Pokémon Go is a has been a phenomenon everywhere but China, because that country’s censors (aka a totalitarian government) fears this little location-based augmented reality game about catching cute little monsters is harmful to its citizens because it uses Google Maps, which China’s banned. But it’s perfectly OK for Tencent (a homegrown game company/conglomerate) to run a near-identical clone of Niantic’s smash success.
And it’s paying off for Tencent as well. According to mobile market research firm Sensor Tower, Tencent’s Let’s Hunt Monsters has grossed more than $50 million on iOS alone. Of course, this all comes from China, and because of that country’s fractured mobile ecosystem (that relies on partners for Google Play), we can’t assess the how much it’s made in China on that platform.
Let’s Hunt Monsters is only available in China.
What’s interesting about this data, Sensor Tower reports, is that Let’s Hunt Monsters has made more on iOS than the other AR location-based games. It doubled what Jurassic World: Alive has brought in, and it’s generated six times the revenue of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
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That $50 million also makes it the No. 2-location based game on mobile … a couple of billion dollars behind Pokémon Go.
Let’s Hunt Monsters has one major difference that helps it stand out among Pokémon Go clones — it uses Tencent’s blockchain, so you can raise and trade critters with other players. Yep, it’s aping CryptoKitties, too.
