Summer is a prime time for new game releases, with publishers taking advantage of the summer break to maximise revenue.
China is no different – the month saw 50 new titles released in the market, including new titles from gaming giants such as NetEase and Tencent, so which games proved to be dominant in the market?
Tencent’s MapleStory: Maple Legend emerged as the top performing new product, with estimated revenue of over $35 million. This was followed by NetEase title All-Star Streetball Party at $6.17 million. Other strong performers included Battlefield Without Borders, Millennium Journey, and Blue Files, all of which generated more than $1 million. Of these, Battlefield Without Borders is cited as a particular success, achieving $1.96 million within its first week of launch.
Success and struggles
One title which stands out, albeit not necessarily for the right reasons, is Habby’s Mirror of Light, which generated $970,000 in revenue by the 10th, with South Korea accounting for 38.08%. The company has previously seen a number of smash hits and led the way in user acquisition, with its game Archero arguably kickstarting the vampire survivor genre, while Survivors.io helped pave the way for Vampire Survivor’s release on mobile devices earlier this year. With this in mind, it’s interesting to see the company fail to cross the million dollar threshold, albeit barely. This suggests that the company is struggling to adapt to the latest changes in the Chinese market, despite previous strong showings.
Diandian also identifies thirteen strong performers in overseas markets. Of these, three were released by Korean manufacturers, while ten were created by Domestic companies. Of these thirteen, Metal Slug: Awakening ranked first with an estimated $4.23 million in revenue. Sword of Suzuli, Omniheroes (Valkyrie Chronicles), and Isekai: Slow Life were all also highlighted for their success, with each over three million dollars over the month.
We listed Tencent, Habby, and NetEase as some of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2023.
