Tencent’s new hit title, Dungeon & Fighter (DnF) Mobile, has exceeded expectations, becoming a bigger cash cow than anticipated with a first-month solid performance. The game’s success comes amid a general weakness in the domestic video gaming market.
According to app intelligence firm Sensor Tower, DnF Mobile, launched on May 21, raked in $270 million from Apple’s China iOS platform. This side-scrolling action game, developed by South Korea’s Nexon and published by Tencent, quickly became the top-selling app on Apple’s App Store in China.
Within hours of its release, it surpassed Tencent’s existing flagship games and has maintained its top position since, as reported by app tracking platform Appmagic.
The mobile version of Dungeon & Fighter, originally a PC game released in China in 2008, has accumulated 850 million users worldwide. The mobile adaptation, launched in South Korea in 2022, won the Korea Game Awards that year.
“Since its release, DnF Mobile has been occupying the top positions for the iOS charts in all categories. This is an imposing start, and it has been stable as well. The future performance will depend on Tencent’s operations and continuous updates to the game,” said Nan Lu, Sensor Tower’s senior director of Asia-Pacific marketing.
Since its launch in China, the title crossed the $100 million mark just 10 days after its debut, topping the revenue growth chart. During the same period, its 11-day sales in May surpassed the combined revenues of Tencent’s long-time blockbusters, Honour of Kings and Peacekeeper Elite, as per Sensor Tower data.
Boost to Tencent’s Gaming Revenue
The strong performance of DnF Mobile, described as the “most explosive” debut for a mobile title in recent years, contributed to a 12 percent rise in Tencent’s mobile gaming revenue last month. This boost comes at a crucial time for Tencent, which saw a 2 percent year-on-year decline in first-quarter revenue to 34.5 billion yuan ($4.8 billion).
Despite its success, Tencent recently pulled DnF Mobile from Android app stores by Chinese smartphone makers, including Huawei Technologies, Oppo, and Vivo.
This decision highlights ongoing disputes between game developers and platforms over sales sharing. Android app store operators in China sometimes take up to 50 percent of a video game’s revenue as commission. However, analysts believe this will not significantly impact the game or Tencent’s revenues, as the company also operates its own app store and offers the game through an official website.
The original PC game’s solid gamer base in China is expected to help sustain the mobile title’s growth momentum. While the game may eventually decline, its initial performance has significantly boosted Tencent’s video gaming business on the mainland.
Get the hottest news on upcoming game releases, patch updates, and gaming industry trends, stay updated with KoreaGameDesk on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin
More from us:
- All About League of Legends New Champion, K’Sante: Teaser, Gameplay, and Release Date
- Nexon game’s Veiled Experts opens up final beta test signups with a new trailer
- South Korean eSports Team Bags Gold in Asian Games, Captures Global Attention
- VR game developer Pixelity Games to launch battlefield adventure ‘The Patcher’
- Amazon will publish the next series of the Tomb Raider Game
