According to the Zhitong Finance and Economics app, the Sensor Tower Store Intelligence Platform shows that in August 2024, a total of 34 Chinese manufacturers entered the top 100 global mobile game publishers' revenue list, with a total revenue of 2.09 billion US dollars, accounting for 37.3% of the revenue of the global top 100 mobile game publishers for this period. Among them, in August, "Honor of Kings" successively launched rich activities such as the Qixi Festival, Fox Spirit Little Matchmaker collaborative skins, and Miracle Far Voyage, with a revenue growth of 41% compared to the previous period, returning to the top spot on the global mobile game bestseller list.

Top 30 Chinese mobile game publishers by revenue

In August, "Honor of Kings" successively launched rich activities such as the Qixi Festival, Fox Spirit Little Matchmaker collaborative skins, and Miracle Far Voyage, with a revenue growth of 41% compared to the previous period, returning to the top spot on the global mobile game bestseller list, and driving a 5.4% month-on-month increase in Tencent's (00700) mobile game revenue.

After reaching a total revenue of over 1 billion US dollars, the survival strategy mobile game "Whiteout Survival: Endless Winter" set a new monthly revenue record in both domestic and overseas markets at the end of August, leading to a 15% month-on-month increase in publishing company Dotint Interactive's revenue, and for the first time ranking in the top three of China's mobile game publisher revenue list.

On August 8th, Lilyss' wilderness adventure RPG mobile game "AFK Journey: Swords and Expeditions" began global beta testing. The strong publicity lineup led the game to enter the top three of the iPhone game download charts in several markets in Asia, and debuted at 8th place on the bestseller list for Chinese iOS mobile games in August. The publisher Lilyss's total monthly revenue increased by 119%, moving up 1 spot to 5th place.

37 Interactive Entertainment Network Technology Group (002555.SZ) officially launched the nostalgic theme simulation management mobile game "Time General Store" on August 1st, along with the outstanding performance of the Fist Product "Puzzles & Survival" in overseas markets, resulting in a 17.8% month-on-month increase in the publisher's revenue for this period.

The paper-folding network's interactive love mobile game "Love and Deep Space" launched the multiplayer five-star limited-time UP wishing [semi-transparent encroachment] on August 7th, as well as the Intangible Cultural Heritage Embroidered Ball collaboration, leading to new records in daily and monthly revenue for the game. Meanwhile, "Shining Nikki" also introduced new suits, new gameplay, and numerous anniversary benefits in August. With the boost from these two games, the publisher's revenue for this period increased by 33.5%, ranking 7th on the list.

The S2 season of 'Three Kingdoms: Reign of Chaos' was launched on August 3rd, and the game's daily revenue on that day set a new record since its release, returning to the top three in the best-selling list of iPhone games in China. In terms of SLG mobile game revenue ranking, since the public beta on June 13, the game has consistently been the highest-grossing SLG mobile game in the Chinese iOS mobile game market. This period, the publisher Bilibili's revenue increased by 46.2%, advancing 4 places to 8th position.

In addition to the recent strong performance of 'Three Kingdoms: Reign of Chaos' and 'Endless Winter', the SLG mobile game category is emerging from a low point after experiencing volatility over the past 3 years, returning to an upward trend. New products may increase user acquisition efficiency through integrating leisure gameplay, or win the core player base through more user-friendly monetization strategies such as 'reducing grind and pay-to-win', driving new growth for the entire category. In August, the global revenue of SLG mobile games once again exceeded 0.7 billion USD.

'Arknights' Japanese version launched its 4.5th-anniversary event on July 31st, with the game returning to the top three in the best-selling list of iPhone games in Japan on the same day, ranking just below 'Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation' and 'Honkai Impact 3', achieving a top-ranking presence of 3 Chinese mobile games. Game revenue in August increased by 120%, and the publisher Yostar Network advanced 3 spots to 11th position.

On August 1st, the SRPG mobile game 'Sword of Elpisia: For the Peace of this World' was officially launched in Japanese, Korean, and English versions, bringing a 48% revenue growth for the publisher, X.D. Network, becoming another hit game under the publisher's name after 'Food Fantasy' and 'Sdorica'. Driven by these new releases, X.D. Network's mobile game revenue significantly increased, growing by 169% from January to August compared to the same period last year.

The squad RPG mobile game 'Song of the Kingdom Top Heroes' under Jiang Yu Interactive showed stable performance in the overseas market, bringing a 12% revenue increase for the publisher in this period. The highest-revenue markets for the game were the United States, Japan, and South Korea, contributing 29%, 12.5%, and 10.7% of the total revenue respectively.

In mid-July, HaoPlay launched 'Metal Slug: Awakening' in the Japanese, Korean, and Western markets. The publisher's revenue increased by 44% in August, entering the rankings for the first time at 28th position.

Outside of the rankings, the Chinese mobile game publishers that made it into the top 100 global revenue rankings are: 4399, Shenzhen Bingchuan Network, JXWorld, and Zhiming Xingtong, a total of 34 companies.

Top 20 mobile game revenue rankings on the China App Store

In addition to the newly listed game "Sword and Expedition: Journey", as well as the previously mentioned games "King of Glory", "Three Kingdoms: Determining the World", "Endless Winter", and "Love and Deep Space", there are also significant growth in this period for "Gold Shovel Battle", "League of Legends Mobile", and "Eternal Prison".

"Gold Shovel Battle" launched a new season of magic brawl in August, along with rich activities and content for the 3rd anniversary, resulting in a 139% increase in monthly revenue and ranking 4th in China's iOS mobile game revenue chart.

On August 8th, the new Crystal Rose series skins for "League of Legends Mobile" were launched, and the game entered the 2nd place on the best-selling list of Chinese iPhone games, second only to "King of Glory". Afterward, the game introduced the limited-time event "Rune Mayhem", new heroes, new skins, and other content, leading to a 33% month-on-month increase in revenue for August.

The action competitive mobile game "Eternal Prison" launched a new hero, Blade Princess, in mid-August, leading to another peak in game revenue with a 55% increase compared to July, ranking 7th on China's iOS mobile game best-selling chart.