Very few people are downloading the big-name console games ported over to iPhone in the last year – and an even smaller number are paying $15-50 to unlock the full games.
Apple has showcased games including Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 7, Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage in its keynotes over the last 12 months, all running on high-end iPhones and iPads. But even using the most optimistic revenue estimates, they’re all commercial failures. (We’d bet that Apple is paying Ubisoft, Capcom and 505 Games to port the titles over so that the tech giant can use them to showcase its latest devices.)
Our calculations, based on Appfigures estimates, suggest that under 3,000 people have paid $49.99 to play Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iPhone since it launched on June 6. It has been downloaded approximately 123k times, with gross revenue of $138k to date, says Appfigures. The game is only playable on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and high-end iPads.
The graphs above and below show that Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s estimated daily downloads and revenue figures are tiny compared to an average mobile-native free-to-play game. Appfigures provided data for Ubisoft’s made-for-mobile title Assassin’s Creed Rebellion to demonstrate the point: at launch on 21 November 2018, Rebellion got 1.9m downloads in the same timespan Mirage reached just 123k installs.
Gross revenue for Rebellion over the same timeframe is 612% more than Mirage: $981k. Rebellion’s week two downloads decreased by 45% (compared to Mirage’s 69% drop) and revenue grew 82% (compared to Mirage’s 79% decline). Appfigures also says Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s daily downloads are already under 3k, on average, and the game struggles to generate $4k most days – that’s about 80 paying daily users.
Other big-brand games Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village and Death Stranding, all showcased in Apple keynotes, have bombed too. Appfigures estimates suggest Resident Evil 4 has been downloaded 357k times, with revenue estimated to be $208k. Based on the game’s $29.99 price tag this suggests that roughly 7,000 people have paid to unlock the full game in its six months on the market.
Resident Evil Village has fared even worse, with Appfigures estimating 370k downloads and just $92k in revenue, meaning the number of players who have actually paid $15.99 to unlock the full game is around 5,750.
505 Games’ Death Stranding is a premium game, costing $20 up front. It has not yet generated enough downloads to register in Appfigures’ tracking data, but some quick calculations based on its estimated $212k revenue suggests it has attracted roughly 10,600 downloads since it launched on January 29 2024.
Appmagic, another data firm, has more optimistic estimates. Its data suggests Assassin’s Creed Mirage stands at around $221k revenue (not including Apple and Google’s 30%) from 279k downloads, meaning around 5,750 players have paid to unlock the full game. Resident Evil 4 is on around 710k lifetime downloads since launch six months ago, having earned Capcom around $347k to date. That suggests that just 15,000 people have paid $29.99 to unlock the full game in its six months of release.
Resident Evil Village has around 817k downloads and $420k in revenue, Appmagic says, meaning the number of players who have paid $15.99 to unlock the full game is roughly 34,000. $20 premium game Death Stranding, meanwhile, has made $348k to date, according to Appmagic estimates, meaning it’s at around 23,000 downloads.
“These figures are far from a success, especially when compared to the sales achieved by AAA games on their primary platforms,” says Appmagic head of content Andrei Zubov. “This suggests that these games have already captured a big part of their potential revenue and will now sustain much lower earnings.”
“Looking at the top-performing mobile premium games, we can see that many are originally indie titles,” Zubov continues. “These games typically feature simpler controls, prioritize unique art styles over high-end graphics, and are suited for shorter play sessions. These are the usual attributes of successful free-to-play mobile games.”
“What’s equally important is that premium indie games on mobile are usually priced at $5-10. This price range aligns better with the average spending habits of mobile gamers. This likely explains why these games find it easier to expand into the mobile gaming market and why AAA releases are underperforming.”
“For me, it seems like these markets will remain separate, at least for some time,” adds Zubov. “Players who can afford flagship mobile devices and $50 for games are likely to have the resources to enjoy games on PC and console as well. On the other hand, players who can’t afford gaming devices or high-performance mobile phones are less likely to make a one-time $50 purchase.”
Appfigures head of insights Randy Nelson agrees that these console ports are a tough sell for the average mobile player. “While the hardware in consumers’ hands has made enormous progress towards technological parity with current-gen consoles, it’s uncertain how many actually realize it and consequently even consider they might be able to play the latest Resident Evil or Assassin’s Creed on their phone,” he tells us.
“I fear that even if consumers realize they can play AC Mirage on their phones and tablets, the $50 game unlock IAP will end the decision making process right there. Consumers using Apple’s latest hardware may also be more likely to own current-generation game consoles capable of playing these games in 4K with theatre-quality sound for the same price – or less,” added Nelson.
“Selling the average iPhone 15 owner on the value of buying the game again at full price, even if it runs across iPad and Mac as well, is clearly an issue, as the data bears out.”
Ubisoft confirmed during this year’s WWDC keynote that it would be bringing the latest Assassin’s Creed game, subtitled Shadows, to high end iPads later this year. In its 2022 WWDC keynote, Apple also announced that No Man’s Sky would be coming to Mac and iPad. The Mac version was released in June 2023, but the iPad edition remains missing in action.
“Overall, the story with AAA titles coming to Apple devices makes more sense from a marketing perspective,” adds Appmagic’s Zubov. “The news about another project coming to mobile will get guaranteed publicity and perhaps will motivate a small number of people to buy the Pro version of the phone.”