How LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum made over a billion dollars
Yevgen Grishenko
- Hall:
- Wood Hall (Game Design Track)
What the talk is about
Yevgen Grishenko analyzes why LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum earned over a billion dollars and what developers of similar games can borrow from it. Almost all revenue and downloads come from Japan, while in Western markets the game performs far worse than other franchise-based titles. The speaker argues the Disney license is not the decisive factor. Success rests on casual line-linking gameplay, a deep meta layer of collection, skills and duplicates, and monthly live-ops events with themed promos, gachas and targeted offers. He also covers the mission system, bingo cards, the soft role of premium currency and a carefully designed pack structure. In the Q&A he discusses why the game underperforms in Europe and the US, suggesting a more linear progression and a lower entry barrier might help. Useful for game designers, producers and monetization specialists working on casual and mid-core games.