This document summarizes the key topics discussed at the 2018 GDC conference on mobile games. It discusses the state of several popular mobile games, trends in genres like story-based games and battle royale games, and lessons learned over the past year. Some of the major games and trends highlighted include the continued success of Candy Crush, the falling popularity of Game of War, the growth of story and collection-based games, and the mobile adaptation of the battle royale genre through games like Clash Royale. The document also emphasizes that gameplay quality, franchises, meta-games, and collection mechanics are increasingly important for driving engagement in the mobile games market.

1. “The Year
in Mobile
Games”
GDC - San Francisco
March 19, 2018
Steve Meretzky
VP of Games, King
Dave Rohrl
Owner, Mobile Game Doctor
Juan Gril
Executive Producer, Flowplay

2. Casino Shakeup

3. Casino Shakeup

4. Casino Shakeup

5. Casino Shakeup

6. Candy Crush: #1 Spot as a 5th Birthday Gift

7. Game of War: Fire Extinguisher Age

8. Game of War: Fire Extinguisher Age
March 2018
Android – 216th
iPhone – 486th
iPad – 864th

9. App Store 11

10. Playrix Does It Again

11. I’ll Have What ROBLOX is Having

13. Instant Games

14. 1. Toy to Toon

15. * Not Constantinople
*

24. What Changed?

36. Lessons
• Quality matters.

38. Lessons
• Quality matters.
• Franchise matters.

40. Lessons
• Quality matters.
• Franchise matters.
• Many meta-game formats are possible for level-based puzzle
progression games.

41. Lessons
• Quality matters.
• Franchise matters.
• Many meta-game formats are possible for level-based puzzle
progression games.
• Companies are being rewarded for the best of those
experiments.

42. 2. A Trivial Pursuit

56. Cash Quiz Quiz Biz Cash Show

57. Takeaways
• Event-based apps can work
• Could it work in your game?
• Pick your times well
• Content matters
• Business model unproven
• But clearly enticing
• Tune in at 12 and 6

58. 3. Collection Agency

60. Sir Hans Sloane
1660 – 1753

61. Jamaica

64. Why I’m talking about him

65. What does this have to do with games?
Almost every game in the Top Grossing chart
relies on a collection mechanic for driving
retention and engagement.

66. Hearthstone

67. Design Home

68. Marvel Contest of Champions

69. Gardenscapes

71. Why do we collect?

72. A Collection brings significance

75. Game Of War

76. A Collection brings you pride

80. Legendary Cards – Clash Royale

81. A Collection has value

82. Baron Joseph Duveen
1869 – 1939

85. John D. Rockefeller Andrew Carnegie

86. William Randolph Hearst

94. Common Card Examples
Legendary Card Examples
Use of online media to
spread the word.

96. In Conclusion

97. It is not just about gameplay anymore

98. What is your core game mechanic?
What is your collection mechanic?

102. Thank you.

104. 4. Romancing the Clone

109. c

113. c

123. IP

129. My Story: Choose Your Own Path
Publisher: Nanobit Release Date: October 5, 2016

130. Lovestruck: Choose Your Romance
Publisher: Voltage Release Date: February 6, 2017

131. What’s Your Story
Publisher: Ludia Release Date: October 10, 2017

132. Chapters: Interactive Stories
Publisher: Crazy Maple Studio Release Date: October 13, 2017

133. My Shelf: My Choice My Episode
Publisher: NTT Solmare Release Date: February 20, 2018

134. Lessons
• The market’s appetite for these sorts of soap opera story
games does not seem close to being tapped.

135. Lessons
• The market’s appetite for these sorts of soap opera story
games does not seem close to being tapped.
• It’s amazing how little interactivity players are willing to
settle for to play these games … and to pay for them.

136. Lessons
• The market’s appetite for these sorts of soap opera story
games does not seem close to being tapped.
• It’s amazing how little interactivity players are willing to
settle for to play these games … and to pay for them.
• As the market gets more competitive, expect to see more
iteration and experimentation beyond just clones of Episode.

137. 5. Le Royale with Cheese Balls

146. METAGAM
E

163. Takeaways
• The right casual sport can be a winner
• Clash Royale metagame is portable
• Nobody minds a good meta lift if…
• Great core game
• Well integrated
• Smart adaptations

164. 6. Notable Games of 2017

175. Thanks for
listening!
Steve Meretzky
VP of Games, King
Dave Rohrl
Owner, Mobile Game Doctor
Juan Gril
Executive Producer, Flowplay
Questions?