Top 30 Chinese Mobile Games by Overseas Revenue: October 2018

The mobile gaming landscape for Chinese developers in October 2018 was characterized by sustained dominance from established titles and significant growth from emerging international hits. The primary objective of this analysis is to track the revenue performance of the top 30 Chinese-developed mobile games in overseas markets, providing a snapshot of global expansion trends and regional market penetration.

The data reveals that the top four positions remained stable, with NetEase’s Knives Out leading the rankings, followed by IGG’s Lords Mobile. Yotta Games’ Mafia City climbed to the fifth position, bolstered by increased revenue in Japan and South Korea. Notable growth was observed in titles like Lilith Games’ Rise of Civilizations, which saw a 156% month-over-month revenue increase, primarily driven by the United States market. Similarly, Mechanist Games’ Game of Sultans experienced a 65% revenue surge, finding significant financial success in the U.S. despite high download volumes in Turkey and Russia.

New entrants also made a substantial impact, most notably Langrisser, which secured the 16th position shortly after its release in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The analysis highlights that while specific genres like anime-style games, including Honkai Impact 3rd and Girls' Frontline, experienced minor ranking fluctuations, they maintained their positions in the top 30 due to the high consumer spending power within the Japanese market. These findings underscore a strategic reliance on diverse regional markets, ranging from Southeast Asia and the U.S. to East Asian territories, to sustain long-term revenue growth for Chinese mobile game publishers.