Royal Match, developed by Dream Games, has become a major player in the mobile puzzle games market. Since its launch, it has generated over $1.1 billion in revenue and amassed more than 180 million downloads, as reported by AppMagic. Impressively, both its revenue and download figures continue to climb. In August alone, it saw a peak of 17 million downloads, while July saw earnings surpassing $80 million.
According to Data.ai, Royal Match dominated the gaming landscape in Q3 of 2023, surpassing even the long-reigning Candy Crush Saga in both revenue and downloads.
A significant factor contributing to its success?
Royal Match invests heavily in player acquisition, with 61.5% of its downloads attributed to paid advertisements, a stark contrast to Candy Crush's 15.4%-25%, as revealed by SensorTower.
This analysis delves into the reasons behind Royal Match's acclaim as one of the premier mobile games, examining aspects such as game mechanics, user acquisition strategies, monetization techniques, and user retention efforts.
Breaking Down Royal Match: Essential Gameplay, Meta, and Progression Structures
Core Gameplay: Match-3
Royal Match features classic match-3 mechanics, where players align items like Books, Crowns, and Gems by swiping. Unique configurations create power-ups for quicker level completion.
Introduction:
User-Friendly Onboarding The game's tutorial simplifies objectives like clearing grass tiles, guiding players smoothly into gameplay. Completing levels efficiently maximizes rewards, offering monetization opportunities through in-game coin purchases or real-world currency.
Game Duration: Engaging in Short Bursts With levels lasting 1-5 minutes on average, Royal Match captivates players without overwhelming them, making it ideal for casual gamers.
Fresh Features: Sustain Engagement
Royal Match introduces new mechanics gradually, keeping gameplay dynamic without overwhelming players. Additionally, it provides diverse power-ups like rockets, TNT, and royal hammers for added excitement.
Hearts ❤️ Lastly, players have limited Hearts ❤️ to complete levels. Exceeding attempts requires waiting or paying to continue.
Bonus Levels
Bonus Levels in Royal Match add strategic depth. Players aim to collect coins before exhausting moves, offering further coin spending and potential monetization.
Unlocking Royal Match's Meta: Beyond Matching
Explore the layers of depth enhancing player retention, engagement, and monetization within Royal Match.
Base Building: Beyond Match 3 Puzzling Game
How a Match 3 puzzle games can be highly addictive?
Royal Match goes beyond match-3 puzzles by integrating base building. Players earn stars from completing levels to construct and decorate their castle, adding depth to the gameplay. Progressing through zones like the castle, throne room, and garden provides long-term goals. Indoor-outdoor engagement adds variety and decoration options, enhancing player interest. Royal Match introduces base construction and decoration, where players earn stars by completing match-3 levels to build and adorn their castle. This adds depth to gameplay and incentivizes continued star collection.
Progressing Through Areas
Players advance from one area to the next, such as the castle, throne room, dining room, and garden, introducing long-term goals and complexity. Royal Match features both indoor and outdoor areas, enhancing visual appeal and providing diverse decoration options.
Previewed Content: A Sneak Peek into the Future
To maintain long-term player engagement, harness the potency of foreshadowing. In Royal Match, locked yet visible upcoming areas offer a tantalizing preview of what lies ahead. This strategy keeps players curious and committed, potentially leading to in-app purchases upon unlocking these areas.
Progression Systems in Royal Match
Royal Match employs two key progression systems: a task system and a collection system. Here’s how they work and why they matter for player engagement and retention
The Task System: Guided Gameplay
To provide players with clear direction in your game, take inspiration from the task or quest system utilized in Royal Match. Here, players are presented with specific objectives, such as constructing a castle, each requiring stars for completion. These stars are earned through successful completion of match-3 levels, serving as a unique currency within the game.
What distinguishes this system is that stars cannot be purchased; they must be earned through gameplay. This design choice incentivizes players to engage with more levels in order to fulfill their tasks. Upon successfully completing all tasks within a given area, players are rewarded with an Area Chest containing a variety of valuable items including coins, boosters, and cards.
This compelling gameplay loop not only maintains player engagement but also provides a sense of progression and accomplishment. Integrating a similar system into your own game could enhance player satisfaction and encourage long-term retention.
Collection System: An Element of Surprise
Royal Match introduces a collection system at level 41, enriching progression.
Players gather cards from events or chests to complete themed sets, categorized into Silver and Gold.
Completing a set yields specific rewards, encouraging ongoing gameplay. Cards can be obtained from events like Propeller Madness and Book of Treasure, as well as Area Chests.
This strategy fosters long-term engagement, guiding new players and providing continued goals for veterans.