Japan Mobile Game Revenue Accounts for 22% of Global Revenue in the First Three Quarters

According to the research data analyzed and published by Safe Betting, Japan accounted for 22% of worldwide mobile game revenue during the first nine months of 2020. Between 2014 and 2018, it was the top country globally in terms of mobile game revenue. However, in 2019, the US took over and is still in the lead in 2020.

Based on a report from Statista, revenue from mobile games in Japan is projected to reach $6.85 billion in 2020. While revenue is expected to grow at 4.9% year-over-year (YoY), the number of gamers is set to rise by 5.9% to 34.4 million.

Japanese Publishers Make Up 25% of the Top 20 Revenue Generating Game Publishers Worldwide

During the first nine months of 2020, two of the top 10 publishers worldwide in terms of revenue generation came from Japan. These were Bandai Namco, generating $1.5 billion, and Square Enix with 1.2 billion.

Other Japanese giants were featured among the top 20 grossing mobile game publishers included Sony, Konami and Mixi. They accounted for 25% of the top 20 grossers globally. Japanese publishers were particularly popular at home. In fact, eight of the top 10 revenue generating games from January 1, 2016 to September 30, 2020 came from these publishers.

From Q1 to Q3 2020, the US was the leading country globally in terms of mobile game revenue. It accounted for a 28% share. China was third behind Japan with an 18% market share while South Korea was fourth with 6%.

In terms of international performance, China is taking the limelight with titles like PUBG Mobile. According to Sensor Tower, PUBG Mobile was the top grossing title globally raking in $1.3 billion in H1 2020. The US is, however, expected to maintain its lead up to the end of the year. According to Statista, mobile game revenue in the US is projected to reach $10.73 billion in 2020.