Gaming

Tencent Releases League of Legends Mobile Game in China, Industry Pressure Continues

Oct 08, 2021, 20:13pm2021/10/08 20:13:29 Pandaily

On Friday of this week, just after the end of the National Day break in China, Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder /> released the long-anticipated mobile title League of Legends: Wild Rift. The release occurs in a time when the industry as a whole is facing increased scrutiny from authorities over concerns about gaming addiction.

The popular multiplayer online battle arena game was developed by Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder />’s US subsidiary Riot Games. Adapted from the original League of Legends game on PC, Wild Rift has been Riot Games’ most successful mobile game to date. Players assume the role of a virtual “summoner”, controlling characters with varius traits and tactics, while battling other players for supremacy.

Ma Xiaoyi, Senior Vice President of Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder />, once said that after the launch of League of Legends: Wild Rift, the latest anti-addiction requirements of authorities will be strictly implemented.

According to SuperData, League of Legends ranked first in revenue for free PC games in 2020. Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder />‘s announcement showed that the highest number of online users of the game has exceeded the sum total of the top ten games on Steam, an online game platform.

Guosen Securities’ report showed that League of Legends: Wind Rift are expected to lead to Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder />‘s share price to rise with its huge influence. Morgan Stanley reported on October 8th that Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder />‘s annual revenue is predicted to increase by 19% this year due to its online game supervision efforts, the delayed launch of new games, and a weak macro environment.

SEE ALSO: Chinese Gaming Organization and 213 Gaming Firms Including Tencent and NetEase<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder /> Launch Convention Against Game Addiction

According to the data of Sensor Tower on October 8th, 39 Chinese game manufacturers earned nearly $2.52 billion in total from app stores and Google Play in September, ranking in the TOP100 among global mobile game publishers.

MiHoYo’s “Original God” was the highest-grossing mobile game in the world in September this year, bringing in as much as $340 million for the Shanghai-based gaming company. Tencent<img decoding="async" class="trade-card__loading" layout="fixed" height="50" width="50" src="https://assets.pandaily.com/uploads/2021/12/loading.png" placeholder />‘s Honor of Kings and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds ranked second and third.

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