According to the Zhitong Finance APP, recently, Qimai Data published the popular game rankings for November 2024, including the Top 30 popular game downloads and the Top 30 popular game revenues. In this month's popular game download list, Tencent's mobile games 'Honor of Kings' and 'Golden Shovel Duel' ranked Top 1 and Top 3 respectively, while the simulation game 'Shawarma Legend' performed remarkably, successfully occupying Top 2.

'Shawarma Legend' is a simulation game developed by Turkish independent game developer Eyad Al Shafei. It was originally launched on the Steam platform and various major mobile gaming platforms worldwide. Approximately three months after its launch, the global download count exceeded 3.45 million times. The game was delisted in China on September 10 and returned to the App Store and other platforms on October 9, experiencing another surge in downloads, ranking first on the iOS free game list for more than 20 days.

As a single-player simulation game, 'Shawarma Legend' features a low entry barrier and simple, easy-to-understand gameplay, meeting the fragmented gaming needs of some players. Players can easily start the game during leisure breaks or commutes. At the same time, its immersive gaming experience can easily engage players. As the owner of a shawarma shop, players need to complete a series of operations like frying fries while catering to customers with varying needs, testing their visual acuity and reaction speed. Additionally, the game includes special roles like beggars and thieves, requiring players to respond flexibly to unexpected situations while focusing on order tasks. This multitasking game design makes the gameplay full of variables and surprises, significantly enhancing playability and appeal.

Notably, due to its abstract music and addictive Chinese voice acting, the game has gained considerable attention and topic popularity. Coupled with numerous fan-made videos promoting it, 'Shawarma Legend' has gone viral on social media platforms. As of now, the Douyin topic #ShawarmaLegend has achieved 3.46 billion views. Some AI design elements in the game were not alienating to players; instead, their clumsy yet humorous pronunciation sparked a creative frenzy among netizens, leading to the emergence of popular internet memes like 'Let's Speak Chinese.'

In addition, many old games with similar gameplay have benefited from the traffic generated by 'Shawarma Legend.' Among them, 'Flight Chef' and 'Breakfast Store Downstairs' capitalized on this momentum, successfully entering the Top 20 free simulation games on the App Store. It is well known that social media serves as an important communication channel with a natural 'grass-planting' advantage, where players' spontaneous or involuntary sharing behaviors can lead to unexpected publicity results for the game.

From the new mobile game rankings in November, six products made the list. Among them, the mobile game "Slow Life in Another World" from Yishijie performed particularly well. According to Qimai data observations, the game began pre-orders on October 24, launched open beta testing on November 19, and topped the App Store's free games chart and simulation games chart on its launch day.

It is reported that "Slow Life in Another World" is a leisurely Operation mobile game newly launched by Yishijie in 2024. This game innovates on the classic simulation Operation model by integrating a unique "another world theme." In the game, players are no longer traditional human protagonists but transform into a magical creature, "Walking Mushroom," unexpectedly traversing to the bottom of the food chain in another world, starting from the bottom and gradually growing into the lord of the town, taking on the responsibilities of building and managing the town. While managing the village and town, players can experience various leisure gameplay such as farming, cooking, and fishing, as well as interact with various fantastical creatures and characters.

Particularly noteworthy is that "Slow Life in Another World" cleverly combines second-dimensional elements with the slow life concept, showcasing a unique, relaxed, and healing game atmosphere with the main theme of "Reincarnating into Another World, Unwinding through Slow Life." The launch of "Slow Life in Another World" is a new attempt by Yishijie to build a diverse product matrix and expand the boundaries of gaming. According to Qimai data observations, the game's performance in overseas markets has also been remarkable; it launched in the Japanese market in May this year and soon topped the free games chart in the App Store for the Japan region.

In terms of the categories of games that made it onto the rankings, action mobile games had the highest number with eight titles, followed by leisure mobile games with five titles.

Looking at the game developers of those that made the rankings, Tencent has 11 products listed, while NetEase has 5 products listed. Major companies are still competing intensely in the popular game download rankings.

The top three revenue rankings for popular games this month are again monopolized by Tencent, namely "Honor of Kings," "Peacekeeper Elite," and the newly launched "Dungeon and Fighter: Origin" from the beginning of the year.

Only four new products made it onto the revenue rankings in November, which are "Arknights," "QQ Dance," "Three Kingdoms Kill," and "Egg Party."

As a classic second-dimension strategy tower defense game, "Arknights" has shown significant monetization power this month. Its 2024 "Thank You Celebration" limited-time event Part.1 starts in November, with sections such as "Carnival Night Market" continuing until the end of the month. At the same time, this month, the game also received updates in gameplay, such as infrastructure system optimization and an increase in rationality limits, attracting many previously inactive players to return.

From the perspective of the types of games that made it onto the list, action mobile games occupy the top spot in quantity, with as many as 8 entries. Following closely are strategy mobile games, with a total of 6 entries on the list.

In terms of the game developers for the Top 30 revenue list of popular games in November, Tencent has 11 products on the list, while NetEase has 7.

Looking at the changes in game rankings, this month "Crossfire" has improved its ranking by 15 places compared to last month. In November, this game celebrated its ninth anniversary with a hefty event, where the official team prepared free benefits for players, such as obtaining the Eagle Claw - Puzzle City Rainbow Awakening just by logging in. During the event, the return of popular items like AK47 - Competitive Glory and M4A1 - Competitive Glory attracted a large number of returning players and spending. In the ninth anniversary version, this mobile game also collaborated deeply with Chongqing, bringing a new map and gameplay filled with cyberpunk style, allowing players to experience the unique charm of the mountain city and the joy of battle.