The mobile role-playing game (RPG) "Goddess of Victory: Nikke" developed by the domestic game company SHIFT UP has recorded nearly 10 billion won in revenue on the Apple App Store alone in the month following its launch in China last month.
Global app market research firm Sensor Tower released a report on the 25th, stating that "Nikke," which launched in the Chinese market under Tencent's publishing on the 22nd of last month, generated $7 million (about 9.6 billion won) in revenue by the 20th of this month on Apple's iOS.
According to Sensor Tower, "Nikke" ranked 8th in revenue among subculture (Japanese animation-style) games on China’s iOS, making it the only game developed overseas to enter the top 10. Analysts suggest that this significant achievement considers the revenue from local app markets like Tencent’s App Store and TapTap where "Nikke" was launched.
The revenue of "Nikke" in the Chinese market accounted for about 28.7% of the total global revenue during the same period, marking the second-highest proportion of revenue by country, just behind Japan (29.3%). Cumulative revenue by country showed Japan leading with 50.3%, followed by Korea (17.8%) and the United States (16.8%).
Sensor Tower identified several factors for the success of "Nikke": ▲ a sophisticated localization strategy reflecting local user preferences and regulations, ▲ revenue increase following the launch of new characters, and ▲ Tencent's publishing capabilities in China.