The US has the most top publishers of any country followed closely by China with Tencent, Activision and Zynga among the most popular, according to new research.
App Annie, the mobile data and analytics company helping brands and publishers create winning experiences on mobile, today announces the annual Top Publisher Award winners which recognize the most successful mobile companies around the world.
Out of the Top 52, these are the sectors in which the publishers mainly focus on:
● Mobile Games (the bulk majority, around 40 companies)
● Media & Entertainment (7 companies, such as Amazon, Disney, Netflix )
● Social (2 companies, Including ByteDance (TikTok) and JOYY Inc (Bigo))
● Dating (2 companies, IAC and Match group)
● Business & Productivity (Microsoft, from their LinkedIn)
Top 52 Awards: Publishers by app store revenue estimates in the last calendar year:
● China-based Tencent (#1) and NetEase (#2) held the top spots for the fourth consecutive year, in part driven by Battle Royale titles Game For Peace and Knives Out.
● Playrix(#3) jumped four positions to #3 with Casual Puzzle Games Gardenscapes – New Acres and Fishdom: Deep Dive leading the way.
Regional Top 30 Awards: Regional publishers by app store revenue estimates in the last calendar year were:
● Americas: Activision Blizzard (#1), Zynga (#2), Google (#3)
● Asia Pacific: Tencent (#1), NetEase (#2) BANDAI NAMCO (#3)
● EMEA : Playrix (#1), Supercell (#2), Playtika (#3)
In 2020, consumers relied more on their personal devices to connect, play and escape. The Top Publisher Award truly reflects the trend, with gaming and streaming sectors dominating the charts.
Driven by their hit games, publishers saw tremendous growth with Lilith (#12), Roblox (#19), Moon Active (#23) and Scopely (#28) all moving up more than ten places. These titles included Rise of Kingdoms, ROBLOX, Coin Master, and MARVEL Strike Force, respectively. With consumers craving social interactions, games integrating social elements such as Roblox, are gaining explosive popularity.
Stay at home restrictions saw consumers spending more time on video. Amazon (#38) saw strong gains in app purchase revenue from both popular streaming services Twitch and Amazon Prime Video. Disney (#22) also rose nine ranks with Disney+ introduced in more markets globally.
China-based Tencent (#1) and NetEase (#2) held the top spots for now four consecutive years with their hit Battle Royale titles Game For Peace and Knives Out. Playrix(#3) jumped four positions to number 3 with Casual Puzzle Games Gardenscapes – New Acres and Fishdom: Deep Dive leading the way.
Publishers headquartered in Asia Pacific dominated the list and make up more than half (31) of The Top 52. With 16, the United States had the most top publishers of any country, followed closely by China with 15.
“Through passion, we unite — through connection, we thrive! First and foremost, we offer our most sincere gratitude to our players and App Annie. NetEase Games will continue our endeavors to create innovative games and provide the most satisfying gaming experience to gamers worldwide.” – Matt Liu, Senior Global Publishing & Marketing Director, NetEase Games
“It is a privilege to be awarded by our trusted partner App Annie this year. The Playrix team is happy that our games have brought a lot of joy to our customers around the globe during the pandemic. And this year we will focus on bringing even more through our new games.” Maxim Kirilenko, Senior Business Development Director, Playrix
“We’re honored to be recognized with the Top Publisher award and truly see this as a celebration of our players,” said Daniel Alegre, President and COO of Activision Blizzard. “We have the best player communities across our Activision, Blizzard, and King games, who inspire our teams throughout the year. We look forward to bringing more content and experiences to our fans this year.” – Daniel Alegre, President and COO of Activision Blizzard
“We congratulate these exceptional leaders from across the world,” said Theodore Krantz, Chief Executive Officer of App Annie. “With mobile accelerating at an even faster rate than anticipated, publishers must engage with this audience to stay relevant.”
See the other award winners for a variety of categories and regions here: http://appannie.com/apps/ios/top/level-up-rankings
Methodology
The list is composed of the Top 52 mobile publishers by combined iOS and Google Play revenue estimates from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. These rankings do not include revenue earned from in-app advertising, commerce, or payments outside of the app stores.