Fate/Grand Order just passed $4 billion in revenue
It was the most talked-about game on Twitter and the No.8 free-to-play game by revenue in 2019
Fate/Grand Order was one of the highest-grossing free-to-play games of 2019, though it may be a less familiar title if you're primarily focused on Western trends.
Sensor Tower reports that the free-to-play RPG from Sony's Aniplex studio just passed $4 billion in lifetime player spending on the heels of its second-best year since its 2015 launch. The game generated $1.1 billion in 2019 alone, down only slightly from $1.2 billion last year. For comparison, its launch year only saw $110.7 million in revenue, though it was only out for half of 2015.
Of its total revenue, $3.3 billion of in-game purchases in Fate/Grand Order stemmed from Japan, making up 81.5% of all spending. China came in second, representing $416 million, while the US was third: $151.8 million.
That breakdown showcasing the game's popularity in Japan and China is a good explanation for why its notoriety hasn't quite taken off in the West, despite it being the most talked-about game on Twitter in 2019 and the No 8 free-to-play game by revenue worldwide in 2019, according to SuperData's year-end report (beyond SmileGate's Crossfire and ahead of Tencent's Game for Peace).
So far, Fate/Grand Order has 13.8 million downloads life-to-date, with Japan counting for nearly 49% of that total.