BEIJING (Reuters) – Tencent Holdings Ltd’s newly launched Dungeon & Fighter (DNF Mobile) game has had a strong start, dominating the top-grossing charts on Apple Inc’s iOS platform in China for nearly a month, industry data showed.
The game, which launched in the world’s largest gaming market on May 21, broke $100 million in revenue in just 10 days, according to a report from data analytics firm Sensor Tower this week.
It also topped the global mobile gaming revenue growth chart for May and ranked eighth in total revenue.
In the first 10 days of its launch, DnF Mobile’s revenue in China’s iOS market exceeded the combined profits of other popular Tencent titles “Honor of Kings” and “PUBG Mobile,” according to a separate Sensor Tower report dated June 17.
This increase contributed to Tencent’s mobile gaming revenue growth of 12% in May, according to Sensor Tower.
DnF Mobile, based on the popular PC franchise, has been available globally for years. Its launch in China has been delayed due to Beijing’s temporary freeze on new game approvals.
DnF Mobile’s early success comes amid ongoing tensions between Tencent and smartphone vendors over gaming revenue sharing.
Earlier this month, Tencent pulled the game from select Android app stores, citing expiration of contracts.
Game developers in China have long had a contentious relationship with distributors over issues such as revenue sharing, as mobile games become increasingly popular in the broader gaming market. The standard 50% revenue split has often been a bone of contention.
