Sensor Tower: The Japanese mobile gaming market returned to growth in 2023
Rebound is here! Partially.
From January to August 2023, the Japanese mobile gaming market earned more than $9 billion, and it is expected to reach $14 billion in revenue by the end of the year.
Japan has the highest RPD (Revenue Per Download) in the world. The average revenue per user in Japan is $21, significantly higher than in the United States.
In 2020, the number of mobile game installations reached 800 million. Since then, this figure has been decreasing. In 2023, a return to growth is finally expected, with Japanese users installing games 620 million times by the end of the year.
2021 was a record year for mobile revenue in Japan, with $17.8 billion earned solely from in-game purchases. In 2023, a reversal of the negative trend is expected, as mentioned earlier, with $14 billion in revenue.
RPG (Role-Playing Games) is the most profitable genre in Japan, accounting for 48% of all mobile revenue (approximately $4.3 billion this year).
Strategy games come in second place, earning more than $1 billion during the same period.
Traditionally, Japanese developers achieve the best results in their domestic market, but Chinese and Korean developers are gradually gaining market share. The leader is the Chinese company miHoYo with Honkai Impact: Star Rail.
Bandai Namco is the most successful mobile developer from Japan in foreign markets. From January to August 2023, they earned over $250 million from just two games - Dragon Ball Legends and Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle.