"Fate/Grand Order," new mobile game from Sony Corp., is poised to compete with the largely popular "Pokemon Go" by Nintendo Co. "Fate/Grand Order" is based on an anime TV series and has been at the top or close to the peak of the app revenue rankings in Japan throughout 2016.
'Fate/Grand Order' Doing Better Than "Pokemon Go" in Japan
Bloomberg reported that "Fate/Grand Order" is based on the anime TV series, "Fate." In the game, players can travel back in time and work together with historical characters like Joan of Arc, Julius Caesar and Leonardo da Vinci, among others. The objective in "Fate/Grand Order" is to save humanity from an impending doom.
The basic version of "Fate/Grand Order" is free to play, although users can purchase tokens that will make it more convenient to add characters and boost gameplay. "Fate/Grand Order" has been doing very well in Japan's app revenue ratings in the past year, having been downloaded over 7 million times since it launched in July 2015.
"Fate/Grand Order" actually earned more money compared to "Pokemon Go" among Android users in 104 out of 133 days in the past year. "Pokemon Go" fared better among iOS users, raking in more cash in 82 out of 133 days over the same period.
Sony's Expansion Plans for Mobile Games
Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Group Ltd. in Tokyo, said that they are spending more money than "Pokemon Go," and the intensity and level of engagement for "Fate/Grand Order" are much higher. Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony Chief Financial Officer, also mentioned that "Fate/Grand Order" continues to positively contribute to its base - the music division.
"Fate/Grand Order" reportedly improved the operating profit of Sony Music by 23 percent to about $145 million. Revenue also went up by eight percent to about $1.3 billion.
The success of "Fate/Grand Order" shows how vital the gaming and entertainment businesses are for Sony and CEO Kazuo Hirai. Sony plans to expand its efforts in mobile games by offering more titles in various markets in 2017.
AtsuhiroIwakami, president of Sony's Aniplex studio, said that the total downloads, users and revenue of "Fate/Grand Order" exceeded their expectations. More updates and details are expected soon.
