Hero release events boost revenue

Heroes that are released with other events or features have nearly seven times the impact on revenue market share MoM as heroes released alone.

To find out more, download the March RPG Report for our full analysis of a hero release event that helped boost Summoners War’s revenue +86% 25Do25D.

In the New Monster Update Special Event, players summon heroes to advance through a progression that culminates in a summon of one of two newly released heroes. Players then use these new heroes to complete challenges for additional rewards

Hero-specific progressions add meaning

The New Monster event prolongs engagement and gives new heroes immediate significance by having players complete tasks in other game systems to unlock new heroes and then providing challenges for those heroes once unlocked.

Offering an exclusive reward at the end of the progression, like a special skin or a chance to use new heroes in a unique context, would make high achievers even more motivated to play to completion. This would also help drive spend, since non-utility rewards are one of the main reasons that players make purchases in F2P apps.

These rewards don’t have to be items—exciting experiences work well, too. For example, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes’ Clash on Kamino event, which increased revenue +40% 2Wo2W, let players try out a new hero during a series of missions. Then, during the finale, players switched sides to battle against the new hero!

Designing more engaging equipment

Heroes aren’t the only type of content that drives revenue: Our analysis shows that equipment releases have nearly double the average MoM market share impact of hero releases and one of the largest impacts of any major content or feature release type.

Just like heroes, equipment releases can include their own progressions that enhance narratives and create long-term engagement as players pursue difficult upgrades. Guns of Glory accomplished this with the Pursuer Set, which players could only upgrade by using the equipment to kill vampires.

Video Insights

This month’s video insights examine another approach to hero companion events by revisiting AFK Arena’s Hero Growth Bundles from last month’s RPG Report. Watch the video to learn how interconnected features can create more meaningful experiences that keep players invested in your app.

Download the full RPG Report for our complete teardown, impact analysis, and notable releases.