Top PC franchises that failed on mobile

PUBG Mobile’s immensely successful launch in 2018 proved one thing: mobile is a platform that major game publishers need to pay attention to. That is exactly what they started doing, such as with Activision’s 2019 launch of Call of Duty: Mobile.

However, with the success of these two games, other developers and publishers quickly hopped on the bandwagon, and back-to-back game titles were announced for the mobile platform. The prevailing sentiment back in early 2019 was simple – make a mobile game of a traditionally popular franchise, and players are likely to flock to it.

The timing did make sense. The capabilities of smartphones were increasing manifold, even to a point where they could compete with PC and console. While games like PUBG Mobile could only run on certain high-end devices five years ago, it’s now supported on many low- to mid-range phones. Smartphones have evolved so much that we are seeing the emergence of complete cross-platform games between mobile, PC, and console such as Brawlhalla and Genshin Impact.

That being said, behind all the success stories lies a large graveyard of games that failed to become successful on mobile. Time and time again, mobile gamers have proved that simply bringing a mobile version of a popular gaming franchise isn’t enough to guarantee its success. Therefore, we take a look at a list of the top popular franchises whose mobile games failed and the reasons behind them.

With so many games buried in the graveyard, there is no single reason why some of the biggest franchises failed to make a mark on mobile.

However, one of the reasons is definitely the oversaturation of the battle royale market. This trend was something that wasn’t just observed on mobile platforms but also on PC and console as devs flocked to create their own take on the BR genre. Mobile was no exception, and besides PUBG Mobile, players had options between games like Rules of Survival, Free Fire, Farlight 84, and more.

Therefore, when Apex Legends Mobile and Warzone Mobile hit the game stores, players rushed to try them out. However, both titles proved to be poorly optimised and had bugs, pushing players back to their original titles.

Additionally, COD Warzone Mobile was over 5GB at its launch, disincentivising players from data-sensitive markets, which often form the highest player count.

For games like Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier and Paladins Strike, there was a disconnect to the mobile genre and also to their core franchises.

And finally, mobile games are a competitive space, making it tough to go against the established titles. In fact, a SuperScale report has found that 83% of mobile games fail three years after launch. Additionally, an overwhelming 43% are cancelled during development itself.

To sum up, the reasons for failure on mobile include:

For every failed mobile game, there is a corresponding success, which can help us create games for this demographic.

Therefore, the success of the other titles offers a crucial insight to developers. The most important is optimisation. Unlike console or PC, where you are only creating for a specific set of devices, Android has a wide variety of different phones, with varying specifications.

Taking the time to optimise the game, like Supercell does with its titles through a series of beta tests, is crucial to ensure that a stable game is ready for players upon launch.

Secondly, it’s important to realise the needs of a mobile gamer. There is no single ‘kind’ of mobile gamer. Some are just people who want to kill time during an appointment or commute, while others are much more hardcore, competing to rank up and sometimes even to participate in esports tournaments. Therefore, understanding the niche a mobile game will cater to is essential.

Not understanding the niche is something that Warzone Mobile struggled with, as on its release, it started competing with COD Mobile, which also has a BR mode.

Once a game’s niche is understood, developers need to adapt to that demographic’s monetisation needs. For example, making a pay-to-win BR game is set up for failure given the other genres in the market. However, incorporating it into a MOBA where heroes or champions can be unlocked with real money, too, is something that players are used to.

And lastly, player feedback is crucial. Having a long beta period may not be the healthiest short-term financial decision, but for a sustainable game, it’s vital. The success of Supercell, which doesn’t shy away from killing games, is an example of the importance of player feedback.

To conclude, mobile games can be a money-making platform for publishers, but success isn’t guaranteed. Even globally iconic franchises like Warzone, Final Fantasy, and Apex Legends couldn’t survive on mobile.

Success of a mobile game begins by understanding the platform’s constraints. This includes hardware diversity, player habits, session lengths, and monetisation tolerance. Games like Genshin Impact and COD Mobile have succeeded because they were able to find a balance, and importantly, were optimised during launch.

Nonetheless, behind the failure of these games are lessons on what developers can learn when creating for mobile gamers.