How the Game of Thrones Premiere Could Boost Mobile Game Installs by 300%

Insights & Best Practices

April 10, 2015

3

min read

Can't afford Kate Upton? No problem: Mobile game developers can use the Mother of Dragons ? and you don't even have to hire her.If last year's patterns repeat themselves, viewers awaiting this Sunday's premiere of the fifth season of HBO's Game of Thrones are likely to install and play mobile games that remind them of all things dungeons, dragons, knights and shining armor. During the weekend of the popular show's fourth-season premiere (April 6, 2014), strategy, kingdom and medieval games saw new installs jump 34 percent, according to Chartboost data. And some advertisers who ran Game of Thrones-themed creatives captured up to 300% more daily installs.Pure coincidence? Possibly. But the numbers suggest this is a trend worth watching.If you have a game that echoes the fun of Game of Thrones, there's still time. By crafting a set of themed creatives and pushing UA campaigns through the rest of the month, developers should garner a boost in installs and clicks. Chartboost data showed that the popularity around last season?s premiere held steady for nearly a month.And it?s not only role-playing games that can benefit from big moments in pop culture. Following the release of Furious 7 (the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise) on April 3, top car and street racing games saw, on average, 35 percent higher new installs and 29 percent higher boot-ups during release weekend (without including the official Furious 7 mobile game in the analysis).Wondering when your game might see a blockbuster windfall? Here are a few highly anticipated events to keep in mind while preparing your user acquisition, release and advertising strategies this year:

  • Mortal Kombat X ?April 14, 2015
  • Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron ? May 4, 2015
  • Mad Max: Fury Road ? May 15, 2015
  • Jurassic World ? June 12, 2015
  • True Detective: Season 2 ? June 21, 2015
  • Terminator Genisys ? July 1, 2015
  • 007: Spectre ? November 6, 2015
  • Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 ? November 20, 2015
  • Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens ? December 18, 2015