Square Enix’s new turn-based RPG title Dragon Quest Champions has passed a $10m revenue milestone within two weeks of release.
That’s according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, who reported on the revenue wave, where the title made around $12m in revenue as of the end of June. The title is a mobile spin-off of the popular Dragon Quest franchise, which includes a real-time PVP mode, where players can take place in tournaments with up to 50 other users. This mode differentiates itself from battle royale gameplay by maintaining the turn-based combat, allowing players unfamiliar with the genre to fight on a more even playing field.
The game quickly got off to a running start, being the 17th top-earning game in Japan on release day and steadily climbing the rankings, remaining in the top 10 for twelve days between June 13 and June 30.
The title emerged as the second most profitable mobile game in Japan in June, behind only Fate Grand/Order, while it also came in first place in terms of revenue growth. The game also debuted as the number one most downloaded game in Japan, and remained in the top three for nine days.
A new challenger?
The game ranked second in terms of Square Enix’s mobile revenue share from its release to the end of the month, with 32% of the company’s overall mobile revenue. This was exceeded by only one game in the company’s portfolio, Dragon Quest Walk, at 36%.
Dragon Quest Walk is one of the top performing mobile titles in Japan, and has long been among the cornerstones ot Square Enix’s mobile business. However, the release of Dragon Quest Walk comes ahead of the upcoming release of Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, which will see perhaps the most beloved RPG of all time take centre stage as Square Enix continues its push onto mobile.
It’s also worth noting that Japan, one of the world’s biggest gaming markets, has historically been slow to adapt to mobile technology. Mobile games based on existing IPs, whether that be adaptations or spin-offs, can therefore help to onroad new users into mobile gaming.
We listed Square Enix as one of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2022. We’ll be unveiling our list for 2023 in the coming months.
