# Why do my phone aps want me to download Royal Match so badly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2025, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103 "2025-06-25T03:35:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/1 "2025-06-25T03:35:36Z")
Whenever I play a YouTube video or a puzzle game on my phone I get inundated with ads for Royal Match (or Royal Kingdom. Whatever the hell they call it!) The ads are long, over a minute. Usually no way to skip through it. They claim it’s 100% free with no ads. If that’s true then what’s in it for them? YTF do they want me to download it so bad? What’s the catch? -Pete ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/2 "2025-06-25T03:39:09Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > If that’s true then what’s in it for them? There will be items in game that you can purchase. That is where they make their money. Often, the game is built in a way that progress is very slow unless you buy various perks or items (I have not played this one). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/3 "2025-06-25T03:39:20Z")
As I understand it, it’s “free,” but they make their money by selling in-game power-ups. Apparently, while you _can_ play and progress without spending any money, it sounds like buying the power-ups make it far easier and faster to advance. I have a couple of free-to-play games which I play regularly, which allow you to gain power-ups by watching ads a few times. Royal Match (or, as I mentally call it, “Derp King,” as the King character has a derpy expression on his face) accounts for at least 50% of the ads I see. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/4 "2025-06-25T03:45:21Z")
Probably the same reason my phone is players with ads for tiktok. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/5 "2025-06-25T12:22:17Z")
If this is the game I am thinking of, it’s advertised quite a lot with known actors in the commercial. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/6 "2025-06-25T12:28:42Z")
Sounds like a dating app to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/7 "2025-06-25T12:34:12Z")
Apparently both are from the same company but one is a sequel to the other. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/8 "2025-06-25T12:41:19Z")
Royal Match and Royal Kingdom are two separate (but incredibly similar) games. If you want to get deep into the “canon,” the kings in the two games are brothers. They’re okay as time-fillers, but they do pester you to buy in-game stuff to help your progress along. I play them when I have a few spare minutes, but I’ve never paid them a dime. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/9 "2025-06-25T18:05:42Z")
They have some TV commercials that reunite Howard and Penny (Big Bang Theory) as well as Monica and Phoebe (Friends), and probably some others I haven’t seen. They must shitloads of money to spend, which I assume means they also make shitloads of money from all those in-app purchasers. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/10 "2025-06-25T18:09:26Z")
I’ve seen some of those commercials, and yes, the known actors are probably costing them quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/11 "2025-06-25T19:07:27Z")
I’ve seen the ad with Jimmy Fallon and it is staged like it is a bit from the Tonight Show. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/12 "2025-06-25T19:13:12Z")
It’s certainly a Pareto thing. 90% pay little to no money and 10% fund the place. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/13 "2025-06-25T19:18:42Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > They have some TV commercials that reunite Howard and Penny (Big Bang Theory) as well as Monica and Phoebe (Friends), and probably some others I haven’t seen. They must shitloads of money to spend, which I assume means they also make shitloads of money from all those in-app purchasers. Not unlike the Monopoly Go smartphone game, which has been running TV ads featuring Chris Pratt, Jason Momoa, Keke Palmer, and the voice of Will Ferrell. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/14 "2025-06-25T20:12:45Z")
I posted about these ads on a different thread, annoying commercials. I find them very annoying, they are long and as the OP stated, you usually cannot bypass them. I have no interest in the game, it kills me that they advertise how enjoyable the experience must be for those that download the game. Ironically, they’re making my gaming experience less enjoyable because I am watching the ad for their “free game.” ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/15 "2025-06-25T22:25:39Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > They must shitloads of money to spend, which I assume means they also make shitloads of money from all those in-app purchasers. This info is from various third parties so it isn’t official (and who knows how accurate), but it looks like the combined iOS App Store/Google Play revenue numbers for Royal Match last month were in the $108-132 million range. edit to add Royal Match is currently the 6th highest grossing iOS App Store app and 7th highest grossing Google Play app. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-phone-aps-want-me-to-download-royal-match-so-badly/1020103/16 "2025-06-26T03:58:02Z")
I play it. Not a lot and not so I have to pay money. I do have to mention that the ads are a bit of a bait and switch. The part where you have to quickly solve in order to save the king from some sort of peril does not exist.