Chinese publisher NetEase’s PUBG-like battle royale game Rules of Survival has raked in more than $75 million worldwide since its November 2017 launch.

The title initially released without any monetisation, but since implementing IAPs it has grossed significant earnings.

According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, the title is estimated to have made around $23.7 million in China, making up 32 per cent of total sales.

The US meanwhile is the second most lucrative market for the game, making up 20 per cent of sales, around $15 million.

In September alone, Rules of Survival was said to have grossed $4.5 million worldwide and racked up 1.2 million installs. Total downloads to date have surpassed 80 million.

Battle royale success

Rules of Survival isn’t the only battle royale hit NetEase has on its hands. Its other title, Knives Out, has proven an even bigger success and was the seventh most downloaded game on the Chinese App Store in the first half of 2018.

The publisher highlighted singled out the game as a key revenue generator in its Q2 financials for the three months ending June 30th.

Newzoo claimed that the game had more than 50 million monthly active users in January. Sensor Tower data meanwhile estimated that in February 2018 alone Knives Out netted global sales of $24 million, noting it has proven particularly popular in Japan.