Following the success of Whiteout Survival, Century Games welcomes its next cash cow: Kingshot.

SocialPeta – App Store Top-Grossing Game Rankings in the US

Kingshot: The Rising SLG Star in the Global Market

Since its launch on February 22, Kingshot has been a standout contender, quickly gaining attention. It follows in the footsteps of its acclaimed predecessor, Whiteout Survival, which succeeded both in China and global market, topping charts on WeChat and Alipay mini-game platforms. Its recent anniversary celebration further drove record-breaking in-game revenue.

Initially, discussions around Kingshot focused on its light-hearted, Western comic-style art. Early gameplay resembled indie title Thronefall, featuring idle tower defense combined with upgrade and build mechanics. Later, it transitioned—much like Whiteout Survival—into a standard SLG with simulation, troop deployment, and social competition. Many players view Kingshot as another successful example of Century Games drawing inspiration from console games and infusing them with SLG elements.

Thronefall resemblance

At launch, Kingshot barely held onto a spot in the U.S. Top 100, but surged into the Top 50 by February. Compared to its predecessor, Whiteout Survival, which only entered the U.S. Top 50 after three months, Kingshot proved itself a promising rising star.

As expected, Kingshot continued climbing, reaching the U.S. Top 30 in May and breaking into the Top 10 in June. On the free charts, it ranked just behind the returning giant Fortnite.

Alongside its rising chart positions, Kingshot saw rapid growth in daily ad spending. According to SocialPeta, the game began advertising as early as August 2024. By June 4, it had launched approximately 10,000 creatives across both iOS and Android, with daily volume peaking at over 2,000 in early June—a clear sign that Kingshot is aggressively striving for growth.

Kingshot’s daily ad creatives peaked at over 1,500 on Android and over 600 on iOS

2,000 Creatives a Day: A Deep Dive into Kingshot’s AI + Live-Action Ads

Kingshot’s creatives exhibit two key traits: first, a wide variety of AI-generated assets adapted with prompts and models for different regional markets; and second, a wealth of live-action testimonial-style clips, setting them apart from the puzzle or number-growth gameplay and trends currently dominating the market.

Top-Performing Ad Secondary Gameplay

For example, AI-generated image creatives come in distinct styles—realistic medieval, clean anime, and exaggerated cartoons—adjusted based on market tastes. Compared to images that blend in naturally, AI video creatives are more distinctive and diverse, primarily used to build atmosphere and introduce settings and lore.

A typical composition style features exaggerated size contrast, evoking visuals of giants or extraterrestrials. The camera angles are mostly frontal or side views, with armor details and battlefield backdrops enhancing the sense of world-building.

AI video creatives offer greater stylistic variety—for instance, oil painting-style visuals often seen in historical explainer videos create an unexpectedly grand atmosphere. While these assets appear intricately crafted, they differ significantly from Kingshot’s actual art style.

Realistic Oil Painting-style Visuals Create a Medieval Epic Ambiance

Estimated Impressions: 200K | Campaign Duration: 25 days

Some ad creatives were in sharp contrast to the game's aesthetic, such as anime-style MAD edits—visually stunning and cute, but vastly different from the game’s actual art style.

Anime-style Character Mashups

Estimated Impressions: 110K | Campaign Duration: 15 days

Other creatives adapted narrative tropes typical of Asian audiences, like short AI-generated story PVs featuring dramatic themes—soldiers going to war while wives wait at home. The clash of geisha costumes with Western armor added exotic flair.

AI Story Vignette

Estimated impressions: 100K | Campaign Duration: 17 days

AI-generated anime shorts are among the most popular formats. One Kingshot ad dressed its king character in clothes nearly identical to those from the anime Ranking of Kings. The plot included absurd twists—time travel, bread theft, outrunning police, and appearances by Hatsune Miku—making it more entertaining than conventional ads. The quirky tone also reduced the uncanny valley effect common in AI videos.

AI Animated Short Drama

Estimated Impressions: 150K | Campaign Duration: 22 days

In addition to full-length AI videos, Kingshot often uses AI-generated intros followed by live-action gameplay footage. One example blends ASMR and DIY clay modeling to create a sensory-rich ad experience.

AI + ASMR Crafting

Estimated Impressions: 190K | Campaign Duration: 28 days

Beyond AI, Kingshot excels at merging virtual and real content—splicing real actors with gameplay scenes. These ads strike a fine balance between immersion and strategic appeal.

Live-action + Game reenactment

Estimated Impressions: 100K | Campaign Duration: 17 days

Besides tailor-made intros, Kingshot sometimes 'cheats' by using viral TikTok memes as hook clips.

Live-action Meme Hooks

Estimated Impressions: 720K | Campaign Duration: 3 days

Live-action Lifestyle Scenes + Gameplay

Estimated Impressions: 230K | Campaign Duration: 7 days

Compared to explosive AI and live-action videos, gameplay demos are less engaging. Most gameplay creatives only swap out backgrounds while reusing the same BGM and sound effects. Tower defense + mowing-style footage feels like a hybrid between number-growth and roguelike gameplay.

Gameplay + Mowing Mechanic

Estimated Impressions: 2.2M | Campaign Duration: 2 days

According to SocialPeta, 'no ads' is a major selling point for Kingshot. The publisher rolled out multi-language campaigns (English, Japanese, Korean) emphasizing this feature.

Estimated Impressions: 170K | Campaign Duration: 25 days

Estimated Impressions: 110K | Campaign Duration: 18 days

Kingshot Reflects Century Games’ Global Strategy

From user acquisition to revenue generation, the SLG genre has long been a competitive pillar, rivalling the popularity of anime and open-world games in recent years. Today, the fiercest competition in SLG lies between Last War from Singapore's FirstFun and Century Games’ Whiteout Survival. 

They represent two dominant factions: one focused on casual SLGs and celebrity marketing with secondary gameplay ads, the other emphasizing narrative-driven gameplay and creative AI/live-action creatives. 

Unlike publishers obsessed with one genre, Century Games believes in diversification. Even before Whiteout Survival, they had casual, simulation, and card game hits like Family Farm Adventure and Food and Travel. After the winter apocalypse boom, the company continued investing in idle and mini-game formats, embracing trial and error to avoid homogenization. 

As a self-homage to Whiteout Survival, Kingshot proves the effectiveness of Century Games’ formula: solid core gameplay backed by diversified content. The launch of High Seas Hero further signals the company’s ambitions in mini-game-inspired titles. 

The above are insights into advertising analysis about the rising SLG star Kingshot from Century Games. For more mobile marketing data, please visit: www.socialpeta.com.