(Also: Crossy Road Mashup)
Subway Surfers, Sybo’s multi-multi-billion download endless runner has hit Edinburgh for the first time, as part of the title’s Easter update.
While the game has featured some of the world’s most famous cities in the past, the new update brings the castle-based capital to the game “blending Scotland’s historic charm with fresh new content for Easter.” The update introduces three new characters – Finlay, Ribbon, and Soul Sir Easter – alongside four themed hoverboards: Bloomster, Eggscalibur, Guard Board, and the cool-sounding Edinburst.
Subway Surfers is one of the world’s most successful mobile games. Originally released on on 24 May 2012, the game is regularly updated with a ‘World Tour’ theme, that updates the setting of the game every three to four weeks.
In March 2018, Subway Surfers became the first game on the Google Play Store to achieve one billion downloads. In May 2018, the game cruised past two billion downloads. App Annie (now Data.AI) reported Subway Surfers as the number two game – by downloads – of all time in the iOS App Store.
In December 2019, SYBO announced that Subway Surfers crossed the 2.7 billion downloads mark – making it the most downloaded mobile game of the decade from 2012 to 2019.
As of writing, the game has more than four billion downloads across all platforms, with more than 20 million daily average users and 150 million monthly average users.
A spin-off, Subway Surfers Blast, developed by Outplay in Dundee, was released in April 2023.
Speaking to Sybo’s CMO Philip Hickey, Udonis.co asked about the game’s success:
2022 was a remarkable year for Subway Surfers, a year I like to call the ‘perfect storm’. We witnessed growth not just in the game’s metrics, but also in our social reach, fan base, and team. The real pride comes from sustaining this momentum well into 2023, a true testament to our dedicated team’s efforts.
In addition to visiting the capital city of Scotland, the Easter update also brings another much-loved game into the mix, with SYBO and Hipster Whale collaborating on a crossover.
Over the next several weeks, both mobile games will release limited edition crossover characters, challenge events, new gameplay mechanics, and more surprises for players to unlock during this first-of-its-kind collaboration.
Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO told the Scottish Games Network:
When you think about the most iconic mobile games of the last decade, Subway Surfers and Crossy Road often go hand-in-hand. Throughout Subway Surfers’ 13th year, we’ve been reflecting on other mobile games that have helped shape modern culture, and Crossy Road is one we admire. We hope our collective player base finds joy in the nostalgia of our universe’s colliding and Subway Surfers’ first-ever game collaboration.