The mobile game Monopoly GO was released on April 11, 2023, for Android and iOS. Since then, it has been nothing but a success story. In just 3 months, it generated revenue of 1 billion US dollars, as the developers proudly announce.
What makes the game so successful?
- As the developer team Scopely stated in an interview (via gamefile), Monopoly GO is the casual mobile game that has reached the barrier of 1 billion US dollars in revenue the fastest. The brand achieved this in 7 months – Pokémon GO did it in 2016 as well, but that doesn’t count as a “casual” game. Thus, Monopoly GO is the most successful new mobile game of 2023.
- Just 10 months after the launch and only 3 months after breaking the 1 billion US dollar mark, the game reached the milestone of 2 billion US dollars in revenue.
- Perhaps even more astonishing: Monopoly GO cost the company 500 million US dollars in marketing and user acquisition, as much as PlayStation blockbusters like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 typically cost.
Mobile games often draw inspiration from board games: Even “The Game of Life” has been adapted into a mobile game:
What the developers say: The CEO of Scopely is enthusiastic about the success of the game. They worked on Monopoly GO for 7 years. Now the success curve is “nothing short of extraordinary.” This is owed to their talented team and passionate players.
8 million players log in to Monopoly GO every day. The “deep engagement” shows how talented the gaming developers are and how they manage to inspire players every day.
The key to the success of Monopoly GO is seen in the fact that they previously developed another game in Monopoly style that required more skill. But then Scopely decided that this “midcore” experience excluded too many players, and thus Monopoly GO was developed.
Criticism: “Model Example of Predatory Capitalism”
What do the critics say? Upon the release of Monopoly GO, on May 1, a rather harsh review of the game appeared on “Destructoid“. It states:
Everything you know about Monopoly is present here, but the rules have changed enough that Monopoly GO is an even more ruthless version of the game in which you buy properties.
Monopoly has always been about capitalism and driving others to ruin. In Monopoly GO, players are encouraged to invite friends as soon as they log in.
The author from Destructoid then states that there are always opportunities in the game to rob friends. Many of those he robbed have since stopped playing Monopoly GO.
An article at Androidcentral also calls Monopoly GO a perfect example of “Cutthroat Capitalism” in mobile gaming, especially regarding monetization:
- The game offers little gameplay, but has a “heavily monetized daily energy system,” plus players are bombarded with pop-up ads.
- However, Monopoly GO is also well-designed and features a “fast, satisfying gameplay loop.”
On Google Play, Monopoly GO has a rating of 4.7/5 stars with over 1.8 million reviews.
The background: Games like Monopoly GO illustrate why “gaming” statistics often seem so strange:
- According to statistics, 46% of gamers worldwide are now female (via playtoday)
- but only 6% identify themselves as gamers
- The idea that gaming is primarily a male hobby is partly due to the fact that women statistically play more casual games like “Match-3” (Candy Crush) or farming simulators – games that are often looked down upon by “core gamers”.
Mobile gaming doesn’t have to be necessarily “casual”; there are now also several games for core gamers on iOS and Android, which are often criticized for their aggressive monetization.
