Honkai: Star Rail, miHoYo’s New Game, Tops Download Charts as Flagship Launches Return to China
A new game released by Genshin Impact developer miHoYo this week has become China's top downloaded app, reflecting pent-up demand as gaming giants restart flagship launches with a crackdown on the industry easing.
The blockbuster debut bodes well for several other games due to launch this summer in the world's largest video games market.
As of Thursday, the Shanghai-based company's strategy game "Honkai: Star Rail", where anime characters battle space monsters, had amassed 20 million downloads across smartphones and personal computers, miHoYo said.
The game scored more than 1.6 million downloads on smartphones in China within five hours after it was published on Wednesday, according to data firm App Magic, and had garnered 5.8 million downloads on smartphones worldwide.
It has also become the most downloaded game on Apple's devices across 21 different markets including the US and Japan, according to another data firm SensorTower.
"It's already broken records by reaching no. 1 on the iOS game download chart in more countries than any prior game," Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said on Twitter.
Honkai: Star Rail has already surpassed 20 million downloads, just 1 day after its release.This is the latest title from Genshin Impact developer miHoYo for those unaware.https://t.co/L6piWjrigY pic.twitter.com/jkytwNbVbS
"Honkai: Star Rail" received its publishing license from Beijing in January, after authorities ended a suspension on game approvals, imposed in 2021 after the sector was accused of fueling gaming addiction among the country's youth.
Regulators resumed handing out game approvals in April 2022, including for flagship titles from industry giants Tencent Holdings and NetEase which are now gearing up for big summer
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