Tencent’s battle royale game “PUBG Mobile” along with its Chinese rebrand “Game for Peace” have brought in a total of $1 billion globally since the February 2018 launch of the original title, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
Why it matters: With the game approval freeze lifted amid growing regulator emphasis on high-quality titles, Tencent is well-positioned among competitors to see its gaming business further recover.
- Tencent released 10 mobile titles in the second quarter of 2019, restoring gaming revenue growth to 8% year on year after contracting 1% year on year the previous quarter.
Details: Revenue from the two titles reached $160 million during the month of August, surging 540% year on year.
- Chinese gamers drove growth, accounting for $97 million in revenue during the month.
- Cumulative revenue from the two major competing mobile titles fell well below: NetEase’s “Knives Out” earned $820 million and Epic’s “Fortnite” brought in $725 million.
- PUBG Mobile and Game for Peace also added more than 45 million first-time players in August, boosting total installs for the two titles to 400 million globally.
Context: Tencent rebranded PUBG Mobile in May after the license approval freeze and tightened restrictions left the game without a license and unable to monetize in China for months. The new version of the game brought in $14 million within 72 hours of launch.
- Game for Peace is expected to bring in $1 billion by the end of 2019.