The Challenging Chinese Market... 'Black Desert Mobile' Drops Out of Top 100 Revenue Rankings

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Pearl Abyss's 'Black Desert Mobile' is struggling despite initially garnering attention by ranking first in popularity upon its release.

According to mobile data analysis platform Mobile Index, as of 12 PM on the 7th, 'Black Desert Mobile' has fallen outside the top 100 in the Chinese App Store revenue rankings.

Black Desert Mobile generated high expectations by officially launching in China, overcoming the Hanhanryeong (限韓令, Korean Wave content ban). It was the first game to receive a license (panho) for service in China since the THAAD incident in 2017.

Black Desert Mobile China App Store Revenue Ranking Trends. (Source: Mobile Index)

The pre-release response was also enthusiastic locally. China's largest game company Tencent and iDreamSky co-published the game, focusing on localization, and it ranked first in popularity on the Chinese App Store on its launch day. It also topped the popular games list on 'TapTap,' a Chinese mobile platform operated by Tencent.

However, contrary to early expectations, the revenue ranking began to plummet. On the 27th of last month, it remained within the top 20 in the Chinese App Store revenue rankings but dropped to 98th as of the 3rd of this month. Since then, it has fallen outside the top 100 and has not re-entered the rankings as of today.

Industry experts evaluate that with China's 'game rise' in full swing, even if the Chinese market reopens, Korean games will find it difficult to succeed as they did in the past. The know-how, technology, and capital China has accumulated over the past decade by imitating Korean games have become new barriers following the Hanhanryeong.

Additionally, the Chinese broadcasting regulatory authority, the National Radio and Television Administration, on the 15th of last month, imposed a complete ban on live streaming of unauthorized online games. The administration emphasized that overseas games or game tournaments must not be serviced without permission and that all types of live streaming platforms should be cautious of abnormal content or harmful fan cultures.

A game industry official explained, "Although China has partially resumed issuing licenses, the issuance of licenses for overseas games remains halted, indicating that domestic game prioritization continues. The Chinese market will remain a challenging market for foreign game companies going forward."