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TikTok owner ByteDance generates $1 billion in annual games revenue

Mobile titles by Ohayoo, Nuverse, Moontoon, and C4 Connect

TikTok owner ByteDance generates $1 billion in annual games revenue

According to data from Sensor Tower, Bytedance’s portfolio of mobile haves have earned more than $1 billion worldwide over the past year.

Over the past two years, ByteDance has expanded into games publishing in a push to diversify its portfolio. It has launched subsidiaries like Ohayoo and Nuverse and acquired games companies such as Moontoon and C4 Connect in its efforts to compete with companies like Tencent and NetEase.

Between June 21, 2021 and June 20, 2022, the company’s games were downloaded approximately 139 million times. Although the stated revenue exceeds $1 billion, Sensor Tower data doesn’t include information on mobile ad revenue or player spending from third-party Android stores.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is most downloaded ByteDance title

December 21 saw the biggest month for revenue, with $94.3 million earned. The company’s most downloaded game is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which accounted for roughly 56 per cent of installs with 78 million downloads. It also accounts for approximately 32 per cent of the company’s revenue with $317.7 million earned over the past year.

Indonesia ranked as ByteDance’s biggest audience for downloads, with the country accounting for around 25 per cent of all downloads, with Mobile Girls Bang Band ranking No. 2 for downloads in the country. However, Japan accounted for 34 per cent of the company’s total revenue in mobile gaming. This is largely driven by Girls Chronicle: Idle Heroine, which was ranked the No. 10 mobile game in the country over the past year.

ByteDance's TikTok has been downloaded almost 3.7 billion times and earned more than $5.4 billion in revenue. Tests are reportedly underway which will allow users to play games within the platform.


Staff Writer

Lewis Rees is a journalist, author, and escape room enthusiast based in South Wales. He got his degree in Film and Video from the University of Glamorgan. He's been a gamer all his life.