Storytelling in mobile games: Cross-cultural analysis of narrative engagement, retention, and monetization

Abstract

This study examines storytelling consumption patterns in The Walking Dead: Match3 Tales, a mobile game that integrates a well-known intellectual property into a ludic-focused gameplay experience. Through quantitative analysis of user behavior across 15 countries, we explore how different cultural regions engage with narrative elements in mobile games. The findings reveal that story consumption is highly fragmented, with players dedicating only a small fraction of their session time to storytelling. Regional differences emerge, with Western audiences generally spending more time with narrative content than East Asian players. However, more narrative content consumption does not correlate with higher retention or monetization. Instead, players who consume less story content exhibit higher retention rates and contribute more to in-game revenue. These findings indicate that simply integrating storytelling elements does not automatically lead to higher engagement or monetization, particularly when not supported by the game’s core mechanics and monetization framework. While certain cultural regions may indeed spend more time engaging with narrative features, the broader game structure must effectively integrate those elements to achieve meaningful player retention and revenue gains. Certain player segments in Western markets may allocate more time to story-driven features, yet simply adding narrative content does not ensure better retention or revenue. Instead, effective storytelling in mobile games must work in tandem with the underlying gameplay systems and monetization design.