Initial revenue figures for Zenless Zone Zero are in, and it looks like the latest gacha game from HoYoverse is raking in the dough. According to App Magic, a site that tracks mobile game revenue, the game has made over $25 million in less than a week since its release.
These figures suggest that the game is making money at a similar rate to other HoYoverse games, including Honkai Impact 3 and Genshin Impact. It’s also worth noting that this figure doesn’t take into account PC or console revenue, which the game will benefit from due to its simultaneous release on all platforms.
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For reference, Honkai Impact 3rd made £81 million in its first month on PC and mobile, while Genshin Impact made $143 million during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. If Zenless Zone Zero keeps up this momentum, it could easily pass the $100 million mark. If you add in PC and console revenues — figures we don’t have access to — it’s certainly an incredible number.
The reason it makes so much money is obvious: gacha. This often-controversial monetization scheme has players buy in-game currency instead of actual characters or items. With this currency, players can purchase characters and scrolls on W Engine banners, giving them a chance to randomly snatch up a fighter they want. While the game does have a mercy system on regular banners, these only guarantee you a character after 300 scrolls, and don’t apply to limited banners.
It also probably helps that the limited banner character that was initially up for grabs, Ellen Joe, is popular in the community. As the shark-girl member of Victoria’s housekeeping faction, her trailer has nearly as many total views on YouTube as Zhongli. He’s one of the most popular characters in Genshin Impact, and has been around for quite some time. These are signs that Ellen is a big moneymaker for the HoYoVerse.
The combination of Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact, and Honkai: Star Rail, all releasing content on a schedule so no major events overlap with each other, suggests a steady and impressive revenue run for the Chinese game development company. If you’re curious about its final monthly revenue, these figures are usually released at the beginning of each month by gaming analytics company Sensor Tower. Worth keeping an eye on!
Have you spent money on Zenless Zone Zero? What did you spend your money on? Let us know below!
