Yalla Q2 game revenue rises 11.6% as new titles gain traction

The company’s game revenue rose 11.6% in the second quarter, as its new mid-and hardcore titles begin to supplement its flagship chat and casual gaming apps image credit: Bamboo Works Key Takeaways Yalla reported its game services revenue rose 11.6% year-on-year to $34.2 million in the second quarter, accounting for 41.4% of total revenue to become its growth engine The Middle Eastern social media company said its average monthly active users rose 12.3% year-on-year to 47.6 million in the second quarter After a highly anticipated buildup over more than a year, Yalla Group (YALA.US) began to deliver on its promise of moving beyond its legacy businesses into a new initiative for serious gamers in a bid to jumpstart its growth.

While its total revenue slipped slightly in the second quarter, the company posted double-digit growth in its game services, where it is banking on new mid- and hardcore titles to take it beyond its traditional strength in casual games.

That boost, combined with rising users and strong margins, suggest Yalla’s new products are revving up as a second growth engine.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA)-focused social networking and gaming company reported revenue of $82.6 million for the three months to June, exceeding the top end of its prior guidance, according to its latest quarterly report released on Monday.

It posted net income of $29.3 million for the quarter, lower than a year ago as it ramped up spending on the new gaming initiative.

Its net margin came in at 35.5%, while adjusted net income reached $34.4 million, with an adjusted net margin of 41.7%.

The strong margins were notable because Yalla doubled its sales and marketing spending year-on-year to $17.8 million during the quarter to support user acquisition and its newer games.

That investment may weigh on near-term profits, but is necessary as the company seeks to build a more diversified revenue base beyond its flagship Yalla and Yalla Ludo applications.

Yalla shares rose 4.1% on Tuesday after the report’s release, as investors welcomed the first tangible signs that the move into mid- and hardcore games was bearing fruit.

The quarter’s biggest takeaway was the growing contribution from games.

Revenue from the segment rose 11.6% to $34.2 million a year earlier, lifting its share of Yalla’s overall revenue to 41.4% from 36.3%.

That considerably narrowed the gap with the company’s legacy chat services, which generated $47.4 million, or 57.4% of total revenue.

New gaming bet Yalla’s latest results reflect a transition that has been underway for several quarters.

The company built its early success on a voice-centric chat platform and Yalla Ludo, a localized online board-game app.

Those businesses remain central to its revenue and cash generation, but management is increasingly directing spending toward a wider gaming portfolio.

The company’s games services growth in the second quarter was enough to partly offset a reduction in paying users, which the company attributed to recent geopolitical events across the region.

Its average monthly active users (MAU) rose 12.3% year-on-year to 47.6 million in the second quarter, while paying users totaled 10.9 million, down from 11.2 million a year earlier, but up 3.7% sequentially.

Yalla’s management attributed the sequential improvement to a recovery in its main products, particularly Yalla Ludo, as well as contributions from its new games.

The company marked the 10th anniversary of its Yalla social app during the quarter, using locally tailored campaigns to strengthen engagement among its core MENA audience.

New games go global The more important question for investors is whether Yalla’s new games can develop into material businesses on their own.

Its first self-developed match-three title, "Turbo Match," continued to gain users and maintain "healthy" retention trends in the second quarter, according to management.

Significantly, the game not only found users in the MENA region, but also in the U.S. and Europe, indicating appeal beyond the company’s traditional regional base. "Turbo Match" received a feature placement in Apple’s MENA App Stores, including Saudi Arabia, in mid-July, helping the title gain visibility in a region where Yalla already has brand recognition and localized operating experience.

The company said it would focus on raising Turbo Match’s commercialization in the second half of the year, targeting high-potential global markets and accelerating overseas expansion.

That means the company will now need to demonstrate that growing players can translate into durable monetization, rather than simply higher download and engagement figures.

Yalla’s other major release in the new gaming initiative, a desert-themed SLG game, is taking a more measured path.

The company gradually increased marketing spending in the first two months of the quarter and used a cross-promotion campaign with Yalla Ludo to attract early users.

The SLG title is set for a major update that will add gameplay content and improvements intended to strengthen engagement, conversion and monetization.

Management indicated that user acquisition may slow for the title in the third quarter before the new version’s expected fourth-quarter release, when the company could launch a fresh campaign.

That strategy reflects Yalla’s fiscally conservative nature, which has allowed it to maintain both profits and high margins throughout its history.

In this case, Yalla appears to be prioritizing retention and monetization optimization before starting to spend big on user acquisition.

More than a game publisher Yalla says it’s building an integrated social and gaming ecosystem, using cross-promotion to leverage its established user base that’s one of the largest in the region.

Management cited its desert-themed SLG title’s campaign with Yalla Ludo as an early example.

The company said it has several internally developed products in the pipeline, including casual and hyper-casual games, social product