[casual_games] Casual Download Games: New Releases by Play Mechanic

[James C. Smith]

"most portals are lunching just as many Time Management games as Hidden
Object games and almost as many match 3 games"

 

In the past 6 months, the top 10 lists on casual game download portals have
been dominated by Hidden Object games followed closely by Time Management
games.  Sim games and Match 3 games have been a distance 3rd and 4th.
(Source
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/worldmap/?date=2008-01-15&enddate=2008-07
-15&columns=15&scoringmethod=TenOverRank&showscore=on&AOL=on&BigFish=on&Game
House=on&iWin=on&Logler=on&MSN=on&PlayFirst=on&Pogo=on&Real=on&Reflexive=on&
Shockwave=on&YahooTop=on> ) This is when ranking play mechanics by their
popularity is top 10 lists.  

 

But it you look the number of new release in the past 6 months the number
look a little different.  About 17% of the games launched on most portals
are Hidden Object games and another 17% are Time Management games.  Match 3
games are not far behind with 14% on the average portal.  In other words,
most portals are lunching just as many Time Management games as Hidden
Object games and almost as many match 3 games.  

 


New Releases in Last 180 days as of 7/16/2008


 

Hidden Object

Time Management

Match 3

Sim

Adventure

Mahjong

Chain Pop

Word 

Strategy

Inlay

Unknown

Other


Reflexive
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Reflexive=on> 

19%

17%

15%

8%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

4%

26%


MSN
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&MSN=on> 

18%

22%

16%

7%

1%

4%

4%

3%

0%

1%

0%

24%


Big
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&BigFish=on>  Fish

17%

16%

14%

7%

6%

2%

2%

3%

1%

1%

1%

30%


Real
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Real=on> 

25%

20%

10%

10%

2%

3%

2%

3%

0%

0%

0%

25%


iWin
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&iWin=on> 

15%

15%

16%

7%

3%

3%

2%

1%

0%

1%

14%

24%


Pogo
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Pogo=on> 

14%

15%

15%

4%

2%

3%

3%

1%

1%

1%

10%

31%


Shockwave
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Shockwave=on> 

18%

21%

12%

8%

6%

1%

1%

2%

1%

2%

3%

26%


Average

17%

17%

14%

7%

3%

3%

2%

2%

1%

1%

6%

27%

Click the portal links above to see that portal's list of new releases in
this 180 day window

 

Here is the same data again but this time as raw numbers rather than
percentages:


New Releases in Last 180 days as of 7/16/2008


Portal

Games Released

Hidden Object

Time Management

Match 3

Sim

Adventure

Mahjong

Chain Pop

Word 

Strategy

Inlay

Unknown

Other


Reflexive
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Reflexive=on> 

127

24

21

19

10

3

3

2

2

3

2

5

33


MSN
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&MSN=on> 

76

14

17

12

5

1

3

3

2

0

1

0

18


Big
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&BigFish=on>  Fish

183

31

30

26

12

11

4

4

6

2

2

1

54


Real
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Real=on> 

60

15

12

6

6

1

2

1

2

0

0

0

15


iWin
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&iWin=on> 

178

26

27

28

13

5

5

3

1

0

2

25

43


Pogo
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Pogo=on> 

137

19

20

21

6

3

4

4

2

1

1

14

42


Shockwave
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/newreleases?date=2008-07-16&days=180&name
len=30&Shockwave=on> 

102

18

21

12

8

6

1

1

2

1

2

3

27


Average

123

21

21

18

9

4

3

3

2

1

1

7

33

 

"Other" means I looked at the game and determined it does not fit into one
of the 10 popular play mechanics listed above.

 

"Unknown" means I didn't look at the game and have no idea what kind of game
it is.  It could be a Hidden Object game but that is very unlikely since the
"Unknown" games are generally games that were launch by very few portals and
never made it into their top 10 lists.

 

 

I am a little surprised that Match 3 games are still released so frequently.
I use a rather strict definition for the Match 3 play mechanic that means
the game involved getting 3 in a row on a grid. This does no include Zuma
(Chain popper), Collapse (click group to clear) or many other recent games
like Ancient Quest of Saqqarah which I call an "other puzzle" mechanic but
many portals toss into their "match 3" genera. So the Match 3 number listed
above and conservative and would be higher if other puzzle games were
included.

 

Also notice how few Word games are being made or how few of them get
released.  

 

What other numbers in there are surprising or interesting to you?

 

James C. Smith

Co-founder & Producer: Reflexive Entertainment

Editor & Chief: CasualCharts.com <http://www.CasualCharts.com> 

 

 

PS: If you have bookmarks for CasualCharts.com or Game-Sales-Charts.com that
are more than 2 months old then you are probably using the legacy charts.
Those bookmarks still work, but you won't see any of the slick new features
unless you go to the home page at CasualCharts.com
<http://www.CasualCharts.com>  and navigate from there.  The new World
<http://www.casualcharts.com/games/worldmap>  Map is so much better than the
legacy
<http://www.casualcharts.com/cms/index.php?option=com_dbquery&Itemid=33&task
=ExecuteQuery&qid=38>  version of the World Map. Be sure you are using the
latest and greatest.

 

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