And we don’t do high-level at Deconstructor of Fun. Nor was it able to keep players new to MOBAs.īut that’s only the high-level picture. It wasn’t able to connect with existing MOBA audience, since that really doesn’t exist in the West.
It seems that after a roaring start the game quickly faded. Yet the installs quickly dwindled and the revenue dropped. After initial Nintendo Switch launch, the game bursted onto mobile with 30M installs in the first week. So what happened to Pokemon Unite? Pokemon Unite had a strong start. Not to mention that MOBAs are very streamable, so in addition to all the free installs, the game will also grow with support from influencers - and perhaps even esports. That’s where Pokemon IP comes in and the player research team has a field day proving that this is a sure hit! After all, it’s an IP that resonates extremely well with a global audience.Īnd while the IP is very expensive to both acquire and operate, what further supports the business case is the assumption that Pokemon games should in theory drive organic installs while offering low CPIs. So there’s a clear audience for these games and the assumption is that you’d need to make a game with lots of very familiar characters.
While it’s proven that the MOBA core has not resonated in the Western markets on mobile, both League of Legends and DOTA2 are highly popular with the PC audience in the West.