10 Years Strong: Amanotes’ Rise as a Global Leader in Music Gaming

Amanotes, a Southeast Asia-based game publisher, has been a leading force in the global music gaming market, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024 with remarkable achievements in downloads and player engagement. Renowned for its innovative rhythm-based games, such as Magic Tiles 3 and Tiles Hop, and Dancing Road, the company continues to captivate music-lover audiences over 190 countries and territories.

Amanotes' journey to global dominance has been defined by significant milestones and innovative breakthroughs. A pivotal moment came in 2017 with the launch of Magic Tiles 3, which achieved a remarkable 50% year-over-year growth in downloads and an astounding 590% increase in revenue from 2018 to 2019. According to Sensor Tower App Performance Insights, Amanotes has consistently held the title of #1 global publisher of music games by downloads from 2018 to 2023. Further solidifying its leadership in the mobile gaming industry, Amanotes was honored as the Best Music Game Publisher at the prestigious Sensor Tower APAC Awards 2023, highlighting its global influence and enduring success.

We sat down with Amanotes’s Head of Marketing, Alicia Vo, to understand the company's philosophy around cultivating organic growth, and how the company leverages Sensor Tower in order to stay ahead of the trends.

What were some of the Primary Challenges for Amanotes?

Amanotes' journey to success has not been without its challenges, as the fiercely competitive music gaming industry demands constant innovation and adaptability to maintain market leadership. One key hurdle lies in synchronizing music with gameplay in a manner that is both visually captivating and interactively engaging—a process requiring advanced expertise in music production, sound design, and game development. Global expansion presents further complexities, including navigating cultural nuances and managing higher user acquisition costs in regions like the US and Europe. Additionally, securing music licenses and IP partnerships remains a resource-intensive but essential effort to maintain differentiation and appeal in a crowded market. By embracing innovative solutions and leveraging data-driven strategies, Amanotes has successfully tackled these challenges, ensuring its games remain fresh, engaging, and competitive on a global scale.

How does Amanotes Stay Ahead in the Music Gaming Market?

Amanotes distinguishes itself through its simple yet addictive game mechanics, ensuring players can quickly grasp gameplay while remaining engaged through interactive elements. Its extensive music library—offering over 1 million globally accessible songs—enhances its appeal. The company emphasizes localized content with culturally tailored in-app events, such as Diwali and Ramadan, alongside seasonal updates like Halloween and Christmas.

On the marketing front, Amanotes excels in data-driven user acquisition campaigns and geo-specific targeting, ensuring effective audience reach across major social media platforms. Collaborative efforts across product, licensing, and marketing teams amplify organic growth, while special promotional events further boost engagement. This combination of creative gameplay design, strategic marketing, and cultural resonance solidifies Amanotes’ leadership in the music gaming market.

Sensor Tower Audience Insights Top Social ad Channels for Magic Tiles 3

How Did Sensor Tower Help Amanotes’ Success?

Amanotes has leveraged Sensor Tower’s data solutions to refine its strategies for scaling its titles globally. Key areas of support include:

Market Insights for Growth: Sensor Tower’s analytics provide detailed insights into market trends and competitor benchmarking. This helps Amanotes identify target markets, refine user acquisition strategies, and optimize content localization, enabling milestones such as surpassing 3 billion downloads globally.

Sensor Tower Game Intelligence Report for Music / Rhythm Subgenre

Content and Gameplay Optimization: By analyzing player behavior through engagement metrics, Amanotes tailors its gameplay mechanics and music selections to resonate with diverse regional audiences. This ensures that games like Magic Tiles 3 and Tiles Hop remain appealing across all markets.

Sensor Tower Daily Active Users Report Showing Spike during India Diwali 2023 Season

Strategic Partnerships and Licensing: Sensor Tower’s data helps Amanotes identify high-potential collaborations and music licensing opportunities. This enriches the music library in its games, enhances player satisfaction, and strengthens Amanotes’ brand as a leader in music gaming.

Sensor Tower Top Apps Report Showing Regional Music Platform for Partnership Discovery

Localization and Regional Campaigns: By leveraging regional data, Amanotes tailors its marketing campaigns to specific markets. Data-driven strategies have particularly supported the company’s strong presence in the APAC region, where local nuances are critical to driving downloads and user retention.

Sensor Tower Store Featured Report For Indonesia App Store

“Our partnership with Sensor Tower empowers us to harness the power of data, enabling us to optimize our games and marketing campaigns. This strategic partnership has been instrumental in maintaining our #1 position in the global music gaming market"  – Head of Marketing, Amanotes - Alicia Vo

Looking Ahead

Amanotes’ success lies in its ability to combine engaging gameplay, effective marketing, and data-driven strategies. By focusing on organic growth through ASO, viral gameplay, and culturally tailored campaigns, the company has solidified its position as a global leader in music gaming. As it marks its 10-year milestone, Amanotes is prioritizing hybrid-casual music games with enhanced in-app features, game skins, and core loops to deliver richer experiences. It is also committed to a "mastery users" strategy, improving its games to encourage players to achieve milestones and refine their skills for deeper engagement.

In marketing, the company emphasizes organic growth through App Store Optimization (ASO) and virality. Titles like Magic Tiles 3 leverage keyword optimization and visually compelling app store assets to maximize visibility, while music-driven gameplay tied to popular tracks enhances shareability.

With Sensor Tower’s analytics supporting its growth, Amanotes is well-positioned to tackle future challenges, refine its offerings, and sustain its leadership in the competitive gaming landscape.

About Sensor Tower

Sensor Tower is a leading and trusted enterprise-level provider of market intelligence and performance metrics in the mobile app ecosystem, dedicated to delivering corporate-grade data to help businesses tap into key market indicators, usage metrics, and trends. 

“By leveraging insights from Sensor Tower's products and services, we supported Amanotes in refining their organic growth, ASO strategies, and acquisition approach. We hope their success serves as inspiration for other game developers in Southeast Asia looking to expand internationally. “ – Powen Hsueh, Country Manager, Southern and Southeast Asia, ANZ, Sensor Tower