Do you wonder why battle passes are the new hotness in gaming monetization? Clash of Clans, which has been a hit since 2012, was able to make $27 million during the week it debuted its Gold Pass, according to market analyst Sensor Tower. That was up 145% over the previous week.
That is a week-over-week increase of about 2.5 times for the mobile free-to-play game. During the first week of Gold Pass, players spent about $3.9 million a day.
Battle passes, also called season passes, have taken over loot boxes as a popular way to monetize a game after its launch. It has players spend money to access a progression system that unlocks new items, usually cosmetics, as they play. So not only does it make money, but it encourages buyers to play the game more.
Fortnite, which is also on mobile, popularized the modern season pass. Before, games like Call of Duty would sell a “season pass” that would grant access to story-based or multiplayer downloadable content over time. Now these battle passes focus on cosmetics earned through playing. Other online hits like Rocket League and Apex Legends have adopted the system.
Clash of Clan’s Gold Pass helped it reach the top five revenue spots for iPhone games in 46 countries. The Gold Pass costs $5 in the U.S., and Clash of Clans was No. 1 in the country’s App Store’s overall top grossing list for the first time since October 13, 2017 when the battle pass launched.