, PC and mobile niches will remain largely separate, with their audience and specificity. They have their aces up their sleeves, and the game parties do not overlap. So there will be no winner in the mobile vs PC confrontation. There is simply no point in fighting. 

As for the details about future changes and innovations in the industry, we have everything covered. You can see more technological, social, format, and genre trends common to all gaming directions in our game design special research.

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Final Note

Mobile game development services and mobile game testing services is a very promising area that is often used by resourceful developers to enter the market. Creating a mobile game often requires far less resources and time than developing a PC version. But at the same time, we must remember that there are many enterprising people. The mobile market is incredibly competitive, and the audience of players has long been fed up with monotonous mediocre products.

PC games require a more advanced approach. Even though indie game definition do not slow down and even one person can make their game, only a few achieve outstanding results. Therefore, the creation of high-budget games, to a certain extent, is even more justified in terms of the likelihood of making a profit.

Outsourcing has become the most popular way to create mobile and PC gaming products. With its help, both individual developers and large companies can delegate many tasks to professional teams and thereby significantly save time and resources. Artists, modelers, and programmers at Kevuru Games are ready to take on the full cycle development of a mobile or PC game, as well as individual art or animation tasks. At the same time, you do not have to worry about quality and deadlines – over 11 years of operation, the company has ideally adjusted all work processes and developed a perfect cooperation scheme that always adapts to each client. Whether you decide to go with PC or mobile game, we’ve got you covered. Contact us and let’s bring your gaming idea to life.

The post Mobile Gaming vs PC Gaming: Overview, Prospects, and Best PC and Mobile Games of 2024 appeared first on Kevuru Games.

• the best-selling first-person shooter game series
• the most successful video game franchise created in the United States
• the second best-selling video game franchise of all time

The game is so well made that real-life soldiers admitted they used it to improve hand-eye coordination and tactical thinking. For us as a game dev company, this is an exciting case in game development and monetization design.

The story of Call of Duty starts in 2003, when the first game, a first-person shooter set in World War II, was released. Since then, many have wondered, how much money has Call of Duty made over the years? We’re here to tell you all that is known about the game financial side.

A Brief Overview of Call of Duty Franchise

History and Evolution of Call of Duty

The first episode, called simply Call of Duty, was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game was a massive success, praised by critics and players. It scored 91 on Metacritic and won Game of the Year at the 2004 Interactive Achievement Awards.

Since then, new titles have been released regularly. Looking back at over 30 titles that appeared in the last 20 years, we can trace Call of Duty’s curious evolution. First editions followed the World War II theme and later moved to modern-time war conflicts (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2007), futuristic settings (Black Ops II and Ghosts, 2012 and 2013), and Cold War era (Black Ops Cold War (2020).

With every new edition, the games developed cinematic storytelling. Inspired by popular war movies, the creators of Call of Duty tried to make the gaming experience similar to the film, and with advances in technology, this became increasingly prominent. Black Ops II introduced branching storylines with multiple endings affected by player choices to the franchise.

From 2007 on, Call of Duty advanced the multiplayer mode. Black Ops 4, released in 2018, was so focused on multiplayer that it removed the single-player campaign. That edition introduced Blackout, the series’ first battle royale mode.

The first free-to-play game in the series was Call of Duty Online, released exclusively in China in 2015. In other countries, CoD wasn’t free until 2020, when Call of Duty: Warzone appeared and became one of the most popular battle royale games of the time.

As with every big franchise, Call of Duty has more and less successful titles. The developers are not afraid to experiment with different aspects of the game while maintaining a consistent trademark of the series and committing to delivering top-quality results.

Key Titles and Their Impact on Revenue

The very first edition of Call of Duty, released in 2003, was a commercial success, with 4,5 million copies sold, but new records were set regularly in the franchise. Nowadays, since the revenue comes not just from direct sales but from other sources, it’s hard to have precise data in dollars, so let’s look at the number of copies sold.

The 2010 Call of Duty: Black Ops has sold over 31 million copies. It was the first edition set in the Cold War era and the first to introduce a zombie game mode (cooperative survival mode).

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Black Ops Cold War (2020), and Modern Warfare (2019), a reboot of the Modern Warfare series, are three games that have sold over 30 million copies each. 

The last episode of Call of Duty, Black Ops 6, released in October 2024, was named the biggest Call of Duty release ever by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. It set a record for day one players and Game Pass subscriber adds on launch day. It performed over 60% better in sales than the previous year’s release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

With new complex payment systems, like subscriptions and passes, sales are not as easy to count as they used to be, but the fact that Call of Duty manages to stay on top of the charts after more than 20 years of presence and surprise players with its new release in 2024 is clear.

How Much Money Does Call of Duty Make?

In 2022, it was announced that CoD revenue had surpassed $30 billion since 2003. In October 2024, Activision Blizzard reported that the Call of Duty series had sold 500 million copies. Based on this and the reported success of the latest episode, we can estimate that by 2024, the franchise has generated no less than $33 billion in revenue.

Here is data on revenue generated by the mobile version of the game. The numbers fluctuate month by month, but there is no general tendency to decline or strong growth.

However, if we look at the monthly downloads from 2019 to 2024, 2019 had a significantly bigger number than 2023 and 2024. The number of downloads isn’t necessarily directly related to revenue, as Call of Duty: Mobile is free to play.

Revenue Streams for Call of Duty

Direct Game Sales

When the game was launched in 2003, direct sales became a core driver of Call of Duty revenue. Despite changes in monetization trends throughout the years, the game’s new releases have always sold well. In 2019, the new title Modern Warfare brought over $600 million in revenue in the first three days after release.

The price of the Call of Duty edition ranges from $60 to $100. For dedicated fans, Collector’s editions are sold, including extras like bonus maps, collectibles, or in-game content.

In-game Purchases

In-game currency, COD Points, was first introduced in 2010 in Call of Duty: Black Ops, but it wasn’t tied to real-world money then. In 2012, Black Ops II introduced microtransactions, which allowed players to buy personalization packs, maps, weapons, and other downloadable content.

The selection of things that could be purchased through microtransactions became bigger in 2014, when “Supply Drops,” a.k.a loot boxes, were introduced. These were sets of random items that players bought without knowing what they would get inside. In 2015, Black Ops III made Supply Drops central to progression, including rare and powerful weapons that could only be obtained through loot boxes.

In the following years, these items became increasingly important in the gameplay, which caused a lot of criticism. People felt that the system was shifting to pay-to-win, a strategy that wasn’t appreciated by many fans. What’s more, Supply Drops even were prohibited in some countries like Belgium and the Netherlands because they were similar to gambling.

As a result, Call of Duty stopped using Supply Drops, although they were making a lot of profit. Yet in-game purchases account for a big part of the game revenue, even without the loot boxes. In October 2024, the title generated approximately 22.65 million U.S. dollars in in-app purchases, contributing significantly to the Call of Duty annual revenue. Since its release, the mobile version has earned an estimated $1,7 billion through in-app purchases.

Battle Pass System

When Fortnite and Dota2 proved the success of battle passes, Call of Duty quickly caught up. In 2019, they introduced the novelty with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. By purchasing the pass, players gain access to a set of items that are unlocked progressively through gameplay, adding a sense of achievement. Instead of simply buying items outright, the system offers players an engaging way to earn rewards, keeping them invested in the game.

Esports

In 2013, Activision, in collaboration with Xbox, hosted the first official global Call of Duty esports tournament, Call of Duty Championship, which had a total prize pool of $1 million and established Call of Duty as a competitive sport. In 2015 the Call of Duty World League (CWL) was created.

The modern version of CWL is called Call of Duty League, or CDL. Launched in 2020, the League had buy-in fees of about $25 million per team. Teams representing big cities play in 5v5 multiplayer mode. CDL follows a seasonal structure connected with many online and offline events.

However, in 2024, they decided to change the politics, canceled the fees, and introduced a two-year minimum revenue guarantee for the teams, thus providing more support and building a basis for a strong eSports league.

The growing CDL helps increase the franchise’s earnings. eSports events bring additional revenue from sponsorships, media rights, merchandise sales, ticket sales, and online streams.

Advertising and Sponsorships

Call of Duty started its history of big brand partnerships in 2009 when Modern Warfare 2 introduced promotional campaigns with Mountain Dew and Doritos offering promotional codes on their products.

Later, with the diversification of revenue streams, new partnership opportunities were opened. With the growth of microtransactions, bundles of downloadable content were created as crossovers with brands like Attack on Titan and Terminator. eSports events always attract big corporate sponsors. Call of Duty League was sponsored by Mountain Dew, Game Fuel, and Scuf Gaming.

Factors Contributing to Call of Duty’s Financial Success

Regular Updates and New Content

When many game series release new add-ons and packs every month, and others work for a decade to release a new masterpiece bestseller, Call of Duty has found a golden middle that works just fine. They keep their releases timely and accurate every year. With such a schedule, they can afford the risk of some episodes that don’t succeed and recover the following year. At the same time, seasonal packs and special DLC items are added throughout the year to support the subscription system.

Launched in 2003, Call of Duty hasn’t missed a year without release since 2005. That regularity is challenging to maintain in a turbulent gaming world, but it makes subscription revenue work well. When people know there will be a big release once a year, they know it’s worth paying regularly.

Regular updates and new content have kept the player base engaged. This strategic approach to releases maintains player interest and ensures that Call of Duty’s profit remains robust, even in a highly competitive market.

Diversity of modes

Like many best-selling titles, Call of Duty embraced the multiplayer experience and leveraged it to the fullest. There is also a battle royale and zombies mode, with a strong sub-community. For those who prefer single-player campaigns, Call of Duty is a great option, too. Cross-platform availability adds to the versatility of the game.

Community and eSports

Like all long-playing franchises, the game has a big fanbase of people who would buy every new release as well as subscriptions and merchandise. The Call of Duty team fosters community-building by integrating voice chats, Discord, friends lists, and other elements into the gameplay. There are many events that cement the community, such as in-game live events, double XP weekends, and special challenges.

Call of Duty League is also a strong boost to the community. Since its establishment in 2020, CDL hasn’t yet grown to millions of viewers like other eSports events. Yet, it has a solid fanbase and sets a place for CoD in the serious world of eSports.

Want to Develop a Game Like Call of Duty?

The secret to Call of Duty’s success is hard work and top-quality results. That’s why you need not only a professional and innovative team but also a dedicated one that can deliver results on time. At Kevuru, we have experience working with major AAA titles like Fortnite and Star Wars. Our 3D artists can create game art in a cinematic style like modern Call of Duty. Here is an example from our portfolio.

Contact us if you’re looking for a team of experienced professionals who can apply the latest innovations to the product and deliver the project on time.

Summary

Call of Duty didn’t get so big by inventing a new genre, revolutionary monetization system, or some groundbreaking innovation. The most important secret of their success is that they release top-quality games and do it regularly. Along with this, they are open to new trends in gaming and adopt them when they have proved to be efficient, as with the multiplayer mode or subscription system.

That’s why Call of Duty’s path of success is open to everyone willing to work hard and keep their standards high consistently. This strategy fits perfectly with Kevuru Games’ values. If you feel this way, too, learn more about our company, and let’s see if we match.

The post How Does Call of Duty Make Money? Exploring Its Revenue Streams appeared first on Kevuru Games.

Minecraft revenue streams

Minecraft is not a free game, although, like many popular games, it doesn’t limit its revenue streams to just direct one-time purchases. A lot of their income comes from DLC (downloadable content) sales, subscriptions, licensing, and merchandising.

The in-game currency is called Minecoins, and it is used to buy cosmetic items in the marketplace — skins, textures, and worlds. Part of these items are produced by Mojang studios, Minecraft’s developer, and include mash-up packs, worlds, and adventures, such as Minecraft x Sonic the Hedgehog adventure, Minecraft x Super Mario Mash-Up, or Simpsons World.

The marketplace also includes items created by players: custom skins, textures, adventure maps, pre-built worlds, minigames, and resource packs. That way, creators can earn money on Minecraft, and the company takes a percentage of these transactions. Mojang motivates people to sell their creations through the Marketplace Partner Program. There are even small studios that specialize in Minecraft content creation.

Another revenue stream of Minecraft is eSubscriptions. Minecraft Realms is a subscription service that allows players to host private servers for multiplayer gameplay. For $7.99/month, ten players can play together.

An original subscription service is Minecraft Education Edition. It is licensed to schools and educational institutions that use the game for teaching purposes. Imagine learning the history of Ancient Egypt while building pyramids in Minecraft. At the same time, teamwork skills and creativity can be trained. Minecraft’s learning potential spans every subject, and the potential is endless—limited only by the imagination of the teachers.

Minecraft Education. Image source: the74million.org

Thanks to its solid and recognizable brand, Minecraft earns the bulk of its income through licensing and merchandising. Minecraft Lego sets are massively popular, but there is a wide variety of themed products, such as a cookbook or Minecraft Creeper Crunch Cereal. The game occupies many unexpected niches: Minecraft: The Movie is currently in production.

Minecraft has also demonstrated profitability as a freemium model. The Chinese edition of the game is run on separate servers and includes censorship to comply with state regulations. Minecraft China is free to play and makes money solely on in-game purchases, subscriptions, collaborations, and merchandise.

How Many People Play Minecraft?

At any given time, from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 people play Minecraft, according to Activeplayer count. The game’s popularity has risen during the pandemic, but the number of players remains almost the same now. Here is the Minecraft popularity chart.

As of May 2024, Minecraft had generated approximately 4.7 billion cumulative hours watched across live-streaming platforms. In November 2024, people watched Minecraft streams on Twitch for over 37 thousand hours.

What Makes Minecraft So Popular?

Every time a simple pixelated game takes over gamers’ minds in the world of hyperrealistic 3D graphics, people are truly amazed. Minecraft is one of those singular games that became a cultural phenomenon. So, what are the elements that build its popularity?

First of all, there is endless creative freedom. Minecraft is a sandbox open-world game with no specific goals. Players can do what they please, and each one will have a unique experience due to procedurally generated worlds. The creative mode of the game allows people to create absolutely anything.

However, for those who like more challenging gaming experiences, advanced mechanics exist, including survival challenges and modding. The game can be played in so many ways that it adapts to everyone. 

Simple, intuitive mechanics make Minecraft accessible to all ages and gaming skill levels. Low system requirements and affordable prices make it more accessible than many other popular games. The game age limit is 7+, and many people start playing at a very young age.

A strong community keeps players engaged for a long time, as the game’s social elements are developed very well. Minecraft communities on Reddit or Twitch are huge.

The game allows players to earn money if they are willing to sell their creations. Although it doesn’t appeal to every player, it becomes a strong motivation for some, even if they don’t make as much as expected.

How Many Downloads Does Minecraft Have?

Although we don’t have recent data on the total number of downloads across all devices, here are some numbers to get an idea of the scale. On the App Store, the game was downloaded over 50 million times, and Minecraft China was downloaded over 500 million times.

Daily and Monthly Player Counts

On November 28th, 1,357,664 people played Minecraft. With over 188 million monthly active users, Minecraft statistics reveal the sheer scale of the game’s player base.

Player Demographics: Who Plays Minecraft?

54% of Minecraft players identify as male, while 32% identify as female. The majority of Minecraft players (43%) are between the ages of 15 and 21, although many are younger than 15. The data is taken from users at registration, and there is no verification. Here is a chart showing the age and gender distribution of Minecraft players.

Minecraft Sales and Revenue

How Many Copies of Minecraft Have Been Sold?

The exact number of copies sold by 2025 is unknown, but in 2023, Minecraft announced that it had sold over 300 million copies, making it the second best-selling video game in the world. The only one that sold even more copies is Tetris, and since many people consider Tetris to be a series of games rather than a single game, Minecraft could also be the absolute best-seller.

Minecraft’s Total Revenue: How Much Money Has Minecraft Made?

Total revenue data is not disclosed yearly, but here are some numbers that provide insight into how much has Minecraft made in total, giving a glimpse into its financial success.

Here is data on mobile sales. As many games, Minecraft’s sales peaked during the lockdown in 2020 and 2021 and later got back to pre-pandemic levels.

In 2014, Microsoft bought Mojang Studios for $2.5 billion, reflecting the immense Minecraft value as a gaming franchise. When discussing how much has Minecraft made, estimates suggest that its revenue over the last 10 years exceeds 3 billion USD, though precise figures are not available. Yet this doesn’t give us a clear idea of the deal’s profitability since we don’t know the expenses.

According to different sources, Minecraft’s net worth is estimated at $4 billion or $10 billion. The acquisition was well worth it.

Want to Develop a Game Like Minecraft?

Like many top games, although the initial game looks simple, all that has grown around it makes it a massive enterprise with hundreds of employees. However, if you want to build a sandbox game from scratch, you can do it with a relatively small team of game designers, developers, artists, QA testers, and project managers.

If you want to hire a studio, look for those providing full-cycle game development services and check their portfolios for interesting projects. At Kevuru, we have extensive expertise working with video games of all sizes, from hypercasual to AAA titles and world multiplayer best-sellers like Fortnite. Contact us, and you will be one step closer to starting to develop your dream game.

Minecraft cost around $250,000 to develop in 2009-2011, but similar sandbox games released later were way more expensive in development. For instance, Valheim was estimated to cost $1-2 million (developed by an indie team), while No Man’s Sky is estimated at $2-5 million.

Summary

Minecraft’s financial success comes from its genius ability to combine simplicity with innovation. Put simply, the revenues flow naturally when you have a great game. Here are the main sources of revenue contributing to Minecraft profit:

• Game sales
• Subscriptions (private multiplayer server hosting and licensing for educational projects)
• Licensing and merchandise

If you want to learn about other popular games’ monetization strategy, be sure to check out our articles on how Candy Crush and Fortnite make money.

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