With Genshin Impact securing a top-five spot on the U.S. iOS Grossing Chart for three consecutive years and Honkai: Star Rail exceeding USD 100 million in overseas revenue within its launch month, the growth logic of Chinese mid-to-high core games going global has undergone a quiet shift. The North American market is no longer a simple equation of high investment for high returns, but a three-dimensional competition centered on cultural resonance, refined operations and technological iteration.

Industry statistics show that the North American mobile game market reached USD 21 billion in 2024, accounting for 21.3% of global revenue. However, user acquisition costs have risen year on year, with the average Cost Per Install (CPI) surpassing USD 4.5. In mid-to-high core segments such as SLG and MMORPG, top-tier titles continue to enjoy extended lifecycles, while veteran hits including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and State of Survival still dominate mainstream market shares, making it increasingly difficult for new games to stand out.

As global blockbuster titles continuously raise players’ aesthetic standards, growth can no longer be driven merely by upgraded artwork or minor numerical adjustments. How, then, can mid-to-high core games ignite new growth drivers in North America? In this second issue of Growth Insights, we have invited Alex Wu, Director of International Marketing at Yeahmobi, and Erin Sun, Agency Business Manager for Key Clients at Amazon Ads, to conduct an in-depth analysis of emerging industry trends and actionable local strategies.

01 Content Breakthrough: A Narrative Revolution from Cultural Transplantation to Native Co-Creation

“North American players do not want localized translations of Eastern stories; they seek emotional narratives that resonate with their sense of identity,” Alex Wu emphasized. As titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail achieve global popularity through universal storytelling paired with localized narratives, Chinese developers have come to recognize that genuine cultural empathy lies in emotional connection rather than cultural replication.

Taking Honkai: Star Rail, a representative RPG title served by Yeahmobi, as an example, the game blends sci-fi elements with Eastern philosophy to build a cross-cultural Astral worldview. It also adopts the classic hero’s journey narrative familiar to Western audiences in character design. This native co-creation strategy preserves the uniqueness of Eastern aesthetics while forging emotional bonds with North American players through universal values such as freedom, personal growth and fate resistance. Ultimately, the North American market contributed over 10% of the game’s overseas revenue in its debut month.

Based on this, Alex Wu shared three key approaches for developers looking to shift from cultural transplantation to native co-creation. First, reconstruct traditional themes by integrating Chinese mythological elements into sci-fi settings or combining Norse mythology with cyberpunk aesthetics to form appealing pan-cultural symbols. Second, break free from stereotypes in character building and shape well-rounded figures with layered personalities and compelling growth arcs. For instance, Zhongli in Genshin Impact strikes philosophical chords among players through themes of contractual spirit and divine introspection. Third, establish two-way narrative interaction between developers and players. An open worldview framework encourages UGC creation, allowing fan art, fan fiction and derivative content to enrich main storylines and foster an evolving, player-driven game ecosystem.

02 Operational Upgrade: Ecosystem Restructuring from Traffic Harvesting to Long-Term User Cultivation

The global traffic landscape is evolving rapidly, and Yeahmobi has observed that the traditional buy-and-monetize model for mid-to-high core games is reaching its bottleneck. “In the high-CPI era, operational priorities should shift from expanding user scale to extending user Lifetime Value (LTV),” Alex Wu noted. This strategy has been fully validated by leading global titles.

As a long-term global partner for State of Survival, Yeahmobi has witnessed how the game deeply integrates SLG gameplay with zombie-themed storytelling through seasonal content updates. New characters, maps and limited-time story quests are launched each season, effectively extending average user retention cycles. Similarly, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang builds a rich content ecosystem with Twitch streamers and Discord KOLs, launches exclusive esports tournaments, and strengthens player belonging through live interaction and skin crowdfunding campaigns — a proven strategy worthy of widespread reference.

Against the backdrop of shifting user engagement channels, live-streaming and social platforms have become core hubs for deepening user stickiness. Taking Twitch as a prime example, Erin Sun from Amazon Ads commented: “As the world’s leading live-streaming and social video platform for gaming, Twitch boasts a young user base keen on new experiences. Compared with audiences on other platforms, Twitch viewers are more willing to try new games and easily influenced by community creators and KOLs. Players can watch gaming content and live events anytime, while interacting in real time with streamers and fellow community members.”

Erin Sun further recommended that brands focus not only on ad placement on Twitch, but also on long-term channel operation. Twitch highly values diversified, high-quality content. Rich, customized materials help capture player attention, strengthen brand exposure, and substantially boost download conversion intent.

03 Monetization Innovation: Value Exploration from Single In-App Purchases to a Hybrid Revenue Ecosystem

The North American mobile game market is undergoing profound structural changes, with non-IAP revenue emerging as a vital second growth engine. “A balanced hybrid monetization model must align seamlessly with core gameplay without compromising user experience,” Alex Wu pointed out. Leading developers have already explored diversified revenue strategies. Top War embeds tower defense mini-games within its SLG framework and leverages playable ads to attract casual users, significantly increasing ad impression volume. Roblox, meanwhile, has built a closed-loop UGC ecosystem that enables creators to trade mods and customized skins for revenue shares, forming a healthy cycle of creation, transaction and consumption.

Cross-industry collaboration has unlocked even greater monetization potential. Moonton recently announced a crossover between its flagship MOBA title Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the iconic Japanese anime Naruto, featuring themed hero skins and limited-time in-game events. The game has previously partnered with blockbuster IPs including Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen and Hunter×Hunter, achieving mutual user acquisition through limited-edition collaborative content. These cases prove that when games evolve beyond reliance on in-app purchases and become comprehensive entertainment hubs connecting social interaction, cultural consumption and cross-IP experiences, monetization limits can be fully broken.

As the Matthew effect intensifies across the North American mobile game industry, mid-to-high core developers face undeniable challenges in breaking into the mainstream. Nevertheless, as Alex Wu concluded: “Truly global brands never fear red oceans. They redefine industry experience with technology, bridge cultural gaps with localized content, and capture user insights with data-driven strategies. In 2025, the North American market’s winners will be long-term-focused players — enterprises with stronger technical iteration capabilities than local developers and more refined emotional operation strategies than global giants.”

As a leading global programmatic digital advertising platform, Yeahmobi has helped more than 30 mid-to-high core games secure a spot in the North American Top 50 Grossing Chart. As an official member of the Amazon Ads Partner Network, Yeahmobi has fully integrated the Amazon DSP platform. Moving forward, Yeahmobi will join hands with Amazon Ads to deliver one-stop global growth solutions for mid-to-high core game developers, covering high-traffic channels including Prime Video, Twitch, Fire TV, Alexa and Amazon Music, alongside third-party publishers, websites and apps across the Amazon off-site ecosystem.