Tencent lands another mobile game hit as Brawl Stars rakes in US$17.5 million in first week
- Mobile games in China generated US$18.5 billion in revenue last year and the market is projected to reach US$32.0 billion by 2024
- Tencent and NetEase together account for 60 per cent of the total gaming market revenue in China, according to a report by intelligence firm Analyses
Tencent Holdings has found another hit mobile game in Supercell’s Brawl Stars which raked in US$17.5 million with 4.8 million downloads in its first week in China, according to data from app tracking firm Sensor Tower.
With top-grossing titles such as Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, Supercell – in which Tencent owns a majority stake – has established itself as a hitmaker of mobile games. Brawl Stars’ strong start in China compares favourably to its global launch in 2018 when it grossed US$11 million worldwide with 15.5 million downloads in the first week.
Published jointly by Tencent and Yoozoo, Brawl Stars did not receive a license for monetisation from the Chinese government until March. Unlike most countries, games publishers in China must obtain a monetisation license from the government, which could lead to months of delay in releasing a new title.
“Brawl Stars generated more revenue during its first seven days in China than the last Supercell hit to be released there, Clash Royale, which grossed US$9.4 million in its launch week,” Sensor Tower said in its report.
Brawl Stars was also the most downloaded game on Apple’s iOS in China since its launch on June 9, according to App Annie. It has ranked within the top four on the top-grossing chart for games in China over the same period.