Marvel Snap hit the global market on 18 October 2022 – and has since made a major impact, racking up 5.3 million downloads worldwide, shooting to the top of the App Store’s gaming categories in several markets, and earning over US $2 million in its first week on sale. This is significant, as Marvel Snap is a free game with a hands-off approach to microtransactions.
According to Sensor Tower data, the game is most popular in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, with plenty of #1 rankings in the gaming, card game, and strategy game categories worldwide.
Data from MobileGamer and Appmagic charts a similar success story. The game is experiencing major popularity on most global App Stores – including in Australia, where it reportedly ranks 3rd on the Google Play Store. This is despite the game launching in July 2022 in this regional market.
Read: Marvel Snap designer Kent-Erik Hagman talks smart card game design
With more players now active and battles heating up, it appears the success of Marvel Snap is being sustained by a fresh global audience.
While Marvel Snap has not achieved the blockbuster success of other recent mobile releases – Diablo Immortal notably earned US $11.5 million from 6.1 million downloads in its first week, Apex Legends Mobile earned US $3.6 million from 10 million downloads – it remains an impressive start for the strategy card game, particularly considering it’s not heavily monetised.
While there are certainly incentives in the game to spend money on card upgrades and special cosmetic variants for cards, it’s also very easy to play the game without spending a cent.
That said, there are certainly those who’ve been tempted by the promise of upgrades already, with players in the United States reportedly spending around US $1.2 million on the game in its first week on sale. This record is followed by the Philippines, which spent a collective US $186,000 on the game, then Korea at US $142,000, and Australia at US $141,000.
Overall, these achievements are a positive sign for the growth of Marvel Snap, as its audience begins to grow, and it achieves stability in the market. With new cards, events, and tweaks being added for the ongoing strategy game on a regular basis, it’s likely it will continue to top charts in future.
