Mobile Industry /
Mobile Gaming's Biggest Publishers Test Their Next Hits as New Soft-Launch Report Reveals Industry Pipeline
An industry survey of mobile soft launches details pipeline projects from Blizzard, EA, King, Supercell, and Zynga as publishers test retention and monetisation.
Key facts
- Topic:
- Mobile Industry
- Published:
- 2026-10-27
- Reported by:
- Gameforce Mobile News Desk
Key takeaways
- Regional tests include Blizzard's Overwatch Rush, EA's Plants vs. Zombies 3: Evolved, and King's Minecraft Blast.
- Other notable projects in testing include Hill Climb Racing 3, Garena Free City, CSR 3, and Austin's Odyssey.
- Publishers rely heavily on regional soft launches to validate gameplay, retention, and KPIs before global rollouts.
A new October 26 survey of mobile soft launches offers an unusually detailed look at the games being tested behind the scenes by some of the industry's largest publishers. The report covers projects from Blizzard, Electronic Arts, King, Supercell, Zynga, Playrix, Tencent and several other major companies. Among the most interesting titles is Overwatch Rush, Blizzard's mobile-focused hero shooter, which remains in regional testing in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Electronic Arts continues experimenting with Plants vs. Zombies 3: Evolved, while King and Mojang are testing Minecraft Blast in Malaysia. Both projects demonstrate how established franchises are being adapted to mechanics that differ substantially from their original games. Other notable titles include Hill Climb Racing 3, which introduces real-time multiplayer, and Garena Free City, an open-world crime game being tested in selected markets.
Playrix has several projects in development, including Aqua Match, Austin's Odyssey and Questbound. Moon Active is experimenting with Dream Bay and Royal Splash: Tower Blast, while Zynga's portfolio includes CSR 3, Dice Companions and several smaller projects. The report also highlights games undergoing significant changes rather than moving directly toward worldwide release. Supercell's Mo.co, for example, has returned to a testing-oriented development approach following disappointing performance.
These examples illustrate why soft launches are so important to the mobile industry. Developers use limited releases to evaluate retention, monetisation, gameplay balance and technical stability before committing to expensive global marketing campaigns. Not every game will survive the process, and regional availability should not be confused with a confirmed worldwide launch.
Apparently the mobile industry's next billion-dollar success may already exist somewhere in Malaysia, quietly asking a few thousand players whether they would like to purchase another booster.
