It has become increasingly important for developers to innovate, to test new markets and new approaches, to maximise margins for their games. Alternative app stores such as Huawei’s AppGallery tend to be more open to exploring creative approaches to marketing and Flexion is always ready to help.
A great example is the bricks-and-mortar tournament we put on with the Huawei Experience Store in Mexico City and MY.GAMES’ War Robots. More than 70 players came together with tech specialists and influencers to create an engaging and memorable experience. This branding exercise created an impact felt far more widely and deeply than a single day at a store.
Anastasia Tvorogal, Senior Growth Manager at Flexion was one of the involved in pulling it together. We asked her what it was all about.
Q: Can you give us some background on the event? How did it come about?
Anastasia: In February this year, Flexion released MY.GAMES’ shooter War Robots in the Huawei AppGallery and immediately it started to get real traction with players. It is a highly competitive player-vs-player game and has a visual appeal that showcases Huawei’s hardware capabilities.
The Huawei AppGallery Latin America team could see how popular the game was in Mexico and this made it an ideal candidate for an offline event. This was a joint initiative between Flexion, the game’s publisher, Huawei, which organised and provided the venue and the platform devices and MY.GAMES, the developer. There was already strong local engagement and community interest, and we wanted to offer fans an immersive way to connect with the game, hands-on, in-person, and on Huawei’s top-tier devices like the Pura 80 series and Mate XT.
It came up in discussions between Flexion and Huawei about ways to promote War Robots (we discuss opportunities for all our games all the time). We got excited about the idea of a tournament because it seemed like it would really suit this game. We approached MY.GAMES to see if they could make it work and they were enthusiastic.
The event took place on 26 July, 2025, at the Huawei Experience Store in Mexico City. Mexico is one of the fastest-growing mobile gaming markets and has quickly developed a highly engaged War Robots community. This is a strategic region for both MY.GAMES and Huawei, making it the perfect pilot location for such an event.
Flexion worked with Huawei and MY.GAMES, handled event coordination and tournament gift codes from the developer, and created premium accounts for use during the day.
The tournament winner received a top-tier Huawei device and game gift codes.
Q: Why is it a big deal?
Anastasia: This is the first time War Robots has been featured in a fully branded offline event in Latin America with Huawei, and we at Flexion were proud to be able to help make it happen. It was an amazing symbiosis of work by publisher, developer and platform. It brought together under one roof a community of game players, influencers and tech specialists, generating a huge burst of publicity for the game, and for Huawei’s retail presence and the performance of its best devices.
Q: Why was this an in-real-life event rather than online?
Anastasia: This was about building connection. Offline events help bring the gaming community together, create tangible memories, and deepen emotional engagement with the game and platform. Plus, it allowed users to experience premium Huawei devices first-hand – something you just can’t replicate online.
Around 70 players competed in the tournament over eight rounds. Huawei provided their latest devices to play on and these were preloaded with War Robots and special premium accounts which included newly released robots and weapons. On top of that Huawei provided entertainment and snacks, and arranged influencer coverage.
Q: How did users benefit from being involved?
Anastasia: They had exclusive access to premium in-game content. They got to test top-tier Huawei devices with challenging game play. They met platform experts, influencers and other players, making it a highly social day. And, best of all, they got to compete in an exciting, professionally-run tournament.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. Players were excited to try the newest robots, appreciated the smooth gameplay on Huawei devices, and enjoyed the atmosphere. Some shared their experience on social media and many asked when the next event would be.
Q: What were the benefits for the developer and for Huawei?
Anastasia: For MY.GAMES, the event enhanced presence in Latin America, supporting user engagement and retention in the game. It was a great way to boost brand visibility and allowed them to connect with users during gameplay.
Huawei was able to showcase the gaming power of its latest devices and reinforced Huawei AppGallery’s status as a key mobile gaming platform. The event drove foot traffic, brand engagement, and created buzz through influencer-led content and tournament excitement.
Q: Is this something Huawei is considering for other stores, other games, other countries?
Anastasia: Yes, I think the success of this activation has sparked real interest in creating similar events in other regions and countries and with other top-performing titles. Mexico City was a great testbed, and discussions are ongoing for wider rollout.
Q: Can you explain the role of the influencers in the event?
Anastasia: Their participation made the event feel personal, relatable, and exciting, blending storytelling with live eSports energy. Huawei approached two prominent Mexican content creators, William7pz and JohnWR, who are well-known within the local mobile gaming and War Robots communities, and brought a powerful combination of reach, authenticity, and real-time engagement.
Q: Is this an approach that Flexion would recommend to other game developers, other platforms?
Anastasia: Absolutely. It was very successful, with extensive social coverage, and a high degree of satisfaction from both Huawei and MY.GAMES. The event strengthened War Robots positioning in Latin America and demonstrated a scalable offline promotion model on the Huawei AppGallery platform.
Real life community activations like this can boost retention, visibility, and player loyalty – especially when supported by influencer marketing and platform co-branding.