Single Product Earns $99 Million Monthly: The Oligopolization and Breakthrough Battle in the Merge Genre

Summary

According to Sensor Tower's "H1 2026 Merge Mobile Game Trends Insights," global in-app revenue from merge mobile games exceeded $2.1 billion in H1 2026, up 34% year-over-year, with merge-two gameplay contributing 96% of downloads and 93% of revenue. Chinese game companies have become the absolute leaders in this segment, with top players like Lemon Micro and Diandian Interactive building moats through impressive revenue and product matrices. A single product can generate tens of millions to over $100 million monthly, creating a stark 80/20 effect. Meanwhile, Voyager One and Lexin Shengwen are trying to break into the $10-million-level mid-tier market through gameplay fusion and theme innovation. This data reveals a trend of oligopolization in the merge genre, but smaller developers still have opportunities through differentiation. For players, intense competition among top products will lead to higher-quality gaming experiences. For the industry, the growth of the merge genre proves that niche categories still hold potential, yet entry barriers have significantly risen.