Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, many people worldwide are restricted. Some of them have therefore turned to video games more intensively. Steam and other platforms set records. However, the most successful game in the world is precisely affected negatively by the crisis.
What is the most successful game in the world? The analysis website SuperData regularly compiles a ranking of the most successful games in the world. The ranking is based on the revenue generated.
In March 2020, according to this site, the most successful game on PC was Dungeon Fighter Online.
The title regularly reaches the number 1 spot in these rankings and generated an astonishing 1.6 billion dollars in revenue in 2019. Only Fortnite had a higher figure during this period.
However, this game in particular has been struggling with a significant decline in numbers due to the coronavirus crisis.
Closed internet cafés result in lost revenue
How much did revenue decrease? According to Nexon’s quarterly report, the company lost around 42% of its revenue in China compared to Q1 of 2019. A large portion of this was likely attributed to Dungeon Fighter Online.
Nevertheless, 330 million dollars were still generated in this region alone. Overall, Nexon achieved 810 million dollars in revenue. For comparison:
- Pearl Abyss, the company behind Black Desert and Eve Online, achieved a total revenue of 109 million dollars in the same period (via Pearl Abyss)
- NCSoft, the company behind Lineage, Blade & Soul, and Guild Wars 2, reached 452 million dollars globally, mainly thanks to Lineage 2M and Lineage Mobile.
What is the reason for the decline in revenue? According to Nexon, there were two main reasons for this significant gap between 2019 and 2020:
- Last year, there were strong sales during the New Year’s Sale
- This year, revenues dropped because many internet cafés remained closed.
In light of the second quarter of 2020, however, the company shows a positive outlook. They expect an increase in revenue due to the reopening of cafés.
MapleStory and FIFA drive boom in Korea
How did it go otherwise for Nexon? While revenues for Dungeon Fighter Online decreased, Nexon managed to achieve an increase of 78% in Korea compared to Q1 2019.
The reason for this is the strong games:
- MapleStory, a side-scrolling MMORPG that can also be played on smartphones
- FIFA Online 4, a mix of FIFA 17 (gameplay) and FIFA 18 (hardware, animations, and other components). Unlike in other regions, a new installment of the series does not come out every year in Asia.
Thanks to Korea, Nexon was able to partially offset the weak quarter from China. Traditionally, the first quarter is by far the strongest quarter of the year for Nexon.
What’s next? Regarding the development of new titles, Nexon stated that there will be no significant delays due to the coronavirus, as mentioned in the quarterly report.
A larger new title is Kartrider: Drift, a new mobile racing game expected to be released in the West in 2020.
While Dungeon Fighter Online struggled with a decline in numbers due to the closure of internet cafés, some MMORPGs experienced a boom on Steam here in the West due to Corona.
