Custom Map Editor

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Impact Driver

PUBG Mobile’s World of Wonder continues the major trend of battle royale apps offering robust map editors, such as Fortnite’s Creative and Garena Free Fire’s Craftland. The feature’s in-app editor allows players to design custom maps and game modes, then publish their designs for the community. Player-created maps have long been a PC and console gaming staple that simultaneously generates new content and builds strong player communities.

The most distinctive component of World of Wonder is the strict prerequisites players must meet to access the feature. Unlike other map editors that are accessible to most or all players, World of Wonder requires players to have past map-making experience, a certain number of social media followers, and specific rankings and ratings within the app. 

It’s possible that these requirements will be lifted over time. But for now, this approach concentrates the player base on a smaller pool of high-quality maps, which makes it easier for players to find matches and more likely that certain maps will become popular in the community. 

Release Trends

Custom design features are rare in the core market but have had a relative flurry of activity so far this year. Tracked core apps released as many custom design features in Q1 ’23 as they did in all of 2022.

Breakout Apps

Fantasy-themed 4X app Call of Dragons, from the developer of Rise of Kingdoms, has broken into the top 15 strategy apps just one month after its release. The app offers a wide variety of hero and unit designs, extensive voice acting, real-time strategy combat mechanics, and excellent visuals.

Whiteout Survival follows the success of Century Games’ other recent city-building app, Frozen City, which we covered in our February ’23 Core Report. Both apps share similar core mechanics, features, and a glacial apocalypse theme, but Whiteout Survival takes a 4X MMO approach instead of Frozen City’s single-player gameplay.

Other Features and Events

Other noteworthy releases this month include a trio of mini-games:

• In Garena Free Fire’s Cliff Diving Game, players launch a character into a target and earn points based on their accuracy. 
• In Identity V’s Reversi Board, players compete in Reversi matches against other players and a series of NPCs.
• In WWE SuperCard’s Tomb Smasher, players pick urns that either fill a reward meter or end the mini-game. Players can exit at any time to claim their reward.

Download the April Core Report for our complete analysis.