It seems Genshin Impact will be a commercial success after all. Reports say that the game has now recouped its US$100 million development cost.
Genshin Impact is a surprise game from Chinese mobile dev MiHoYo. The Breath of the Wild clone is a global success in terms of downloads. Subsequently, the game allegedly earned back its gargantuan development cost.
The game is now on a trajectory to profit two weeks after it launched.
Genshin grossed over $100 million since September launch
According to a series of tweets from Daniel Ahmad, Genshin has now grossed over $100 million from its microtransactions. Ahmad is a senior analyst at Niko Partners, a market research firm. He listed different sources that make his estimate viable.
Genshin Impact has now grossed over $100m in less than two weeks.
China, Japan, Korea and the US are top markets for the F2P game.
Without a doubt the most successful launch for an original IP from a Chinese dev. https://t.co/WjOOpLa66V
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 10, 2020
“Genshin Impact has now grossed over $100m in less than two weeks,” said Ahmad. “China, Japan, Korea, and the US are top markets for the F2P game. Without a doubt the most successful launch for an original IP from a Chinese dev.”
Ahmad notes that, according to Sensor Tower, the game is the 2nd highest-grossing game on the global iOS front. He further details that App Annie, an analytics platform, lists the game with 23 million downloads on iOS and Android.
According to data from Sensor Tower, the game was the #2 highest grossing game globally on iOS in its first week.
According to data from App Annie the game was downloaded more than 23 million times on iOS / Android in its first week.
Will break RMB 1 billion mark soon.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 10, 2020
Right now, the game will likely break RMB 1 billion (Chinese yuan). That will amount to $148 million, which makes the game commercially profitable. The game will still get more profits as the months go by due to their monetization model.
Gacha loot box mechanics working for Asian players
Genshin Impact and its success are easy to attribute to many factors. The smart use of free-to-play MTX, quality gameplay, and solid story are crucial to its success. Even then, it’s hard to deny that its current strategy is a significant moneymaker.
Genshin uses a gacha-style microtransaction system to power the game. While the primary game is free-to-play, much of the game uses loot box mechanics to get five-star heroes. It helps that Asia, in general, loves this style of loot box options.
Gacha is the most prominent loot box mechanic in China, Japan, and Asia in general. The company likely dominates the Asian market at the moment. The region is dependent on mobile games and game whaling to show off their game on social media.
The Chinese, in particular, have many incentives to support the game. Not only is Genshin a native title, but they can also show off their haul of “cute 2D waifu” by buying their way into the game.
Regardless, Genshin Impact will be a successful game. It’s available on PC, iOS, and Android now, so anyone can enjoy playing the game.
Featured image courtesy of Genshin Impact/Youtube Screenshot