Pokémon Go's success has brought about a wave of other AR exploration games, like Jurassic World: Alive or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. But none of those have found anywhere close to Pokémon Go's success.
Until a wild Dragon Quest Walk appeared.
The location-based AR game from Square Enix has enjoyed what mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower is calling the second-highest grossing launch month for any exploration game, only trailing Pokémon Go. It's received 1.7 million downloads on iOS and Google Play, and it's brought in an estimated $86 million since its September 8 debut.
"Globally, Pokémon Go grossed $118 million in its first 30 days, with Dragon Quest Walk coming in second with its $86 million. Let's Hunt Monsters had the third-highest grossing launch month, drawing in $23 million in its first 30 days," Sensor Tower's Katie Williams said over email.
Right now, Dragon Quest Walk is just available in Japan. Dragon Quest is a Japanese role-playing game franchise from publisher Square Enix. It's always had a huge following in Japan, but its sales have long been softer in the West. Walk adapts it for AR, where you find monsters from the series like slimes and fight them.
Dragon Quest Walk brought in 73% of what Pokémon Go earned in its first month, but Sensor Tower says its research shows it's bringing in more per player than Niantic's game did: $51 per player for Dragon Quest Walk to $12 for Pokémon Go.
In its launch month in Japan, Sensor Tower estimates it brought in 89 times more than Harry Potter: Wizards Unite ... and it beat Harry Potter's global first-month revenue of $12 million, too.
The big question is: Is Square Enix leaving millions on the table by not bringing Dragon Quest Walk to the West? I'd enjoy slaying some slimes when I walk my kids to and from school.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
