NetEase cracks Japanese mobile market with Knives Out
Japan accounts for over 80% of global net sales in February
Sales for NetEase' battle royale mobile game Knives Out quadrupled from January to February, according to the latest Sensor Tower estimates.
In January, Knives Out only made $2.5 million in global net sales. However, that figure leapt up to $10 million February, with more than 80% of sales coming from Japan.
This puts the game's profitability in Japan almost on par with the Chinese iOS version which generated $12 million last month.
As there is no Google Play in China, there is no solid Android data, but Seeking Alpha estimates it to be at least $2 million. Combined global/China monthly sales therefore sit at around $24 million.
Knives Out is currently the most downloaded game in Japan and the eighth top-grossing iPhone app in the region.
With the highest average revenue per user of $89.88, Japan is a much coveted and difficult to break mobile market, and the success of NetEase as an outsider is rare.
Launched in November last year, Knives Out was rushed to market without in-app purchases or advertisements.
The game generated more than 100 million downloads after just over a month, however, and NetEase introduced IAPs earlier this year.
According to the Sensor Tower data, provided through Seeking Alpha, Japanese users accounted for 83% of Google Play Store profits, and 89% of iTunes profits.