For many Japanese gaming companies, Apple Ads is one of the first channels that comes to mind when the team starts seriously thinking about overseas growth. It makes sense. The ads appear inside the App Store, close to the moment when users are already searching for a game, comparing options, or deciding what to download next.

But when Japanese games target the US or other global markets, the challenge is not simply “run Apple Ads in English.”

A campaign that performs well in Japan will not always perform the same way overseas. The keywords are different. The competitors are different. The way users understand the game is different. Even the creative that feels the most natural in Japan may not communicate the same equivalent value to a US audience.

This is especially true for Japanese mobile games, where the appeal often comes from a mix of IP, characters, art style, worldbuilding, gameplay systems, events, and long-term collection. These unique strengths can absolutely work globally, but they need to be presented in a way that overseas users can also digest quickly.

Here are a few practical tips for Japanese gaming companies using Apple Ads to target the US or global markets.

Don’t just copy the Japan campaign structure

One of the easiest mistakes to make is duplicating the Japan campaign structure and translating the keywords into English.

That can be a useful starting point, but it usually is not enough.

In Japan, users may already know the IP, the publisher, the characters, or the type of game, already searching using very specific terms. In the US, many users may be discovering the game for the first time, maybe not even knowing the title or they might not know the original IP. They may only be searching for something broad like “anime RPG,” “gacha game,” “turn based RPG,” or “strategy game.”

Because of this, global campaigns should be built around how users in that unique market actually search.

A simple structure could separate campaigns into brand keywords, generic genre keywords, competitor keywords, and discovery campaigns. This makes it much easier to understand what is actually working.

For example:

• Brand keywords may convert well but have limited scale. 
• Generic keywords may be more expensive but help reach new users. 
• Competitor keywords may be inconsistent, but sometimes reveal useful audience overlap. 
• Discovery campaigns can help find search terms the team would not have thought of internally.

The point is not to make the structure complicated. The point is to avoid mixing too many different types of intent into one campaign, because once everything is mixed together, it becomes harder to know what to optimize.

Think about what overseas users would call your game

For Japanese gaming clients, keyword strategy is often where the first big gap appears.

The internal team may describe the game based on the official genre, IP, or Japanese market positioning. However, overseas users may describe the same game very differently.

A game that is considered a character-collection RPG in Japan might be searched for globally as:

• anime RPG
• gacha game
• mobile RPG
• turn based RPG
• JRPG
• fantasy RPG
• strategy RPG
• story game
• idle RPG
• card battle game
• cute anime game

Not every term will be right for every game, but this way of thinking is important. The user may not search for the “correct” category. They search based on what they understand and what they want to play.

This is why keyword research should include competitor review, App Store search behavior, English community language, Reddit or Discord terminology, and the way similar games are described by players. The best Apple Ads keywords often come from how real users talk, not from how the company describes the product internally.

Separate brand, genre, and competitor keywords

When launching in the US, it can be tempting to put all strong-looking keywords into one campaign and see what happens. The problem is that each keyword type behaves differently.

Brand keywords are usually the highest intent. If someone is searching for the game title, IP name, publisher name, or character name, they are already close to downloading. These keywords are useful for protecting demand and capturing users who already know the game.

Genre keywords are different. Someone searching “anime RPG” or “gacha game” may be open to your game, but they are also comparing options. The creative needs to work harder here. The product page needs to explain the value quickly.

Competitor keywords are different again. These can be useful, but they should be handled carefully. A user searching for another game may not be ready to switch. The tap cost may be higher, and the conversion rate may be lower. Still, competitor campaigns can be valuable when the audience overlap is strong.

By separating these groups, the team can judge each one fairly. A competitor campaign should not be expected to perform like a brand campaign. A generic campaign should not be judged the same way as high-intent title searches.

Localize the message, not just the text

For Japanese games, this is one of the biggest points.

Localization does not only mean translating Japanese copy into English. It means making sure the overseas user immediately understands why the game is worth downloading.

A screenshot that works well in Japan may be too busy or too unclear for a US user who has never heard of the game. The art may be beautiful, but the message may not be obvious. The characters may be appealing, but the user may not understand the gameplay. The game may have years of content, but a new user may worry they are too late to start.

This is where creative strategy really matters and can help pinpoint different user segments within ad campaigns.

For global Apple Ads campaigns, it is worth testing different angles such as:

• A focus on characters and anime-style art.
• A focus on gameplay and battle systems.
• A focus on the story or world.
• A focus on launch rewards, limited-time events, or beginner bonuses.
• A focus on well-known IP elements, if the game has them.

The goal is not to “Westernize” the game so much that it loses its identity. The Japanese style may be the exact reason users are interested. The goal is to make that appeal easier to understand for someone who is seeing the game for the first time.

Use custom product pages more intentionally

Custom product pages are very useful for gaming campaigns because one game can have several different selling points.

For example, imagine a Japanese RPG with strong characters, turn-based battles, story content, and live events. A user searching “anime RPG” may care most about the characters and art style. A user searching “turn based RPG” may care more about gameplay. A user searching for a competitor title may need to understand why this game is different. A user searching for the official IP may want to see familiar characters and trust signals.

Those users should not always see the exact same product page.

With custom product pages, the team can create different versions of the App Store page and connect them to different Apple Ads ad groups. This makes the campaign feel more relevant to the user’s intent. 

For example:

• An anime-focused keyword group can use character-heavy screenshots.
• A gameplay-focused keyword group can show battles, team building, and progression.
• An IP-focused group can highlight familiar characters, stories, and world(s).
• A launch or event-focused group can show limited-time rewards and reasons to start now.

This does not need to be overcomplicated at the beginning. Even two or three strong custom product page variations can teach the team a lot about what overseas users care about.

Remember that the US is not one audience

It is easy to talk about “the US market” as if it is one type of player. In reality, the US gaming audience is very broad.

Some users are anime fans while some are mobile RPG players. Some are console JRPG fans and some are casual users who like collecting characters. Some care about competitive systems when others only download when there is a strong event or collaboration.  

This matters because one campaign result may not tell the full story.

If a broad campaign performs poorly, it does not always mean the game has no US potential. It may mean the keywords were too broad, the creative angle was wrong, or the campaign reached the wrong segment first.

For Japanese gaming clients, it is better to test by audience hypothesis. Asking different questions to yourself like:

Do anime fans respond better than general RPG players?

Do gameplay-focused screenshots convert better than character-focused screenshots?

Do users respond more to the IP name or the genre?

Are competitor terms too expensive, or are there a few specific competitors that work well?

Does the game perform better in the US, Canada, Australia, or Southeast Asia?

These questions are more useful than simply asking, “Did the US campaign work?”

Start by learning, then scale

When entering a new market, the first Apple Ads goal should usually be learning. Trying to scale too quickly can waste budget before the team understands which keywords, audiences, and creative angles are actually working.

A good early approach is to start with a controlled structure, gather data, and then expand from there.

Start with brand and high-intent keywords. Add a focused set of genre terms. Test a small group of competitor keywords separately. Use a discovery campaign to find new search terms. Connect the most important ad groups to relevant custom product pages.

Once the team sees where conversion is strongest, then it can increase bids and budget more confidently.

This is especially important for games because install cost alone does not tell the full story. A keyword may look expensive but bring in users who retain and pay. Another keyword may look cheap but bring low-quality installs.

Look beyond CPI

For gaming campaigns, CPI is important, but it should not be the only metric.

A campaign with a low CPI may not be valuable if users leave after the tutorial. A campaign with a higher CPI may be worth scaling if users retain, join events, make purchases, or become long-term players.

Japanese gaming companies should connect Apple Ads results to downstream performance whenever possible. The most useful metrics will depend on the game, but they may include tutorial completion, Day 1 retention, Day 7 retention, first purchase rate, ARPU, ROAS, event participation, and cost per paying user.

This is also where keyword-level analysis becomes powerful. The team may discover that certain terms bring fewer installs but much stronger players. Those insights can shape not only Apple Ads, but also ASO, creative, influencer strategy, and broader market positioning.

Make the product page easy to understand

A common issue with Japanese games going global is that the product page assumes too much knowledge.

The team may know why the game is exciting. Existing Japanese fans may know why the IP matters. But a new overseas user may only give the page a few seconds before deciding whether to download.

The product page should quickly answer:

• What kind of game is this?
• What makes it fun?
• Why should I start now?
• Is it easy for a new player to join?
• What makes it different from other games?
• Is there enough content?
• Is the game active and supported?

For Japanese games, the visuals are often already strong. The bigger opportunity is usually making the message clearer.

Use Apple Ads as market research

One of the most valuable things about Apple Ads is that it can show how users in a new market respond to the game.

It can help answer questions like:

Which English keywords actually match the game?

Do users respond more to anime style, gameplay, story, or IP?

Which competitors have overlapping audiences?

Which countries show early traction?

Which custom product page converts best?

Which search terms bring better users after install?

For Japanese gaming companies, this information is extremely useful. It can influence App Store Optimization, paid social creative, community messaging, influencer briefs, PR angles, and even future localization decisions.

In that sense, Apple Ads should not only be seen as a user acquisition channel. Apple Ads can also be a way to learn how the global market understands your game.

Final thoughts

Japanese games have a real opportunity in the US and global markets. There is strong interest in anime-style games, Japanese IP, RPG systems, character collection, and live-service content. But overseas success depends on making the game easy to discover and easy to understand.

Apple Ads can help with both.

The campaigns need to be structured clearly. Keywords should reflect how local users actually search. Creative should be localized for understanding, not just translated. Custom product pages should match user intent and performance should be measured beyond installs.

For Japanese gaming companies, the best approach is to treat Apple Ads as a learning system. Start focused, test carefully, understand what each market responds to, and then scale what works.

That is how Apple Ads can support the shift from Japan-first success to sustainable global growth.

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