PUBG Mobile Revenue Grew 83% in March, Surpassing $65 Million as Fortnite Slipped – Sensor Tower
What happened: Tencent’s “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile” (PUBG Mobile) brought in more than $65 million in gross revenue in March, according to mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The game’s gross revenue recovered from a slump in February and surged 83% month on month, making March the best month yet for the game in terms of total player spending. The amount was also 81% higher than the $36 million revenue from rival title “Fortnite.” “PUBG Mobile” has grossed a total of more than $320 million outside China to date.
Why it’s important: The impressive performance of PUBG Mobile in overseas markets could be good news for Tencent, which is still waiting for approvals that would allow it to monetize the game and “Fortnite” in China. To put the growth of “PUBG Mobile” into perspective, the game’s gross revenue in March 2019 was close to nine times that of the $7.6 million it generated between from May 16 to June 18 in 2018, according to another Sensor Tower report. However, with game approvals harder to come by in the coming years, one successful title probably isn’t enough to reverse the overall slowdown of growth in Tencent’s gaming segment.