Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) ‘s mlbb top up discount seasonal strategy is driven by a number of factors. Taking “515 Carnival” in 2023 as an example, Moonton initiated a diamond recharge discount of up to 50% (e.g., additional 3,240 diamonds for the 6,480 diamonds recharge), which propelled the first week of the event to exceed $180 million globally (320% increase on a week-over-week basis), and the paying user conversion rate climbed to 18% (6% daily average). Sensor Tower data shows that such temporary activities have increased the players’ average top-up frequency per year from 4.2 times to 7.5 times, and the first charge rate of new users (within 72 hours) has increased by 25%, verifying the “scarcity marketing” effect on consumer behavior.
The promotion rhythm is driven by market competition and industry cycle. During Q1 2024, Endless Duel’s Southeast Asian market share was pinched to 52% by Free Fire (down 5% from Q4 2023), and Moonton promptly launched the “Spring special” in March (mlbb top up 15% back on 300 diamonds) with a peak top-up of $24 million per day. Stemmed user churn (DAU back up 3.2%). Promo density for leading MOBA mobile games during the Christmas month of December increased 70% from usual, based on App Annie, and MLBB’s introduction of the “Snow Pack” ($5, worth $10 a day items) during the same month sent ARPPU (average revenue per paying user) soaring from $9.8 to $14.5 during the month.
Financial objectives and cost structure determine pricing elasticity. Moonton’s holding company Mutong Technology stated that the 2023 Q4 top-up revenue accounted for 61% of the total annual revenue, and the cost of seasonal discounts accounted for 12% to 15% (including the payment of channel commission reduced to 8% to 12%, and the server expansion cost increased by 5%). For example, on Black Friday, the mlbb top up discount rate was increased to 30%, but through bulk purchasing of cloud service resources (AWS reserved instances cut 18% cost), the net profit margin was still maintained at 22%. In comparison, during the non-promotional period, the cost of the payment channel (e.g., iOS 30%) limits the space for daily discounts, and daily discounts are usually limited to 5%-10%.
Player behavior data drives targeted promotions. Machine learning model analysis shows that the players have the highest possibility of paying within 7 days of the version update (the payment probability is 40% higher than the daily rate), so MLBB will bind the S-level skin online with mlbb top up discount (for example, the new hero “Lin Yueru” in the first week of the release of $100 free exclusive skin), so that the skin sales conversion rate increased by 65%. In addition, returning players (not logged in for 30 days) are 80% more likely to receive targeted discount vouchers (e.g., “20% rebate on return exclusive top-up”) and have a significantly better 7-day retention rate (38%) than those who have not received vouchers (22%).
The localization strategy is driven by local culture and seasonality. During Ramadan in Indonesia (Mar. – April 2024), MLBB launched the “Charity recharge” (2% of the mlbb top up volume is donated to public welfare organizations), which achieved a 45% year-on-year increase in the country’s recharge flow, and the user praise rate reached 91%. In Brazil, World Cup season (June-July) Soccer-themed packages, with minimal back to town impacts, were 25% lower than usual and sold more than 2 million units, representing 34% of the region’s summer sales. These measures reduced regional revenue volatility (standard deviation) from 18% in 2022 to 12% in 2023, confirming the stability of the time-sharing and zoning strategy.
Technical and policy constraints force a centralized release of discounts. For example, in 2023, after Indonesia’s central bank required that in-game purchases had to be done through local payment channels (e.g., QRIS), the payment system was upgraded by Moonton for $3 million and cost recovery was accelerated through seasonal discounts (e.g., “Indonesia Independence Day recharge Double diamonds”), where the channel failure rate decreased from 6% to 0.9% during the promotion. The European Union’s “Digital Services Law” requires promotion transparency (must mark the original price and promotion period), so MLBB adjusted the promotional frequency in Europe from 1 time a month to 1 time a quarter, but the intensity of one promotion was increased by 50% (e.g., “Christmas time recharge 40% refund”), thus ARPU in the region increased by 8%.
Historical data and Black Swan events initiate emergency promotions. During the Philippine payment system breakdown in 2023 (which made the mlbb top up failure rate hit 22%), Moonton launched an emergency “failure compensation package” (top up any amount of 100 diamonds), the payment success rate resumed 95% within 48 hours, and customer complaints decreased by 70%. Against the pressure of global inflation in the year 2024 (CPI increase of more than 10% in some markets), MLBB launched the “inflation hedge discount” in Mexico and other countries (20% diamond bonus if you top up $10) so that the LTV (life cycle value) of users in high-inflation countries can achieve a 9% annual growth rate, far exceeding the industry average of 3%.