Royal Match is a casual free-to-play tile-matching video game launched in 2021. It was developed and published by the Turkish company Dream Games, founded in 2019, and in it, players follow a king in restoring his castle. The game runs on the Unity game engine and is available for iOS through the App Store and Android via Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, and the Galaxy Store. As of December 2023, Royal Match is the largest mobile game by monthly revenue globally with annual consumer spending at $2 billion. There are about 55 million monthly active users.[4]
| Royal Match | |
|---|---|
 App icon | |
| Developer(s) | Dream Games |
| Publisher(s) | Dream Games |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Android, iOS |
| Release | July 2020 (early access)[1] February or March 2021 (full release)[2][3] |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
Gameplay
edit
The game follows King Robert as he fixes his castle. It is a match-3 tile game, meaning that the player must usually complete levels by matching three (or more) of the same type of object in a line, similar to other games such as Homescapes, Candy Crush Saga, and the Bejeweled series.[4][5] Other items that the player has to clear may be placed, such as Vases and Eggs. Players must complete a level in a certain number of moves. If they fail, they lose one of their five lives, which are regenerated over time. Players that are having difficulty can use Boosters to help them. The two types are Pre-Game Boosters, which are randomly placed before the start of the level (these include Rockets, TNT, and Light Balls), and In-Game Boosters, which are placed during the level (these include the Royal Hammer, Arrows, Cannons, and the Jester's Hat).[5] There are over 8,000 levels as of March 2024, with new ones being added every two weeks.[6]
While there is a level-based campaign, the Royal Match also offers Tournament, Challenge, and Quest modes, which are not required to progress. The game has an alliance system, Teams, in which level progression is determined as a team, and members must collaborate to obtain rewards. The game can also be played offline.[5]
Development and release
editRoyal Match was first made available only in Canada, Turkey, and the U.K. in a limited test for iOS and Android in July 2020.[7] During the test, it received 1 million downloads and 200,000 daily average players.[1] Royal Match was soft-launched on February[2] or March 2021.[3] In mid-2021, it reached the top 20 highest-grossing mobile games in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, reaching over 6 million users.[8] By August 2021, it had 16 million downloads, making it the most popular in the U.S. at 28%. The U.K. and Germany followed at 7.7 and 7%, respectively. Despite its free-to-play approach, it gained $102 million in revenue from its first six months of operation. The U.S. accounted for $67 million of the total.[2]
Dream Games, the developer and publisher, received $57.5 million in funding for the game in March 2021, making it the largest Series A for a Turkish startup company ever. Funding was led by Index Ventures, with Balderton Capital and Makers Fund also contributing.[1][7] Then, a Series B round in June 2021 and a Series C round in January 2022 raised $155 million and $255 million, respectively.[3][9] It aired its first TV commercial in January 2023, created by British advertising agency House 337.[10][11] Royal Match additionally collaborated with Simon Cowell to release ads featuring him.[12] Other celebrities that have done ads for the app include Amanda Holden, Rylan Clark, Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon, Dermot O'Leary and Tess Daly.[13] Edwin Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and former President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, became a part of Dream Games by December 2023, working as a strategic advisor.[4]
Reception
editLaura Taranto of the blog Deconstructor of Fun compared Royal Match to Toon Blast and Homescapes, saying that the game has "the speed, fluidity, and palette of Toon Blast ... with the level diversity, power-ups and tap-to-activate from Homescapes". She states that power-ups are more effective than those in games developed by Playrix and King.[7]
Erin Brereton of Common Sense Media gave the game 3/5 stars when reviewing the game's suitability for children, saying that the puzzles are entertaining but in-app purchases are prevalent.[14] The blog Old Cynic rated the game 4/5 stars for its challenge and causality, even though it is "missing that long-term strategic element that helps to keep you locked in."[5] Review aggregator Explore Opinions remarked that the game had appealing gameplay, enticing visuals, and plentiful levels, although it had difficulty spikes, limited customization options, and some paywalls.[15]
Advertising
editOnline advertisements promoting Royal Match have faced criticism for being misleading, as they depict a player trying (and failing) to clear tiles to save the king from a dire situation. The game itself is about clearing levels to decorate the castle, though there are occasional "King's Nightmare" levels which put the king in jeopardy unless a certain number of tiles are cleared.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c Lunden, Ingrid (March 1, 2021). "Istanbul's Dream Games snaps up $50M and launches its first game, the puzzle-based Royal Match". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Total revenue exceeded US$100 million in half a year after its launch. How did "Royal Match" succeed?". GameLook (in Chinese). September 2, 2021. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Orr, Aaron (January 19, 2022). "Royal Match sees Dream Games raise $255 million". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c Bradshaw, Tim (December 23, 2023). "Puzzle game 'Royal Match' dethrones 'Candy Crush' from top of app store". Financial Times. The Financial Times Ltd. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Royal Match Review [Match-3 Mobile Puzzle Game] • Old Cynic". Old Cynic. August 19, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Bhattacharjee, Soham (February 13, 2024). "Royal Match Levels: How Many Are There? Can You Beat & Finish The Game?". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Taranto, Laura (March 22, 2021). "Royal Match - The New King from Turkey?". Deconstructor of Fun. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Ersoy, Ercan (June 30, 2021). "'Royal Match' Game Developer Soars Five-Fold in 4 Months to $1 Billion Value". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Jordan, Jon (June 30, 2021). "Dream Games valued at $1 billion after closing $155 million funding round". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ Rees, Lewis; Writer, Staff (January 9, 2023). "Royal Match aims at 186 million fresh impressions via its first TV commercial". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Dream Games Appoints House 337 to Push Royal Match to the Number One Spot for Casual Mobile Gaming". Little Black Book. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Summerville, Iapri (July 11, 2023). "Simon Cowell Agrees To Seven Figure Advertisement Deal With Royal Match -". mxdwn. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Louis, Yasmeen (September 4, 2023). "Royal Match's celeb-studded ad line-up creates buzz online". Marketing Beat. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Brereton, Erin. "Royal Match App Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Royal Match Game Review: A Royal Match or a Royal Letdown?". Explore Opinions. August 19, 2023. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Maybray, Bailey. "How the Marketing Behind Insane and Deceptive Mobile Ads Works". Techie ToFu. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
