Brown Dust 2, the sequel/prequel to successful RPG Brave Nine released globally this June, and it has already reached the mighty $10 million milestone in the two short months since.
As one of South Korean publisher Neowiz’s most popular titles, Brave Nine was a major help in bolstering its position in the mobile games industry back in 2017, granting Neowiz enough of a foothold to up its game with various releases since.
It comes as no surprise, then, that a Brave Nine sequel would thrive in the mobile marketplace with western localisation likely to brand the game Brave Nine 2. What is a surprise is the degree to which Brown Dust 2 is thriving, with Sensor Tower pointing out that this is a new record for a South Korean gacha game.
Success in numbers
Sensor Tower has reported that Japan accounts for the highest proportion of Brown Dust 2 revenue at 28.4%, with the total $10 million surpassed by accumulating App Store and Play Store revenues up to August 31.
Korea has spent the second-most in-game so far, close behind Japan and representing 23.4% of total earnings. The following countries have contributed substantially less, though a fair amount in their own right; Taiwan is currently the third biggest spender, accounting for 14.3% of Brown Dust 2 revenue so far, meanwhile Hong Kong and the US have contributed 13.6% and 9.7%.
Sensor Tower currently ranks Brown Dust 2 at 11th in its category for revenue in Japan and third in Korea and Taiwan, while Honkai: Star Rail remains on top, of course. Overall, Asia makes up almost 80% of all generated sales in Brown Dust 2.
90s nostalgia
Brown Dust 2 is itself a strategy game, a gacha game, and a fantasy RPG. It has been developed by GempsN and launched on June 22. As a prequel to Brave Nine, the game has a distinct atmosphere riffing on 90s nostalgia which has clearly resonated with many players.
With 69% of downloads coming from organic sources, Brown Dust 2 has been responsible for a 70% surge in Neowiz’s mobile sales. The publisher previously introduced blockchain elements to Brave Nine and Golf Impact, and Crypto Golf Impact later rewarded almost $150,000 to users as part of a marketing campaign.
