Genshin Impact
GameBy HoYoverse · Released Sep 28, 2020
Documents about Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact: Deconstructing Mobile’s Next Frontier
Genshin Impact marks a transformative inflection point in the global gaming industry, proving that high-fidelity, console-quality open-world experiences are commercially viable within the mobile free-to-play market.
- Genshin Impact generated approximately $400 million in mobile revenue within its first two months following its September 28, 2020 launch, averaging $6 million per day.
- The title achieved a monthly revenue rate 24 times higher than miHoYo’s previous flagship game, Honkai Impact 3rd, which grossed $500 million over five years.
- miHoYo utilized a cross-platform strategy and high-fidelity production values to deliver a console-like experience on mobile, supported by a custom rendering pipeline that adapts to host platforms.
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, Another Mobile Game That Could Be a Console Game
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent serves as a case study for the growing trend of mobile titles that prioritize deep, console-quality gameplay experiences over traditional mobile-first mechanics.
- Octopath Traveler – Champions of the Continent (released in Japan in 2020) distinguishes itself by offering a premium console-like experience on mobile, featuring deep exploration, complex NPC interactions, and a lack of traditional mobile social features like PvP, guilds, or leaderboards.
- The game utilizes a gacha-based monetization model for character acquisition, but it remains relatively light compared to industry standards, resulting in a downward revenue trend following its initial launch peak at rank 5 in the Japanese Top Grossing charts.
- The title serves as a prequel to the 2018 Nintendo Switch original, maintaining the signature 'HD-2D' aesthetic and a turn-based battle system centered on exploiting enemy weaknesses, adapted for an 8-character party structure.
Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review November 2020
The mobile game market review for November 2020 provides a comprehensive analysis of significant industry updates and emerging trends across the United States, China, and Japan.
- The Battle Pass monetization model continued to gain traction in November 2020, with notable implementations in titles like Hay Day and Dragon Ball Legends.
- Genshin Impact successfully launched its first major live event, featuring a multi-chapter structure, dedicated quest lines, and high-production cutscenes.
- Project Makeover, a match-3 game by Bubblegum Games, achieved significant market penetration in the US, reaching the top 20 grossing list by expanding the genre meta to include visual makeovers.
Top Grossing Mobile Games Worldwide: November 2020
This analysis details the top-grossing mobile games worldwide for November 2020, utilizing data from the Store Intelligence platform to track gross user spending across the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Honor of Kings by Tencent was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in November 2020, generating $230.5 million in user spending, a 62.5% increase from November 2019.
- PUBG Mobile, also from Tencent, ranked second with $173.8 million in revenue, representing 3.8% year-over-year growth.
- Genshin Impact by miHoYo ranked third globally with $143 million in revenue, with Japan serving as its largest market at $38 million (26.6% of total).
Genshin Impact Generates Close to $400 Million in First Two Months
Genshin Impact achieved significant commercial success in its initial launch phase, generating approximately $393 million in global mobile revenue during its first two months.
- Genshin Impact generated approximately $393 million in global mobile revenue during its first two months following its September 28, 2020, launch.
- The title averaged over $6 million in daily revenue during its first two months, ranking as the second highest-grossing mobile game worldwide during that period.
- Revenue for the second month reached $148 million, following an initial $245 million generated in the first month.
Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review October 2020
The October 2020 mobile game market review provides a comparative analysis of industry trends across the United States, China, and Japan.
- Genshin Impact emerged as a major market disruptor in October 2020, securing a top 20 position in the US and consistently ranking in the top 5 in Japan, while also challenging the market dominance of Honor of Kings in China.
- Major mobile titles in the US, including Brawl Stars, Hearthstone, and Call of Duty Mobile, focused on expanding engagement through significant content additions like user-generated map tools, new PvP modes, and large-scale anniversary events.
- Collaboration events remained a primary strategy for driving engagement and monetization in Japan, with notable partnerships including Last Cloudia with Re:Zero, BladeX Lord with Seven Deadly Sins, and Monster Strike with Attack on Titan.
Hands-on with Genshin Impact: GameRefinery's New Video Series
This video series launch serves as a professional deconstruction of the mobile game Genshin Impact, aiming to provide industry stakeholders with a comprehensive analysis of the title's design, mechanics, and market positioning.
- Genshin Impact represents a significant shift in mobile gaming by successfully blurring the lines between traditional 'HD' console gaming and mobile platforms through high-quality visuals and a narrative-driven experience.
- The game prioritizes core gameplay mechanics as its central pillar, distinguishing it from many traditional mobile titles.
- While Genshin Impact shares aesthetic and open-world mechanical similarities with Nintendo’s 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,' it maintains distinct differences in its design and execution.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide for October 2020 by Downloads
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant shifts in user acquisition during October 2020, characterized by the continued dominance of viral titles and the successful entry of high-profile new releases.
- Among Us remained the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in October 2020 with 74.8 million installs, a 50-fold increase compared to October 2019.
- Subway Surfers ranked second with 19.8 million installs, marking a 13.7% year-over-year increase.
- Genshin Impact entered the top five most downloaded games in October 2020 with 16.4 million installs.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: October 2020
The primary objective is to identify the highest-grossing mobile games worldwide for October 2020, highlighting the dominance of Chinese publishers and the rapid success of new intellectual properties.
- Genshin Impact by miHoYo was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in October 2020, generating approximately $239 million in player spending.
- Tencent’s Honor of Kings ranked second with $225 million in gross revenue, marking a 65.5% year-over-year increase compared to October 2019.
- Genshin Impact’s revenue was geographically diversified, with 31% from China, 24.5% from Japan, and 19% from the United States.
Genshin Impact Hits Nearly $250 Million in Its First Month
Genshin Impact achieved significant commercial success during its initial month of release, generating approximately $245 million in global player spending between September 28 and October 27, 2020.
- Genshin Impact generated approximately $245 million in global player spending during its first 30 days, making it one of the largest mobile game launches in history.
- The game achieved the highest global revenue of any mobile title between September 28 and October 27, 2020, outperforming established hits like Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, and Pokémon GO.
- China was the largest market for the game, contributing $82 million (33.5%) of total revenue, followed by Japan at $59 million (24%) and the U.S. at $45 million (18.3%).
Quibi's Collapse: An Exercise in Humility
The collapse of Quibi serves as a primary case study for the failure of top-down, high-capital media ventures that prioritize corporate interests over user-centric innovation.
- Quibi failed to achieve product-market fit despite $1.8 billion in funding because its rigid, closed-door development model ignored user preference for organic and interactive media.
- The success of titles like Among Us and Hades demonstrates that industry value is shifting toward accessibility and human engagement over the sheer scale of capital investment.
- Tencent’s merger of Huya and DouYu consolidated the Chinese esports and marketing sector, creating a dominant entity with 334 million monthly active users and a 67.5% voting share.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide: September 2020
The mobile gaming landscape in September 2020 was defined by the rapid ascent of Among Us, which claimed the top spot globally with 83.8 million installs.
- Among Us was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in September 2020 with 83.8 million installs, representing a 40-fold increase compared to September 2019.
- Among Us experienced a 356% month-on-month growth in downloads, rising from the No. 9 spot in August to No. 1 in September.
- Scribble Rider by Voodoo ranked as the second most installed mobile game globally in September 2020, reaching 22.7 million downloads.