This has been true for a while, but since Bloomberg posted an article about it, we were pretty much guaranteed to get a thread, and I figured it might as well start off with as much information as possible.
Quick Notes:
- Fate/Grand Order is making *a lot* of money in Japan. You'll remember this series better for Fate/Stay Night or "That thing with Saber in it."
- Pokemon Go makes more money worldwide. I have two charts illustrating this at the bottom. However, the short version is that worldwide (in October) Pokemon Go is was the #3 top grossing mobile game while Fate/Grand Order was #9, but in Japan, Fate/Grand Order was #2 while Pokemon Go was #5.
- This is published by Sony's Aniplex division, not Sony Interactive Entertainment, who has now set up their own mobile game arm through ForwardWorks.
- Sony's Aniplex division isn't currently working with ForwardWorks, though noted they're considering it in the future.
- Sony's Aniplex is launching another mobile game based on Magicka Madoka soon, though you probably shouldn't bank on it being as big as Fate/Grand Order.
- I feel it's worth pointing out that Fate is one of quite a few Japanese series that, despite being very niche on dedicated devices, saw astronomical growth on mobile. IDOLMASTER is another, which went from being a ~200K selling series at its best to being a consistent $100+ million a year hit (and actually possibly a fair deal above that) on mobile with 10+ million downloads in its first three months.
But anyway, onto the article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...as-a-hit-that-s-as-big-as-pokemon-go-in-japan
First up, the most Technically Correct description of the Fate series possible:
And the numbers (there's way more about developing the game and other related elements at the link):
October Charts for Japan and Worldwide: https://www.appannie.com/indexes/all-stores/rank/overall/?month=2016-10-01&country=WW
Quick Notes:
- Fate/Grand Order is making *a lot* of money in Japan. You'll remember this series better for Fate/Stay Night or "That thing with Saber in it."
- Pokemon Go makes more money worldwide. I have two charts illustrating this at the bottom. However, the short version is that worldwide (in October) Pokemon Go is was the #3 top grossing mobile game while Fate/Grand Order was #9, but in Japan, Fate/Grand Order was #2 while Pokemon Go was #5.
- This is published by Sony's Aniplex division, not Sony Interactive Entertainment, who has now set up their own mobile game arm through ForwardWorks.
- Sony's Aniplex division isn't currently working with ForwardWorks, though noted they're considering it in the future.
- Sony's Aniplex is launching another mobile game based on Magicka Madoka soon, though you probably shouldn't bank on it being as big as Fate/Grand Order.
- I feel it's worth pointing out that Fate is one of quite a few Japanese series that, despite being very niche on dedicated devices, saw astronomical growth on mobile. IDOLMASTER is another, which went from being a ~200K selling series at its best to being a consistent $100+ million a year hit (and actually possibly a fair deal above that) on mobile with 10+ million downloads in its first three months.
But anyway, onto the article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...as-a-hit-that-s-as-big-as-pokemon-go-in-japan
First up, the most Technically Correct description of the Fate series possible:
Bloomberg said:Nintendo Co. might have scored a hit with the explosive debut of Pokemon Go this year. On its home turf, however, Sony Corp. has quietly dispatched its rival with a popular mobile game called Fate/Grand Order.
The game, based on an anime TV series called Fate, allows players to travel back in time and team up with historical figures like Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci and Joan of Arc to rescue humanity from looming disaster. While the basic version is free to play, people can pay for tokens that make it easier to add characters and speed up gameplay.
And the numbers (there's way more about developing the game and other related elements at the link):
Fate/Grand Order has been at or near the top of Japan's app revenue rankings all year and has been downloaded more than 7 million times since its July 2015 debut. It has made more money than Pokemon Go among Android users 104 out of 133 days this year, and 51 days on iOS devices, in the same period, according to researcher App Annie.
"In terms of the amount of money people are spending, it's up there above Pokemon Go," said Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Group Ltd. in Tokyo. "The intensity and engagement level for Fate/Grand Order is a lot higher."
When Sony reported its latest quarterly figures last month, Sony Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida singled out the game at a press conference, saying "it continues to positively" contribute to the music division, where it's based. Fate/Grand Order helped to lift Sony Music's operating profit by 23 percent to 16.5 billion yen. Revenue rose 8 percent to 150 billion yen. The game's success is a sign of how important Sony's gaming and entertainment businesses are for Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai, as the company struggles with razor-thin margins and competition in televisions, cameras and other hardware.
Aniplex partnered with game developer DELiGHTWORKS Inc. and creative studio Type-Moon to produce Fate/Grand Order. Iwakami said he received little push-back from Sony, even though the game was made independently from the PlayStation division. About 200 people were involved in its production, he said.
The game has been released in China, where Iwakami said it's doing well, and it may be rolled out in other Asian countries. Expansion in the U.S., Europe and other Western markets is also possible, he said.
Sony, which is stepping up its efforts in mobile games, launched a new studio in March called ForwardWorks. Aniplex isn't collaborating with the new unit, Iwakami said, though that might change in the future.
October Charts for Japan and Worldwide: https://www.appannie.com/indexes/all-stores/rank/overall/?month=2016-10-01&country=WW