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To keep you informed and prepared for the upcoming week in mobile gaming, we’ve gathered the top stories you should be aware of from the past seven days.
1) Square Enix to Close Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius After Generating $900 Million in Revenue
Square Enix has announced the shutdown of the mobile game Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, nearly nine years after its release in Japan in 2015. The turn-based RPG will end its service on October 30th, 2024.
Square Enix stated that the app’s maintenance would be challenging to sustain, without providing a specific reason for the discontinuation. However, AppMagic estimates show a decline in the game’s revenue over the past few years.
2) The Challenges Faced by Kingdom Hearts: Square Enix’s Beloved Franchise Continues to Struggle
Square Enix has quietly removed Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The game is no longer available for download or search on either platform, with official website links leading to an “item not found” page.
Current players who have already downloaded the game can still access and play it. However, with no announcement from Square Enix regarding the delisting or the future of the game, many players are feeling uncertain.
3) Coin Master Achieves $6 Billion in Revenue Milestone
Coin Master has surpassed $6 billion in gross revenue since its launch in 2016, according to Sensor Tower estimates. The data also reveals that Moon Active’s social casino game has generated nearly $1.2 billion in average annual revenue since 2020.
The highest revenue contribution for Coin Master comes from the US, with American players accounting for $2.4 billion in spending, which is 38% of the total. Germany, UK, France, and Taiwan round out the top five spending regions, with India also ranking high in terms of downloads.
4) Ubisoft Stock Hits a Decade Low
Ubisoft’s shares have dropped by more than 30% since the beginning of the year, hitting their lowest point since 2014. This decline is partially attributed to the lackluster reception of Star Wars Outlaws and diminishing interest in XDefiant, resulting in a more than 10% decrease in stock price over five days.
5) Microsoft Criticizes Apple’s App Store Policies Impact on Cloud Gaming
Microsoft has criticized Apple’s technical requirements and guidelines for App Store, arguing that the 30% commission on purchases makes it challenging to monetize its cloud gaming service on the platform. Microsoft suggests that Apple’s fee is a result of limited competition in the distribution of native iOS apps, as highlighted by the CMA’s Mobile Ecosystem market study.
