The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsRoyal Kingdom game?
It's strange how much ad space is given to a game with no ads. I decided to try it. But it's just not my style.
Anybody know the business model? Or actually play it?

biophile
(846 posts)Not a gamer myself
But what could they gain, if they dont sell ads? Your information? Its hinky AF
MrWowWow
(651 posts)The game Royal Kingdom is the second major mobile title from Dream Games, the Istanbul (and London)based developer behind the hit match‑3 puzzle game Royal Match. Released globally on November 21, 2024 after a lengthy soft launch, it stars King Richard (younger brother to Royal Matchs King Robert), Princess Bella, the Builder, the Wizard, and the Grand Duke as players solve match‑3 puzzles, build new districts, and defeat the Dark King .
Dream Games is a mobile game studio established in 2019 and headquartered in Turkey. Its best known for Royal Match, which launched in early 2021, became one of the top-grossing match‑3 games globally, and dethroned Candy Crush in 2023 .
As of early 2025, Royal Kingdom has generated over $50 million in IAP revenue across its first five months and exceeded $20 million during its soft launch alone .
1049-0Dream Games recently received a major investment from private equity firm CVC (with Blackstone providing debt financing), valuing the company at approximately $45 billion .
unblock
(55,435 posts)making puzzles super hard to beat and but they'll sell you 3 extra seconds or some other in-game power for tokens (gems, gold, whatever) that you have to pay real money for.
What's funny about total kingdom boasting "no ads" is that their ads are everywhere. Not in their own game, so they say, but everywhere else....
SleeplessinSoCal
(10,210 posts)I just hope I uninstalled it quickly enough. The ads for the game are omnipresent. To be honest I couldn't figure out the "match" aspect. It just seemed haphazard. So I bailed.
Back to Wordle, Spelling Bee, Mahjong and Solitaire.
Marie Marie
(10,374 posts)5-6 different screens just to close out their ads (that go on forever) while playing other games. I can tell within 5-10 seconds if a game interests me but it's like, well, we'll give you one or two or five more chances to click the install button. NOPE!! If your pre-install ads piss me off - not interested in your stupid game.
Norrrm
(2,522 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(10,210 posts)That is a reason I don't understand the business end.
LogDog75
(676 posts)considering all the money they're paying celebrities to promote their game.
SleeplessinSoCal
(10,210 posts)If they're worth 4 - 5 billion, maybe they aim to addict users, then bring in the ads. They can afford that. But it's just crazy. Or sinister.