In China, the daily audience for World of Warcraft and Hearthstone has significantly increased following the return of the games to the country, according to the main points from the NetEase report
The financial report for NetEase for the third quarter of 2024 has been released. We have selected key highlights related to gaming.
World of Warcraft
- NetEase reported that its net profit for July to September 2024 decreased by 14% year-over-year, amounting to 6.7 billion yuan (926 million USD).
- NetEase's revenue also declined by 3.9% to 26.2 billion yuan (3.7 billion USD).
- Revenue from NetEase’s gaming division fell by 4.2% to 20.9 billion yuan (3 billion USD).
- Mobile projects generated 71% of the gaming revenue.
- In the summer, after a hiatus of one and a half years, NetEase resumed publishing Blizzard Entertainment games in China. According to the company, local gamers enthusiastically welcomed the returning projects. The number of daily active users for World of Warcraft on Chinese servers increased by 50% compared to figures before the game's temporary suspension in the country. Hearthstone's daily audience grew even more, by over 150%.
- The mobile game Racing Master had an excellent launch. Released on August 20, 2024, it quickly topped the free-to-play charts on the App Store and Google Play in Japan.
- Identity V and Naraka: Bladepoint remained some of NetEase's most successful games. The mobile version of Naraka: Bladepoint achieved the fourth place in the top-grossing iOS games following an update in September.
