“Goddess of Victory: NIKKE” (GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE) (hereinafter referred to as NIKKE) was at the top of the download list in many countries and regions around the world on the day it was released on November 4th. According to Sensor Tower store intelligence data, “Nikke” ranked No. 5 on the global App Store and Google Play mobile game download list on the day of its release, and topped the Korean App Store bestseller list on the same day. Seven days after the launch of the server, the game remained at the top of the download list in Japan and Thailand, and top 10 in the best-selling list of 21 countries/regions including Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
One month after its release, “Nikke” has achieved impressive results in the global market
Within a month of its release, “Nikke” has earned more than US$100 million in the global market, ranking fourth on the global mobile game monthly revenue list. It is worth noting that its publisher, Tencent, has taken three of the top five seats in the November revenue list by virtue of “Nikke” and “Honor of Kings” and “PUBG Mobile”, which rank among the top three all year round. Honor of Kings, released in 2016, and PUBG Mobile, released in 2017, earned about $10 million and about $3 million, respectively, in the month of release. Even taking into account inflation and market changes, Nikke’s first-month revenue exceeded US$100 million, surpassing the results of Tencent’s other two games in the first month of launch, which makes us look forward to its future revenue performance.
Immersive world view, unique style of art, discuss several major factors of the popularity of “Nikke”
“Nikke” is a vertical screen game. With the advantage of being able to control the game with one hand, it meets the needs of users who want to enjoy mobile games in fragmented time, especially in crowded public transportation.
The immersive world view and excellent art performance of the game make it play an important role in attracting users in the second dimension circle. Kim Hyung-tae, CEO of Shift Up, the developer of “Nikke”, is Korea’s leading art director famous for “Genesis” and “Sword and Spirit”. Based on the substituting “doomsday worldview”, the attractive “beautiful girl shootout” gimmick, coupled with excellent localization, multiple languages, and dubbing adaptations, have greatly boosted its success in the global market.
Developed by South Korean developer Shift Up and published by Tencent, “Nikke” ranks first in the Japanese market
According to Sensor Tower store information, from the perspective of the global revenue distribution of “Nikke” in the first month, the Japanese market accounted for 43.3% of the revenue of nearly 50 million US dollars, making it the game’s largest market. The Korean market follows with 27.2% and the US market with 15.2% (as of November 4-December 3, 2022).
It is worth noting that Nikke, produced by South Korean developer Shift Up, is currently selling more in Japan than South Korea, and has also successfully entered the United States, the world’s largest mobile game market. Simultaneous success in the three major game markets of Japan, South Korea, and the United States is a milestone achievement for both game developers and publisher Tencent.
Tencent opens up the international market through the two-dimensional category, further increasing the proportion of its overseas revenue
Before and after the release of “Nikke”, publisher Tencent’s revenue composition in the global mobile application market has undergone tremendous changes. Looking back before the release of “Nikke”, among Tencent’s global mobile revenue market share, the Chinese market accounted for as high as 89.4%, and its contribution to Tencent’s revenue is unrivaled. It will be followed by the US (2.5%), Japan (1.4%) and South Korea (0.5%) markets (October 4-November 3, 2022).
After the launch of “Nikke”, Tencent’s global mobile revenue accounted for 76.9% of the Chinese market, down 12.5% from before. On the other hand, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. markets all grew, contributing 7.6% (up 6.2%), 4.4% (up 3.9%), and 4.4% (up 1.9%) to Tencent’s global mobile revenue, respectively (11.9% in 2022). 4th December to 3rd December).
This shows that “Nikke” has become an important driving force for Tencent to enter the international market and diversify its income. According to Sensor Tower application intelligence, “Nikke” has become the mobile game with the highest overseas revenue under Tencent in November 2022, which is 2.1 times the overseas revenue of the second-place “Call of Duty Mobile”.
Tencent has been trying to reduce its over-reliance on the Chinese market through mobile games. In June last year, “White Night Aurora”, which was released by Tencent, was officially launched. The game quickly reached the top of the best-selling list of Japanese and Korean games. Its subsequent stable flow further strengthened Tencent’s determination to deepen the development of the two-dimensional category. Subsequently, Level Infinite successively strengthened a number of heavyweight products in the two-dimensional product matrix, including “Magic Tower”, “Re: Life in a Different World INFINITY from Zero” and “Echoes of Manasis”, etc.
In addition, the success of these two-dimensional mobile games in the international market may further promote more cooperation between Tencent and outstanding mobile game developers at home and abroad, and further increase Tencent’s overseas market volume and revenue share.
“Nikke” has become the most popular two-dimensional new game in 2022
Currently, “Nikke” is actively communicating with global users through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social channels. The amazing start of “Nikke” also proves the ability of Tencent Games’ overseas distribution brand Level Infinite. Prior to this, Level Infinite has successfully released “Magic Tower” developed by domestic developer Perfect World overseas, and it has the most intense competition in Japan and the United States. commercial success in all markets. The success of two consecutive products actually symbolizes another milestone in Tencent’s global game strategy. In addition, the continuous popularity of two-dimensional mobile games such as “Yuan Shen” and “Racing Horse Girl” in the global market also indicates that the future performance of “Nikke” is still worth looking forward to. “Nikke” has become the best-performing two-dimensional mobile game after “Yuan Shen”, and it is undoubtedly the most popular two-dimensional new game in 2022. Its success in the international market will also lead a new round of two-dimensional games The wave of mobile game competition.
