The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to the Sensor Tower store intelligence platform, in April 2024, a total of 39 Chinese manufacturers were selected for the TOP100 global mobile game publisher revenue list, attracting a total of 2.07 billion US dollars, accounting for 40.2% of the global TOP100 mobile game publisher revenue in this issue.

Top 30 Chinese mobile game publishers by revenue

The 4.6 version of “Genshin”, “Two Realms Are Fire, Will Be Extinguished at Red Night” was launched simultaneously worldwide on April 24. The new five-star character “Arechino” and rich content and missions were launched one after another. On that day, the game's daily turnover reached its highest value since this year. The game's revenue in April increased 68% month-on-month, which is also the highest revenue month since this year. The revenue of the publisher Miha Games increased by 7% month-on-month, returning to the top five in the global mobile game publisher revenue list and steadily ranking in the top three in the revenue list of Chinese mobile game publishers.

FirstFun's “Last War: Survival Game” has maintained rapid revenue growth in the past six months, rising 16% month-on-month in April to nearly 120 million US dollars, ranking 6th in the global mobile game bestseller list, and topping the list for overseas mobile game bestsellers. In the Korean market, the game has been at the top of the local mobile game bestseller list for two consecutive months, and the gap with the classic MMORPG “Paradise M”, which ranked No. 2, has further widened, reaching 1.8 times that of the latter. The success of “Last War” is inseparable from stable version updates and continuous high-density advertising. It was the mobile game product with the highest advertising share on the Korean TikTok channel in April, and also had the top three ad shares in AppLovin and AdMob.

Lilith's new game “AFK Journey”'s revenue grew rapidly after it went live in some overseas markets at the end of March. It was airlifted to 10th place in the April mobile game revenue list, becoming the publisher's highest-grossing mobile game product, driving Lilith's revenue up 22% month-on-month. Compared to “Sword and Expedition,” “AFK Journey” uses a 3D perspective to bring players a new “card+big world” experience, and by incorporating self-propelled chess gameplay, it gives the game a deeper strategic space to further meet the needs of players in the current market. It is worth mentioning that the game has not yet entered the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean markets, and these markets contribute more than 50% of “Sword and Expedition”'s total revenue. It can be seen that “AFK Journey” still has plenty of room for growth.

On April 17, “Daredevil” and “Azure File” were launched in conjunction, and daily active game users and monthly active users immediately set new records. In April, the revenue of “Daredevil” surged 305% month-on-month, making it the second-highest revenue month since launch, after January 2021. Publisher YouXing Network's revenue increased by 18% accordingly, moving 5 places to 14th place in the list.

Thanks to the launch of the “Ask Me” mobile game's 8th anniversary campaign and the launch of the new game “ONE PIECE: Dream Guide” in the domestic market, Thunder Gaming's mobile revenue increased 16% month-on-month in April, rising 3 places to 23rd place.

With intensive promotion on Douyin and other channels, the 3D casual simulation mobile game “Happy Fishing Master” quickly sparked a fishing boom in the domestic market with its immersive experience and rich content. In April, the game topped the list of iOS mobile game downloads in China with 8.4 million downloads, and also ranked 4th in the list of monthly active iOS mobile game users in China, after “Wang Zhe Rongyao”, “Egg Boy Party”, and “Peace Elite”. Thanks to the game's outstanding performance, publisher Snow Technology's revenue surged 663% month-on-month in April, ranking 24th on the airborne list.

Thanks to the beautiful style of painting and exhilarating combat, the survival shooter Roguelike mobile game “Shoot at Zombies - Attack of the Dead” has continued to rise in revenue since its launch, increasing publisher Shengchang Network's revenue by 220% month-on-month in April. For the first time, it entered the 86th place in the global mobile game publisher revenue ranking, and the Chinese mobile game publisher revenue list ranked 32nd. In May, the game began testing the waters of overseas markets. At the same time, daily popularity has repeatedly reached new highs, and it is expected to become another Chinese mobile game product that has successfully gone overseas.

In addition to the list, the top 100 Chinese mobile game publishers in the world are: Sports World, Shengchang Network, Perfect World (002624.SZ), Tour Card Network, SmartStar Connect, Glacier Games, Bilibili (09626), Duoyi Network, and Yale Technology, in order.

Top 20 mobile game revenue in China's App Store

In addition to “Genshin”, “Happy Fishing Master”, and “Attack on Zombies - Attack of the Dead” mentioned earlier, “League of Legends Mobile Game” and “The Fifth Personality” have also seen significant growth in the domestic market this issue.

With the 5.1 update, the new hero Calista and new skins were launched, and “League of Legends Mobile Game” revenue reached another peak. In April, in-game purchase revenue increased by 24% month-on-month, ranking 6th in the domestic iOS mobile game best-selling list.

Driven by the rich themed events of the anniversary celebration, the asymmetric competitive mobile game “Fifth Personality” both set new records in terms of daily flow and monthly revenue on the 6th anniversary of its launch. In April, revenue increased 52% month-on-month, ranking 12th on the list.

Special note: This report only counts publisher revenue, and does not include third-party Android channels in China.