Bethesda decided to show the world how a mobile game should really be done, when they announced, and then released, Fallout Shelter for iOS devices during E3. The game, which is a sim/resource management title along the lines of classic games such as XCOM, FLT: Faster Than Light, and SimCity, charges the player to manage a Fallout shelter, leading it to prosperity.
It is a great game, and the best part is, it’s completely free- there are no shoehorned microtransactions, though if you wish to, you can purchase lunchboxes (which you would otherwise earn for free via completing daily objectives anyway). It is also so far only available on iOS devices.
Despite all of this, Fallout Shelter made $5.1 million in its first two weeks on the market, according to industry intelligence firm SuperData Research (via VentureBeat).
“In a stroke of marketing brilliance, Bethesda managed to win E3 early by delivering a superb press conference and launching a top-grossing mobile game in its wake,” SuperData chief executive Joost van Dreunen wrote in a report. “Originally developed as a marketing tool for the release of its upcoming Fallout 4, the mobile game is a hit in its own right, passing King’s Candy Crush Saga on the iOS top-grossing charts.”
The importance of this goes beyond just the money made- it serves to reinforce the notion that good mobile games will be rewarded and respected.
“But more significant than the publisher’s success is the notion that core gaming fans proved to be willing customers for a free-to-play mobile game,” said van Dreunen. “By emphasizing unobtrusive monetization and offline playability, Bethesda managed to earn the respect of a consumer group that is otherwise highly critical of free-to-play monetization. The game’s success further underscores the value of a strong franchise in the otherwise crowded mobile games market.”
Personally, I absolutely agree, and I am glad Fallout Shelter got so much success.
You can download it for free for your iOS device right now- it will also be available for Android devices later this week.