DnF Mobile has already achieved US$9.86 million in weekly revenue to rank as the No 3 top-selling game on Apple’s China App Store, behind Honour of Kings and Peacekeeper Elite with revenue of US$12.96 million and US$12.15 million, respectively, according to Qimai’s estimates.
As of Tuesday, DnF Mobile remained at the top of free-to-download games on the China App Store, followed by Guangzhou-based Kuro Games’ Wuthering Waves and Honour of Kings.
The domestic release of DnF Mobile – which was supposed to launch in 2020, but was delayed by Beijing’s tightened game-licensing regulation at the time– shows Tencent’s astute strategy of generating interest from many Chinese gamers who used to play the PC version of the multiplayer beat ‘em up, action role-playing game, which was first released on the mainland in 2008.
“I started playing the PC version with my roommates when I was in school, but quit after I got a job,” said Tan Xun, a 33-year-old gamer based in southern Guangdong province. He has so far spent nearly 1,000 yuan purchasing items in DnF Mobile, as the game rekindled memories of his youth.
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The resurrection of China’s video gaming industry
The resurrection of China’s video gaming industry
Chinese gamers and analysts, however, have mixed views on the longevity and continued demand for DnF Mobile.
The launch of other new titles during summer is expected to be a “a critical period” for DnF Mobile to show how well it will continue to perform on the mainland, said Zhang Shule, an analyst at CBJ Think Tank.