Valorant Mobile Achieves Instant iPhone Success After Strong $1M China Debut

Valorant Mobile's China Launch: Early Success and a Long-Term Strategy

Tencent Holdings' Valorant Mobile has launched in China with impressive numbers, topping the iPhone charts with over 170,000 downloads and attracting over $1 million in player spending. Zeng Xiaofeng, Vice President at Niko Partners, wasn't surprised by this strong start, indicating Tencent is likely pursuing a long-term strategy for the game. The Shenzhen-based gaming giant considers Valorant one of its most significant mobile releases this year, closely aligning with its strategy to maintain a sustainable, evergreen franchise. The original PC version was released in 2020. Currently, the mobile version is exclusively available in the Chinese market, with the global launch date yet to be announced. Data from Appfigures shows that Valorant's first-day downloads mirrored those of Tencent's other mobile game, DnF Mobile, which launched last year. This free-to-play title was co-developed by Tencent’s Lightspeed Studios and Riot Games. It incorporates an in-app marketplace where players can purchase character cosmetics for upgrades. Valorant Mobile is currently ranked sixth in the App Store's top-grossing list. However, Zeng Xiaofeng from Niko Partners noted that Tencent isn't rushing to monetize the game upfront. Cryptopolitan previously reported that Tencent expects this new mobile title to drive user engagement and future earnings.

Tencent Aims to Expand Player Choices

Executives at the gaming publisher shared their intention to offer players more choices. Yet, they remain uncertain whether Valorant and Call of Duty, another of their top mobile games, might eventually cannibalize each other. The video game company manages multiple shooting franchises on mobile, including CrossFire, PUBG Mobile, and in-house titles like Arena Breakout and Delta Force. Last week, the company announced that Valorant Mobile had attracted over 70 million pre-registered players across different platforms. Anna Donion, Head of Valorant Studio, explained that China was selected as the initial launch market due to its large and competitive mobile FPS community. She added that it made sense to start locally as the Lightspeed developers were already trusted within the country and region. > "We think it makes sense to start more locally, where their mobile expertise shines, before we finalize our plans to expand to other regions." – Anna Donion, Head of Valorant Studio Donion stated that the decision wasn't unexpected as China is a high-priority market. She clarified that releasing the game in China first allows developers to beta test and fix any bugs before its global release.

Valorant's Monetization Model

The game developers clarified that while the game is free to download and play, a substantial portion of their revenue would come from in-game purchases of weapon and character skins. Unlike other games that display costs transparently in local currencies or USD, Valorant's transactions are conducted using Valorant Points (VP). The game developers hope to attract as many players as possible from the global pool of 3.3 billion Android and 1.3 billion iOS users. The mobile gaming market reportedly accounted for nearly $118 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $156 billion by 2029. This growth is fueled by increased smartphone penetration and improved mobile internet infrastructure, making mobile gaming more accessible to a wider audience. The game's developers are uncertain about which regions will follow China. However, they anticipate that the U.S., the UK, and South Korea are likely next in line. While there's no set timeline for the game's arrival in these regions, developers suggest a global release in 2026 is more probable. This allows them ample time to gather player feedback, optimize the game for different devices, and ensure a polished launch in each region. This calculated approach aligns with Tencent’s long-term strategy of building a sustainable and successful mobile gaming franchise.