Sensor Tower: Tencent's "Dungeon & Fighter: Origin" becomes the most explosive mobile game launch in the past few years

According to the information from Zhitong Finance and Economics APP, Sensor Tower's Store Intelligence platform shows that in May 2024, a total of 40 Chinese manufacturers made it to the top 100 global mobile game publishers' revenue list, with a total revenue of $2.11 billion, accounting for 39.7% of the revenue of the top 100 mobile game publishers in this period.

Top 30 Chinese Mobile Game Publishers by Revenue

The long-awaited classic IP adapted mobile game "Dungeon & Fighter: Origin" officially started public testing on May 21st, immediately monopolizing the top spots on both the overall iPhone and mobile game bestseller lists in China. In the last 11 days of May, the game's revenue in the domestic iOS market has exceeded the total revenue of "King of Glory" and "Peace Elite", leading to a 12% growth in Tencent Games' mobile revenue in May. As of the publication date, this game has been steadily at the top of the overall iPhone bestseller list in China for 28 consecutive days, making it the hottest mobile game debut in recent years. After years of anticipation, this game that accompanied countless players during the PC gaming era has finally made a triumphant return.

With continuous revenue growth in the Japanese market, FirstFun's "Last War: Survival Game" saw an 8% month-on-month increase in revenue in May, ranking first in the overseas mobile game revenue list for three consecutive months and entering the top five of the global mobile game bestseller list in this period, following only "MONOPOLY GO!", "King of Glory", "Royal Match", and "Roblox". As the youngest non-IP mobile game at the top of the global mobile game bestseller list, the success of "Last War" is inseparable from a deep understanding of current global mobile game market trends.

Due to the widespread implementation of privacy policies such as Apple's IDFA and Google's advertising ID, the revenue of global mid-to-heavy mobile games has been continuously declining in recent years, with a 5.9% decrease in revenue over the past year. The share of in-app purchase revenue in the global mobile game market has decreased from 73% five years ago to 60%. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a massive number of casual players to the mobile game market. With the formation of spending habits among these players, they are becoming a new emerging consumer force. In the past year, global revenue from casual mobile game in-app purchases increased by 14.6%, while revenue from hybrid casual mobile games surged by 44.4%. "Last War" cleverly integrates the popular doomsday theme and casual arcade gameplay into the SLG mobile game framework, tailored to the current market trends in both game design and advertising placement.

Benefiting from the overall revenue increase of products such as "Puzzles & Survival", "Puzzles & Chaos: Frozen Castle", and "Ant Legion: For The Swarm", Sanqi Interactive's mobile game revenue increased by 11% in May, rising 2 spots to 6th place on the list Following the successful launch of "Mushroom Warrior Legend", Joy Net launched the mixed casual shooting mobile game "Zombie.io: Potato Shooting" in the European and American markets at the end of April. Potatoes, zombies, and shooting elements inherently attract traffic in the European and American markets. "Zombie.io" quickly topped the mobile game download charts in markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Building on classic elements, Joy Net injected hero teaming and equipment systems to enhance the game's depth. Currently, the game has a player rating of over 90% in mainstream European and American markets, with in-app purchase revenue steadily increasing, poised to become another hit mobile game under the publisher's belt.

Focusing on the merger mobile game track, Lemon Microfun's revenue for this period increased by 9% month-on-month, setting a new record and advancing 1 spot to 12th place. In addition to reigning as the global merger mobile game revenue champion for 7 consecutive months, Lemon Microfun's monthly active users for merger mobile games also maintained a high-speed growth of over 10%, demonstrating strong revenue potential.

After launching in the Greater China market in January, the adventure idle mobile game "Let's Go, Muffin" officially entered public beta testing in the domestic market on May 15th. With its healing art and music, as well as relaxed idle gameplay, the game remained in the top ten of the domestic iPhone games bestseller list in the latter half of May, amidst the release of several heavyweight new games. Driven by this game, Heart Network's revenue for this period increased by 146%, advancing 11 spots to 14th place on the list.

Kulo Games' open-world RPG new game "Sound Tide" was simultaneously launched on multiple platforms globally on May 23rd, quickly topping the mobile game download charts in several markets including the United States, Japan, and South Korea. In the Chinese market, it followed closely behind "Dungeon & Fighter: Origin", becoming the most eye-catching original second-dimensional mobile game of the year. Audience insight data from Sensor Tower shows that in the United States and Japan, 45% of players also play "Honkai Impact 3rd". Despite this, after the release of the 1.0 second-half gacha on June 6th, "Sound Tide" saw its first revenue peak, surpassing its performance in the first week of launch. Within three weeks of launch, the game garnered 9 million downloads on global App Store and Google Play, with revenue exceeding $50 million, over 70% of which came from overseas markets.

Yingjiao Network's "Arknights" Chinese server celebrated its fifth anniversary on May 1st. With the limited recruitment events for the theme songs "Mercy Lighthouse" and "Why for Me" launched, the game returned to the top three of the Chinese iPhone games bestseller list. The publisher's revenue in May surged by 411%, surpassing the monthly revenue of the anniversaries in 2022 and 2023, returning to 23rd place on the list.

With its post-apocalyptic survival theme, Roguelike gameplay, and humorous style, "Shoot at Zombies - Zombie Onslaught" has steadily increased its active users and revenue since its launch in China in January, maintaining the top spot in the domestic iPhone casual games bestseller list in May. Shengchang Network's revenue for this period correspondingly increased by 79%, entering the list of the top 25 Chinese mobile game publishers by revenue for the first time The turn-based card mobile game "Journey to the West: Brushstroke Journey" officially entered public beta in mid-May. Based on the classic "Journey to the West" theme, the game innovates by incorporating Chinese anime-style animation and post-Journey to the West storyline to bring players a brand new experience, receiving over 90% positive reviews. Publisher Changyou saw a 142% month-on-month increase in revenue in May, ranking 36th in the list of Chinese mobile game publishers by revenue.

Outside of the list, the Chinese mobile game publishers that made it to the top 100 global revenue list are: Pearl Games, Tap4Fun, Youku Shengshi, Competitive World, Hortor Games, Changyou, Youka Network, Ledo Games, Yale Technology, and Zhiming Xingtong, totaling 40 companies.

Top 20 Chinese App Store mobile game revenue

In addition to the newly listed "Dungeon & Fighter: Origin" and "Let's Go Muffin," as well as the significantly growing "Arknights" and "Shoot at Zombies - Zombie Tide Attack," outstanding performances in this period also include "Battle of Gold Shovel" and "Naruto."

"Battle of Gold Shovel" released multiple legendary little heroes in May, coupled with the official return of "Twin City Legend" on May 30th, leading to a 16% month-on-month increase in revenue for the entire month, ranking as the second-highest revenue month since its listing, second only to January this year.

"Naruto" launched a brand new version on May 16th. The addition of new ninjas, new costumes, new spirit beasts, new storylines, and other rich content effectively boosted the game's revenue, with a 54% month-on-month increase in May, marking the highest revenue month in the past 8 years.