Mastering How to Promote Mobile Games in Russia

Promoting games in the oversaturated Russian mobile gaming market can be a long and complicated process. Its niches are divided between large publishers offering more or less identical games. It is time to talk about it in detail, as new inputs are appearing in the game industry. 

What figures and trends should we focus on in 2024?

Statistics of mobile games audience in Russia

In Russia, there were 130.4 million internet connections recorded by DataReporter analysts earlier this year. By January 2024, the share of mobile traffic in Russia and the CIS countries had increased to 42.30% from 31.7% in 2023. Currently, 95.1% of Russian users access the internet via their phones, with Android being the leading operating system chosen by 70.99% of Russians compared to 28.71% of Apple iOS users. The statistics show that people spend almost four hours a day on their mobile devices, with a significant 34.2% of the population choosing to spend this time gaming.

Russian gamers spent $1.8 billion on games last year, with estimated spending exceeding the previous year by almost $200 million. Despite the challenges in determining exact figures due to payment workarounds, this amount is still impressive. 

Google Play and AppStore initially blocked payments with Russian cards within their services due to the sanctions policy towards Russia after 2022. However, they have since allowed external payment methods for Russian citizens, such as payments from Russian cards via AppGallery (for Huawei smartphone owners), RuStore (for Android owners), NashStore (available for iPhone and Android), and others. Alternative payment systems, gift cards, VPN region change, foreign bank cards, and mobile phone account payments through service providers are all viable options for users. iOS and Android users can easily pay through their mobile phone accounts. Pay Easy! allows you to purchase products on AppStore and GooglePlay, as well as Adobe Photoshop, GPT, and other foreign products that do not accept Russian cards. Remember that you will have to pay a commission of 20% or more for this service. 

The Russian mobile games market may not be the largest in the world, but it is still a significant player. It is important for foreign publishers to take this market into account, as the number of installations from Russia exceeded 2.73 billion units in 2023, with a predicted increase in 2024. 

Top mobile games in Russia

In 2023, the top installations have shifted from the previous year. The leaders now include both brand-new projects and 'old-timers' who have been given a second chance. The majority of the latter are life-killers, which make up 60% of the total number of downloads.

The most popular game genres downloaded from Russia are strategy, match-three, hyper-casual games, and puzzles. Simulators are of interest to only 20% of users. Due to the drop in the value of cryptocurrency in 2023, Russian gamers are not interested in blockchains. Although interest in cards is also low, this is temporary: this segment is expected to grow steadily over the next few years.

Of the "time-killers" and "sandboxes" at the beginning of 2024, Subway Surfers, a game about endless running in the underground, and Melon Sandbox, an arcade simulator where you can invent characters and then kill them in a fun and fun way, showed particularly significant growth.  

The rating of games by downloads from Russia for 2023 was as follows:

1. Roblox, a virtual platform game, was the most downloaded in Russia with over 10,000,000 downloads.

2. Gacha Life 2, an animated editor role-playing game, has been installed more than 9,360,000 times.

3. Royal Match, which earned over $2 billion from in-game products in 2023 and became the world's most profitable game, gained 8,930,000 downloads. 

Genshin Impact collaboration with YouTube channel Vlad Reznov by RMAA

Due to streamers, the Russian-speaking audience has warmly embraced the mobile version of the Call of Duty shooter. The international championship #CODMCHAMPS23 played a significant role in bringing together renowned players to compete for in-game awards. This event was narrated live and proved to be a great success. As a result, it is no surprise that Call of Duty Mobile ranked fifth in 2023 among 16 to 25-year-olds.

Game events

The most effective promotional events for the mobile games segment are external cyber sports championships. These events receive extensive media coverage and attract the attention of even those who have never downloaded games from the stores.

The IESF World Championship, for example, has successfully introduced many gamers to popular titles such as PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The last one recently hosted a separate event in Kazan at the Games of the Future (note - a multi-sport eSports tournament in Russia), with a prize pool exceeding that of the World Championship.

Results of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament, Games of the Future, Russia, 2024

Collaborations

We have already written about the collaboration of console game developers with gaming and non-gaming brands. In the context of mobile games the situation will be identical. Collaborations are highly sought after to share costs and promote brands. 

It is common for mobile games to feature well-known products from other genres. Russian gamers had the opportunity to play games based on the anime 'Tokyo Gul' and 'Word of the Patsan: War of the Districts' in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The game 'Word of the Patsan' gained popularity due to the interest in the “gop culture” of the 90s, sparked by the TV series of the same name. Moreover, a new mobile game set in the Walking Deads universe will be released this year, promising an engaging storyline in the match-three genre.

‘Word of the Patsan: War of the Districts’ mobile game on RuStore

In early 2024, MLBB collaborated with 'Attack of the Titans' with original replicas of anime characters, skins, and equipment such as the 'rittai kido sochi'. Additionally, Fortnite partnered with Disney to merge the world of Fortnite with the universe of famous cartoon characters.

It is important to note that collaborations between brands outside of the entertainment industry and mobile games are rare and do not generate much hype. However, it is common for gaming brands to partner with clothing brands. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga collaborated with Roblox, League of Legends, and Fortnite respectively, creating virtual collections of equipment for the games' most popular characters. Although these collaborations were highly anticipated, they did not result in any significant improvements.

Localization features

Adapting the game to each region while considering their cultural traditions and mentality will undoubtedly gain the loyalty of local gamers. Neglecting these factors, on the other hand, risks leaving them bewildered. In Fishing Clash, a fishing simulator developed by Polish creators, carp is often featured as a symbol of Christmas during New Year events. This association may not be immediately understood by players from other countries.

Despite being peculiar, the Russian mobile gaming market ranks sixth globally and has the potential for significant growth in the future. To effectively promote it, you must consider the specific mentality. Understanding marketing and speaking the same language with the users is crucial. This will prevent issues like the publicly available Polish version of Fishing Clash.

RMAA acts as a promotion expert between developers and the Russian audience. Our extensive experience in promoting mobile, console, and cross-platform games allows us to identify trends and develop highly effective strategies based on them. We are proud of our numerous successful cases. Furthermore, we have created a comprehensive Guide to Video Game Promotion in the Russian Market, which is available for free. 

Stay up-to-date with the latest news on digital marketing in Russia and the CIS by subscribing to our blog. RMAA publishes fresh insights every week to help you gain a better understanding of the market.

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