Tencent's PUBG Mobile and Game for Peace Revenue Update: May 2019

The launch of Game for Peace, a retooling of PUBG Mobile for the Chinese market, significantly bolstered Tencent’s mobile battle royale revenue in May 2019. By combining the earnings of both titles, Tencent achieved a 127 percent month-over-month increase in player spending, reaching a total of approximately $146 million. This performance solidified the franchise's position as the world’s top-grossing mobile application for the month, outperforming Tencent’s own Honor of Kings by 17 percent and significantly outpacing competitor Fortnite, which generated $43.3 million during the same period.

The data, derived from Sensor Tower Store Intelligence, covers global revenue across the Apple App Store and Google Play, excluding third-party Android marketplaces in China. Of the $146 million total, Game for Peace on iOS accounted for $70 million, while the international version of PUBG Mobile contributed $76 million. Daily player spending across both versions averaged $4.8 million throughout May, with the Apple App Store capturing the majority of revenue at approximately $101 million, compared to $45.3 million from Google Play.

This surge represents a substantial growth trajectory for the franchise, as the combined May 2019 revenue was nearly 26 times higher than the $5.7 million generated by PUBG Mobile in May 2018. The findings underscore the effectiveness of Tencent’s strategic pivot in the Chinese market, demonstrating that the introduction of Game for Peace successfully converted the existing player base into a high-revenue stream, effectively doubling the franchise's financial output compared to the previous month.