Mortal Kombat tested its might in the mobile market — and won.
The mobile version of Mortal Kombat X was the most downloaded iOS game in April, according to tracking site App Annie. This fighting title was even ahead of mobile mega-hits like Candy Crush Soda Saga and Clash of Clans. Fast & Furious: Legacy also saw a large bump thanks to new content based on the newest film in the franchise, Furious 7. The mobile market could reach $30 billion and exceed the console industry’s revenues this year, according to market researcher Newzoo.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1733108,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,marketing,mobile,","session":"B"}']Mortal Kombat X is a free-to-play, simplified version of its console and PC counterparts. It also unlocks content in the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions, which may have helped it achieve extra downloads.
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“This type of cross-functionality between mobile and console is not new to publisher Warner Bros,” App Annie noted. “Their 2013 release of Injustice: Gods Among Us [another fighting game] had a strikingly similar strategy, down to the pre-console release timing and inter-platform unlockables. We look forward to seeing how other console publishers such as Nintendo choose to invest in mobile tie-ins to promote their console games. The landmark success of Mortal Kombat X suggests that, done correctly, this can be a winning strategy.”
However, Mortal Kombat X did not chart in App Annie’s list of the 10 iOS games that generated the most revenue. Clash of Clans remained at the top. The Chinese mobile multiplayer online role-playing game, Fantasy Westward Journey, debuted at the No. 4 spot. Otherwise, the list was filled with usual suspects like Puzzle & Dragons and Game of War: Fire Age (also known as the Kate Upton game).
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