When releasing the Apex Legends Mobile game in Japan, EA tried to focus on developing a successful strategy.
That’s because when it comes to gaming, Japan’s strength far exceeds that of many countries in the region. Japan’s population ranks 11th in the world, but data.ai data shows that in the first half of 2022, Japan is the world’s third largest mobile game market, with user spending over 6.7 billion USD.
Although the Japanese game market is huge, it is also quite isolated because the rankings often feature more local games. This can make it difficult for games developed overseas to take the top spot.
Apex Legends Mobile proved to be a special case. Immediately after its release, the game topped the top 10 most downloaded games in Japan (iOS and Google Play) for 12 consecutive days; in the top 10 for 54 days. The game is still in the top 10 most downloaded iPhone games in the country of cherry blossoms and the US more than a month after its release.
Clearly the data.ai platform can help game publishers better understand their target audience and develop smart localization strategies. They focus on the characters and strong IP that make Apex Legends successful in Japan. The company knows how to promote and put in content based on characters / heroes that many people love, like bringing anime style to create intimacy. Japanese gamers especially like this element of this product.
EA focuses on attracting users through localized advertising and targeting the most popular platforms in Japan. The data.ai ads report drills into the details of your competitors’ app install campaigns, see what’s performing best, and track results. In the case of Apex Legends Mobile, three weeks after launch, EA’s impression share increased from 3.3% to 7.4% on YouTube and 0.33% to 3.6% on Twitter.
The advertising report gives you insight into user conversion activity to see competitors promoting app installs on major ad networks. Likewise, the company will be aware of the localization of its ads.
An advertisement for Apex Legend Mobile on Twitter highlighting the richness of character-based gameplay, using highly stylized art, has won the hearts of Japanese anime/manga fans worldwide.
EA has partnered with the Koshiya Rice Field Art Executive Committee in Koshiya, Japan to fund the creation of Bloodhound rice art. Apex Legends scores in player ratings. This can be seen in data.ai’s Time Ratings feature, which displays the app’s historical rating. In the case of Apex Legends, more than 80% of Japanese reviewers rate 5 stars on the iPhone, compared to 72% and 62% of PUBG and Knives Out respectively.
Data.ai’s rating reports over time provide users with the ability to track an app’s historical rating. Use this report to help track user perception and competitor performance. The data.ai platform provides game makers with the tools they need to realize game growth.