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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

This is based on the massive leak (among other things) of an internal Sony PlayStation presentation back in December 2023.

The slides in question are available for reading in the OP I've posted here:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/inso...ve-service-games-—-full-presentation.1665602/

The presentation cites that the time-frame used was the game's launch (which was on September 28, 2020) up to October 2022.

/u/icksq on /r/Genshin_Impact did some quick maffs to obtain the revenue from Genshin on PlayStation from the leaked slids:

Maybe just note the calculation. Based on page 6 note and page 7.

MLB The show 2021 revenue: 181.6M
MLB The show 2022 revenue: 143.3.6M
MLB The show 2021 Normalised LTD revenue: 26%
MLB The show 2022 Normalised LTD revenue: 20%

Genshin Normalised LTD revenue: 143%
Genshin revenue: = (181.6M+143.3.6M) * 143% / (26%+20%) = 1.01B

Shame can't really infer anything for the first year.

News came to my attention via this post on /r/GamingGacha.

Some other interesting observations:

• 48% of those who spent money on Genshin made over 16 transactions.
• Averaging 22 days between transactions
• 100% are other purchases (meaning not Battle passes)

 

[Chechack]

Not surprised.People shit on it because its F2P most of the time,but if u ignore the gacha part,the game is actually a very good rpg with deep story and lore and fun gameplay
It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

 

[Davevil]

Not surprised.People shit on it because its F2P most of the time,but if u ignore the gacha part,the game is actually a very good rpg with deep story and lore and fun gameplay
It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

 

[struggler_guts]

Fuckin whales

 

[Mattyp]

Not surprised.People shit on it because its F2P most of the time,but if u ignore the gacha part,the game is actually a very good rpg with deep story and lore and fun gameplay
It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

You don't need to defend your mtx here we're all friends.

 

[Physiognomonics]

Showing how important it is to have a walled garden. How many mere millions did they earn by devaluating their IPs to PC?

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Showing how important it is to have a walled garden. How many mere millions did they earn by devaluating their IPs to PC?

How little did the porting cost?

 

[Nankatsu]

Not surprised.People shit on it because its F2P most of the time,but if u ignore the gacha part,the game is actually a very good rpg with deep story and lore and fun gameplay
It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

As a genshin player, agree to disagree. Exploration is really cool in the game, perhaps the highlight in the game for me, but the story is nowhere deep as most JRPG you have out there.

Some parts are interesting, but for the most part the writing is boring.

While I do appreciate the more casual content, I wish it had something more challenging and complex to tackle. And don't tell me we have spiral abyss...that thing is in the game since year 1.

But I guess that's just what Hoyoverse wants the game to be - an extremely casual game where people sink in their money to get the characters they want.

These results dont surprise me at all, game is insanely popular.

 

[Aion002]

It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

And that's how you make people hate it even more.

No need to shit on other games to praise your favorite game.

Anyway, Genshin is a cool game. Good for Mihoyo and for Sony!

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Does anyone still remember this overaction from before Genshin launched on PlayStation?



Now, Sony is preparing to release an exclusive PS5 Genshin Bundle for Mainland China next week.

 

[RoboFu]

Is that a good thing?

 

[ManaByte]

 

[Mr Moose]

Does anyone still remember this overaction from before Genshin launched on PlayStation?



Now, Sony is preparing to release an exclusive PS5 Genshin Bundle for Mainland China next week.

They've moved on to crying about Palworld ripping off Pokémon now.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

i played like 2 hours on mobile. I was scared

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Is that a good thing?

It gets Playstation 30% of that 1 billion. That's the reason they make and sell consoles.

It is unfortunate that the game could have been so much better without lootboxes, but in the end money talks.

 

[Oddvintagechap]

Just make your micro transactions asian, add some school girl boobies, you’ll have people jerking into billions.

 

[Zephyranthes]

Not surprised.People shit on it because its F2P most of the time,but if u ignore the gacha part,the game is actually a very good rpg with deep story and lore and fun gameplay
It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

Partially agree. There is a lot more to the story than you would expect from a gacha game, but I wouldn't go as far as to place it on the same level as a decent JRPG. It's generally serviceable with occasional moments of greatness (the finale of the Fontaine questline, for example, was really good). The open world exploration is the best part of the game by far.

 

[ReBurn]

Showing how important it is to have a walled garden. How many mere millions did they earn by devaluating their IPs to PC?

Showing why Sony wants to create a successful GaaS live service MTX model on PS5 more like. It shows where the money in gaming really is. This game isn't successful because of PlayStations's walled garden. It's making much more money outside of it.

 

[Physiognomonics]

How little did the porting cost?

How millions will they lose of not selling the game on their consoles? Don't worry we'll get that info in the next leak. The recent leak showed releasing a game on their subscription services do kill the traditionnal sales of the game.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Showing why Sony wants to create a successful GaaS live service MTX model on PS5 more like. It shows where the money in gaming really is. This game isn't successful because of PlayStations's walled garden. It's making much more money outside of it.

Sony is making money just fine with Fate: Grand Order. It's just that it belong to Sony Music.
If they wanted to, nothing stops them from making a version of Grand Order for PlayStation.

However, remember that 3rd party games are free 30% money, pure profit. It might not be so easy to earn that money yourself.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Does anyone still remember this overaction from before Genshin launched on PlayStation?

I knew nothing about this game until today. I watched a preview video and, yeah, it’s a re-skinned BOTW. The world, graphics, animations… all look identical to BOTW. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some similar sound effects.

 

[Danjin44]

I give a try once they decide give me proper game without gatcha online only F2P crap……I don’t play mobile game, even it is on consoles.

 

[ReBurn]

Sony is making money just fine with Fate: Grand Order. It's just that it belong to Sony Music.
If they wanted to, nothing stops them from making a version of Grand Order for PlayStation.

However, remember that 3rd party games are free 30% money, pure profit. It might not be so easy to earn that money yourself.

Sony depends on that 30% from third party sales to keep their business going. But 100% of the money from a game is probably preferable to 30% if you can get it to work that way

 

[MagiusNecros]

How much of the revenue was from whales?

Can't say I care too much about Genshin. I quit a long time ago. Mondstaht was the only good zone I think. Liyue didn't grab me like the first Zone did and the game turned into a relic grind or farm stuff in the Abyss.

I preferred the exploration.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Sony depends on that 30% from third party sales to keep their business going. But 100% of the money from a game is probably preferable to 30% if you can get it to work that way

That's now how that works. You don't get 100% of the money with 1st party because then you actually have expenses. With third party you get 30% even if the game wasn't profitable for one reason or another.

 

[Doom85]

Dropped it after a few months, I just felt the game got kind of tedious after a while.

Now Honkai Star Rail, by the same company, now that’s a damn good game. We just got a free 5 star limited character, Dr. Ratio, as a thank you for Honkai winning Best Mobile Game at TGA, and he’s damn good (also a walking JoJo’s reference, in fact the game contains quite a few pop culture references here and there, like the twin girls from The Shining appearing in the first planet’s hotel), and people who follow the Honkai developers from their other Honkai game have said it definitely won’t stop there, they’re pretty generous with rewards, as opposed to the Genshin developers who for the first anniversary ”rewarded” their players with a small amount of Primogems that was less than the amount players get after a maintenance update. Wow…

”Genshin could never” has become a popular meme among the Honkai fandom recently due to this. I love seeing all the edits and memes showing the Genshin stans’ salt, particularly those trying to prove Dr. Ratio was actually low tier and that’s why he was free, never mind his kit had already been shown and everyone with working brain cells could tell he was going to be great.

Also, Paimon is an annoying little shit who makes the MC feel like a lifeless doll, whereas Honkai Star Rail lets your MC actually feel like they’re there talking with the cast and there’s no mascot sidekick bugging you (and the mascot character, PomPom, stays on the galactic train and is actually cute and endearing).

Yeah, really glad I dropped Genshin and discovered Honkai Star Rail instead.

 

[Crayon]

I tried it for a couple hours to see. I don't play this sort of thing but I was curious what quality level it was to be this popular. I have to say it's more than competent all around. Seemed like Warframe was more uneven because the levels feel like gauntlets that you replay, but I'd compare them in that there's a game good enough there that I could spend a few bucks here and there and not feel bad about it.

Like Warframe I once spent 8 bucks or whatever it was on an xp booster and spent a lazy Saturday playing. Overall I've probably put 50 hours and $20 into Warframe. I know that's a light user and spender but I get the appeal.

Mechwarrior online I might have played 60 hours and $15. The games can be good. Sure I can imagine them in a more traditional format but as they are now, they are good enough games to say people aren't just playing them because they're addicted to micro transactions. They obviously can't all be whales.

 

[ReBurn]

That's now how that works. You don't get 100% of the money with 1st party because then you actually have expenses. With third party you get 30% even if the game wasn't profitable for one reason or another.

They don't keep 100% of the 30%, either. They have the same expenses to serve third party games that they have to serve first party games. Either way, they keep more of the revenue from a first party game than they do from a third party game.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

How millions will they lose of not selling the game on their consoles? Don't worry we'll get that info in the next leak. The recent leak showed releasing a game on their subscription services do kill the traditionnal sales of the game.

Nvm, i think I misunderstood your original post.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

They don't keep 100% of the 30%, either. They have the same expenses to serve third party games that they have to serve first party games. Either way, they keep more of the revenue from a first party game than they do from a third party game.

Keep more of the revenue is pointless because you never keep revenue. You keep profits. You keep profits any day, revenue can go pound sand.

 

[DannyDanger]

I give a try once they decide give me proper game without gatcha online only F2P crap……I don’t play mobile game, even it is on consoles.

at this point, I don't think they need you buddy lol

 

[The artful mincer]

God I wish we knew how much revenue Fortnite generated for PlayStation.

It must be a huge percentage of total live service revenue.

 

[sigmaZ]

Not surprised, it hit such a niece that was at it's peak with anti-socials and lovers of generic anime-trash. I applaud them for taking advantage of such people and making their bags.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I remember when it was announced and it was just a cheap online knock off of Zelda

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

The level of some posts that know next to nothing about the game... jeez. Prejudices much.

Show me a cartoon game with better graphics, a bigger map, and better music. Too many people butthurt that a "dirty F2P" mops the floor with most games in the genre. From a production values stand, this is not even debatable.

As for the BOTW thing, it's also wrong. Honkai Impact has the same aesthetics and visual style and is from 2016. So yeah, Mihoyo copied a game that launched one year LATER than theirs. Brilliant stuff. Nolan would love this.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

I remember when it was announced and it was just a cheap online knock off of Zelda

I know that shitting on Hoyoverse is very cool among the hardcore bubble (and any gacha is an easy target), but even Genshin 1.0 was far from cheap. Especially on mobile.

I think they've developed the game really good up until Sumeru. Sumeru was a drag. At that point writing became stale, cutscenes transformed into the walls of text and annoying Paimon, and overall pacing just became unbearable. Fontaine is a looker, but story is moving nowhere, so I've dropped it after 3 casual years and zero donations.

It is also worth noting that these games tend to exist because of 2-5% of whales, that's why if you're not an obsessive idol collector, the monetization for f2p player is quite light. You can complete the entire avaliable story comfortably without dropping a penny.

Also, fun fact, but Genshin is more or less single-player game. Co-op there is so limited it barely counts as one.

 

[Danjin44]

at this point, I don't think they need you buddy lol

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Offtop: two of the best titles of this season (userpic+pic) in a single post. Huge respect, my lad.

 

[Danjin44]

Offtop: two of the best titles of this season (userpic+pic) in a single post. Huge respect, my lad.

Yeah....The Apothecary Diaries is REALLY good show....its up there with Frieren.

 

[Fafalada]

Showing how important it is to have a walled garden.

From what I recall, GI was estimated earning 3.5B in first 18months (obviously that includes mobile). PS is a major platform for it, but the game just makes a lot of money, period.

It is also worth noting that these games tend to exist because of 2-5% of whales

2-5% is the typical conversion rate (aka - % of people that's ever paid out of total number of everyone that's ever played - eg. for Fortnite - 10s of millions of people are paying users). 'Whales' are a much smaller population than that.
But I don't know if these specific games fall into typical conversion rate or not - WoT for instance had a conversion rate in excess of 30% during its peak years, so it can vary depending on the genre and target audience a lot.

 

[Generic]

Sony gatekeeps Genshin Impact by not allowing Playstation players to buy crystals outside the PS Store.

 

[iHaunter]

Not surprised.People shit on it because its F2P most of the time,but if u ignore the gacha part,the game is actually a very good rpg with deep story and lore and fun gameplay
It even beats the shit out of other modern JRPGs from SE or other japan Devs.

I played it. It's a generic and super super basic anime type game.