In the past two years, SLG (Strategy and Simulation Game) category can be considered one of the most favorable "tools" for Chinese companies to strike gold in the international market. With its high adaptability in themes, excellent revenue-generating capabilities, and a large market capacity, many international companies have flocked to develop SLG games. However, according to third-party data, starting from Q3 2022, the downloads of SLG games have been rapidly and consistently declining, and the ARPD (Average Revenue Per Download) has been fluctuating significantly. As of April this year, the revenue scale of the SLG category has dropped by 30% compared to the peak revenue in the same period in 2021, and the monthly revenue of the top 100 SLG mobile games has also shown a decline.

However, amidst the fluctuations, we have noticed that several "non-conforming" companies have achieved growth against the trend. For example, Lilith Games' "Awakening of Dragons" is estimated to have reached 160 million USD in revenue in April this year. IGG's "Doomsday: Last Survivors" has an estimated revenue of over 50 million USD in April. Also, DianDian Interactive's "Whiteout Survival" has achieved remarkable success. According to third-party data estimates, as of June, the game's net overseas income has exceeded 71 million USD, and the cumulative overseas revenue is estimated to have exceeded 1 billion RMB (approximately 154 million USD), with a presence in the top 20 rankings in various regions including Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Exploring New Horizons in SLG: Fresh Themes Open New Avenues

For DotDot Interactive's game "Whiteout Survival," its most prominent feature is undoubtedly its unique packaging in the "post-apocalyptic ice and snow survival" theme, as well as its "small yet refined" low-polygon style.

Analyzing from a thematic perspective, in the current overseas SLG landscape, both in terms of themes and styles, there has been a relatively "stable" preference. Themes such as the Three Kingdoms, warfare, fantasy magic, apocalyptic zombies, and historical/civilization themes are the most favored categories among overseas SLG players. Realistic art styles and cartoon art styles are the style preferences that overseas players find it hard to let go of. However, the combination of apocalypse and ice and snow survival is one of the themes that has slowly gained popularity in recent years.

Prior to DotDot, NetEase was the first to target this theme with the release of the ice and snow survival-themed mobile game "Frostpunk" on the Steam platform. Although the game performed exceptionally well on the PC platform, NetEase did not make further attempts in this niche sub-genre on the mobile gaming front. DotDot, on the other hand, seized the gap in the mobile gaming market for this theme and successfully carved out a niche in the highly competitive SLG landscape, leveraging a theme that may seem niche but already had a considerable player base and audience on the PC/Steam platform.

"Whiteout Survival" sets its game background storyline in an environment where extreme cold weather has destroyed people's living conditions, and players must lead the survivors to stay alive. Centered around the theme of "ice and snow survival," the game features a unique "temperature system." In the middle of the base, all sources of warmth come from the "furnace," and even during the day, external temperatures typically fluctuate around minus 50 degrees Celsius. Players need to flexibly adjust the furnace temperature to ensure that the survivors do not fall ill due to excessive cold.

To create a stronger sense of urgency and the impending apocalypse for players, "Whiteout Survival" deliberately introduces catastrophic "blizzard" events. These events impose time limits on players, encouraging them to expedite town construction and resource acquisition. Only by meeting various conditions (such as building levels and resource quantities) that allow them to withstand the "blizzard" can players safely survive. This design is quite clever. In the early stages of "Whiteout Survival," building upgrades are fast and resource-efficient, and upgrading buildings only requires multiple clicks, which can sometimes be boring for new players. However, the first blizzard event occurs just as players are beginning to stockpile resources, quickly entering a 1-hour countdown period, pressuring players to upgrade quickly to withstand the disaster.

While tapping into the urgent human need for "survival," "Whiteout Survival" enhances player immersion by using special effects like freezing and snowflakes throughout the game. This helps stimulate initial player retention. Additionally, players are reminded that they can open a second construction line by purchasing packages, essentially giving players who are scrambling a "hook" for quick progress. This also increases early-stage monetization to some extent.

Compared to traditional COK-like games, "Whiteout Survival" may appear relatively standard. In my experience, the game downplays exploration and resource harvesting, which are typically core elements in SLG games. Instead, it places more emphasis on constructing a "simulation management + post-apocalyptic ice and snow survival" ecosystem. Whether it's survival, construction, NPC emotional needs, or interior decoration gradually unlocked with building upgrades, the game embodies the essence of simulation management games. It has a touch of the charm found in games like "The Sims." Consequently, "Whiteout Survival" naturally attracts a group of simulation management enthusiasts. As they continue playing long-term, they can also experience the SLG elements introduced in the late game, such as alliances and resource battles.

It's worth mentioning that prior to "Whiteout Survival," DDTank released another game with the same ice and snow survival theme - "Ice Age." In terms of the timeline, "Ice Age" is one of the earlier games known to combine "simulation management" with "post-apocalyptic ice and snow survival." The overall style and game mechanics of "Ice Age" are remarkably similar to "Whiteout Survival." The success of this combination has already been recognized by the market through "Ice Age."

The facts also prove that seizing the gap in innovative themes and making reasonable and diversified extensions in gameplay to cover more categories is a correct and commendable approach.

According to Century Huatong's financial report for the first half of 2023, Century Huatong's mobile game business revenue reached 3.096 billion yuan, an 8.88% year-on-year increase. In the overseas market, DDTank's two new ice and snow-themed games, "Frozen City" and "Whiteout Survival," successfully broke through with their unique themes and finely-tuned user acquisition strategies, both entering the Sensor Tower's top 10 list for overseas mobile game revenue and growth in the first seven months of 2023. According to DDTank's data estimates, "Whiteout Survival" has already surpassed the 1 billion yuan mark in cumulative overseas revenue as of now.

Novel themes equate to more flexible user acquisition strategies.

With its relatively innovative theme, Diantdi Interactive has firmly established itself in the niche SLG genre. The advantage of its theme has, to a large extent, helped Diantdi Interactive reduce user acquisition costs, allowing it to develop its own unique style in terms of user acquisition.

According to extensive data, as of now, "Whiteout Survival" has delivered a total of 250,000 advertisements, reduced to 89,000 after deduplication.

From a regional perspective, "Whiteout Survival" has maintained a relatively stable advertising frequency since February of this year. After June, it increased its advertising efforts in regions such as the UAE, Greater China, and South Korea on the Android platform. After July, it ramped up advertising in the United States, Germany, Canada, and other regions. This also indicates that Diantdi Interactive is beginning to see the European and American markets as core targets.

Changes in advertising strategy have led to changes in downloads in different regions.

With Diantdi Interactive increasing its advertising efforts in the United States, by the end of July, the U.S. market had exceeded the revenue of "Whiteout Survival" in South Korea and Greater China, becoming the game's primary source of revenue. In my opinion, this somewhat suggests that the seemingly niche theme of "post-apocalyptic ice and snow survival" has great potential for development in the European and American markets, and even has the potential to become a core sub-genre in the future SLG landscape.

Of course, "Whiteout Survival" doesn't just focus on the core elements of "simulation management" and "post-apocalyptic ice and snow survival" within the game itself; it also employs a variety of dramatic combinations for user acquisition materials.

By searching for creative ideas and ad popularity, I found that many of the creative ideas for this game come from TikTok, and more specifically, they often incorporate realistic elements such as building, mining coal, and staying warm. These elements are aimed at eliciting empathy from players. The advertisements then use exaggerated real-life scenarios to convey a sense of cold or directly transition to in-game simulations of the "simulation management" gameplay. This creative approach effectively breaks the boundaries between reality and the game, blending them seamlessly while maintaining a sense of fun.

Another category of materials focuses on directly showcasing the competitive gameplay of the SLG. In these materials, NPCs engage in city sieges and territory expansion while collecting resources. However, these materials still use a relatively lightweight presentation style, resembling a "side gameplay" approach to user acquisition.

In summary, the different gameplay focuses exhibited by the two types of advertising materials reflect DotJoy's fine-tuned targeting of players with varying game preferences. Furthermore, both types of materials employ a relatively lightweight presentation style, making them accessible to a broader audience, including casual gamers and hyper-casual gamers. In a way, these players can all be considered "potential prospects" for "Whiteout Survival," demonstrating the game's versatility and appeal across different player segments.

In conclusion

Looking at the global SLG (Strategy and Simulation Game) market, the trend of category fusion has become unstoppable. In this overarching trend, seizing differentiation in themes and blending gameplay has become the key strategy for major game developers in the SLG genre. The success of "Whiteout Survival" demonstrates the potential of the "simulation management + post-apocalyptic snow survival" theme in SLG games and showcases DotJoy's capabilities. However, whether for its own products, DotJoy, or the entire SLG genre, there is still significant untapped potential.

In other words, there are more themes and gameplay possibilities waiting to be explored in the SLG genre. Game developers can take cues from DotJoy and focus on niche sub-genres or innovate existing gameplay styles, demonstrating that this seemingly competitive market still offers ample opportunities. Ultimately, success in this field depends not only on development capabilities but also on identifying market gaps, using precise user acquisition and marketing strategies to capture users, and becoming pioneers rather than imitators in the genre.

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