SYBO and Hipster Whale announced recently that their two popular mobile titles, Subway Surfer and Crossy Road (respectively) have crossed over as part of a special event. The titles shared characters, limited-time events and rewards for their respective fanbases, a first-of-its-kind event for two of the most popular mobile games in the world. So how did the two games come together?
The crossover lasted for three weeks, with Crossy Road getting a Subway Surfers-themed world with Jake, Tricky and other Subway Surfers characters; and Subway Surfers got a limited Crossy Road-themed event with rewards such as fowl costumes for Jake and Tricky. The event was free to players on both apps.
GamesBeat spoke with SYBO CMO Phil Hickey about the crossover, and he noted that this is part of Subway Surfer’s strategy of content updates for its dedicated gamers. “As two of the more nostalgic, beloved games in mobile game history, I think we both have a huge fan base of past, present and future that would enjoy the experience. For each company, we create content continually, and it’s a great piece of content. It helps get eyeballs, and helps with user acquisition, retention and engagement.”
Mobile gaming culture and popularity
Mobile gaming has often been greenhouse for micro-trends in gaming — different kinds of games will rise in popularity and just as quickly fall out of favor. But Subway Surfer and Crossy Road have both enjoyed long-term popularity, being 13- and 11-years-old, respectively. Subway Surfers, for example, was the most popular arcade runner in the world, according to Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 report.
Mathias Gredal …