September saw a significant platform evolution from Roblox and a series of notable launches and events from leading titles. User-generated content (UGC) and time-limited events are emerging as popular strategies for mobile games, while new movements from publishers are signalling shifts within key genres.
The past few months have been eventful for Roblox. By rolling out noteworthy features, including the “Moments” short-form video tool that’s proven powerful for discovery, and the Rewarded Ads feature that allows creators to have various rewarded ad placements in their games, Roblox is gaining major traction in the casual market. Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) is now allowing developers to receive the full revenue from their own in-app purchases (IAPs) for the next year, which is creating some rivalry between Roblox and UEFN in the UGC space.
The market has also seen many innovative engagement strategies materialize: a clever, limited-time gacha has driven a major revenue spike for Pokémon TCG Pocket, and Wild Rift and Free Fire saw significant success with exclusive skin gachas and a new blind box system, respectively. We also saw the merge2 genre being contested by several China-based publishers, with Century Games and Happibits achieving notable success. Quietly in the background, Nintendo shadow-dropped Fire Emblem Shadows, which is a unique mix of grid-based RPG battles and asymmetric survival gameplay. This notable yet arguably experimental entry into the mobile landscape has seen a soft performance, perhaps suggesting a proof-of-concept approach rather than a full-market release.
Check out our latest analyst bulletin below for more information about these updates and titles, as well as the latest trends in the mobile market.
September’s Casual Game Updates
It is rare to see the Roblox platform getting new features or updates, but on September 5, their own in-platform short-form video tool, “Moments”, was launched. It is functionally similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels: players can capture, edit, and share clips directly from their gameplay in Roblox. However, the key differentiator here is the “Join” button, which allows players to hop into the experience where the clip was recorded. This feature has positioned “Moments” as a potent tool for organic game discovery, effectively turning UGC into a direct user-acquisition channel. Roblox has indicated that the underlying technology is built for future applications, hinting at further opportunities for “growth, monetization, and brand integrations”.