Nikada
Tencent’s (OTCPK:TCEHY) (OTCPK:TCTZF) new game Dungeon & Fighter Mobile retained its place as China’s top-grossing game in spite of the launch of a major competitor from Mihoyo, Bloomberg News reported.
Zenless Zone Zero, or ZZZ, generated in $3.4M from iPhone players in China on July 4, compared to the $8.5M brought in by DnF Mobile, the report added, citing data from Sensor Tower.
Globally, ZZZ saw players spending $5.9M on iOS and Google Play on its first day, and it topped the download charts in several markets including the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
DnF Mobile — based on Tokyo-based Nexon’s (OTCPK:NEXOF) (OTCPK:NEXOY) game franchise — was expected to bring a fresh boost to Tencent’s gaming pipeline. The game’s performance against Mihoyo’s big debut bodes well for Tencent’s prospects. Last month, it was reported that sales of DnF Mobile more than doubled than that of Tencent’s best-selling title Honor of Kings on iOS in its first month in China.
DnF Mobile, which was released on May 21, had reportedly garnered about $270M in the 30 days since its release in China.
NetEase (NTES) is scheduled to launch the mobile version of its three-year-old action game Naraka: Bladepoint on July 25. Meanwhile, Tencent’s similarly styled Breaking Dawn — an expansion to the Honor of Kings franchise — is anticipated to be unveiled this month as well, the report added.
Mihoyo — which began in 2011 as a student business project among three coders and gaming enthusiasts — is among the world’s fastest-growing gaming companies.
The company’s 2020 hit game Genshin Impact has propelled it to become China’s leading creative studios besides Tencent and NetEase. The 2023 game, Honkai: Star Rail, also became popular with anime enthusiasts globally, making its mark in the growing genre, the report added.