Genshin Impact PS5 PlayStation 5 1

Remember when Genshin Impact was first revealed? It was received irately by Nintendo fans, resulting in a series of meme-worthy photographs where Breath of the Wild stans converged on a convention to ridicule the release! Chinese developer miHoYo is enjoying the last laugh, though, as it’s reported that the smartphone version of the title is raking in around $1 billion in revenue every six months. Keep in mind that this is separate from what it’s earning on PC and console.

Sensor Tower, who crunched the numbers, explains: “Following its worldwide release, the title took 171 days to generate its first $1 billion on mobile, not including spending through third-party Android stores. It then took an extra 195 days to accumulate a further $1 billion – resulting in the title picking up $2 billion in its first year alone. Genshin Impact crossed the $3 billion milestone 185 days later, meaning the game has averaged revenue of $1 billion every six months, making it one of the most successful mobile games of all time.”

While the figures on console are likely a lot lower, we’d hazard they’re still impressive, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why Sony is so obsessed with live service games at the moment. PlayStation chief Jim Ryan hinted last year that his company will be adapting some of its biggest intellectual property to mobile, and looking at these kind of numbers, that seems like a shrewd investment.

Of course, it’s important to remember that securing a hit like Genshin Impact is incredibly difficult, with a large chunk of the title’s mobile revenue coming specifically from China. Nevertheless, with dizzying statistics like this floating around, it’s easy to understand why so many companies are chasing a big pay day.

[source sensortower.com, via gamesindustry.biz]