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The UK is the best country in Europe for developers looking at monetise their mobile games, but it can’t hold a micro-transaction candle to the US and Asia.
A new report from research firm App Annie took a look at the average revenue per user (ARPU) of the top 30 iPhone titles during Q2 2016, finding that Japan continues to outclass the rest of the world when it comes to monetisation.
The region achieved an indexed average ARPU of twice that of China and approximately triple that seen in the US and South Korea, with the country achieving figures more than six times higher recorded in the UK.
China does appear to be closing the gap, however, as its average ARPU has grown by nearly ten times since the beginning of 2014.
Echoing Japan’s long history in the console games market, 22 of the 30 top-earning mobile titles were RPGs, with the majority utilising the ‘gacha’ mechanic, which offers the chance of receiving a high-value in-game item in return for a real-money micro-transaction.
Game of War: Fire Age was found to be consistently popular around the world, claiming the top spot in both the US and UK, plus the fifth highest position in Japan. Another title from studio MZ (formerly Machine Zone), Mobile Strike, was also right at the top of the rankings, swiping third and second place in the US and UK, respectively.
