The Rise of Delta Force and Monster Hunter Wilds in China

Delta Force, a F2P tactical shooter from Tencent, made a huge splash in December after its global open beta launched on December 5, 2024. Tencent acquired the rights to the dormant shooter franchise from THQ and Novalogic, with its TiMi studio developing the game. The title peaked at over 118,000 concurrent users on Steam in its first week and has received generally positive reviews. However, Niko Partners has been tracking the game through our China Games & Streaming Tracker since September 2024, when the game launched in China, preceding the global launch.

Data from the China Games & Streaming Tracker shows that Delta Force very quickly became the #4 most viewed game on Chinese game live streaming platforms and has retained that position over the past 3 months. The game also hit 40 million registered users and has surpassed shooter games on our tracker such as Apex Legends, PUBG, CrossFire and CS2, falling just behind Valorant. The China Games & Streaming Tracker helps users understand Chinese consumer sentiment, setting the stage for what to expect with the global launch.

Source: Niko Partners China Games & Streaming Tracker

Capcom’s open beta for Monster Hunter Wilds debuted in the China Games & Streaming Tracker in November, demonstrating how this SaaS tool can be used to identify up and coming titles early, even for games that do not have an ISBN license to operate in mainland China. The open beta, held October 28-November 3, saw the Monster Hunter franchise have more than 3 million cumulative viewers, representing a 156% WoW increase . We note the open beta had around 40% of the total viewers that Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak had during its first week in July 2022, although that was for the full launch, not an open beta.

By leveraging the China Games & Streaming Tracker, clients can understand the opportunity for video games in the China market and assess whether existing titles or new games in development are resonating with local audiences. The Tracker, along with our ongoing research on the China market, provides input to developers who are considering whether or not to proceed with launching a title for China if they do not yet have an ISBN. It also allows clients to benchmark competitors, identify influencer partnership opportunities, and understand which streaming platform is most receptive to certain genres.

Source: Niko Partners China Games & Streaming Tracker

Niko Partners China Games & Streaming Tracker sources data directly from the major game live streaming platforms in China (DouYu, Huya and Bilibili). We track over 750 games and 140,000 streamer channels for games across 6 different metrics including the number of streamers, hours streamed, total subscribers, value of tips / donations, Heat Index and Niko index. The Niko Index is our approximation of viewers. The tracker does not discriminate for titles without ISBNs – we track any title that is streamed.

Subscribers to the China Games & Streaming Tracker can view all current and historical data in our dashboard, updated every 24 hours. Niko’s analysts write and post monthly analysis of key trends and data observed in the Tracker. Fill out the form below to receive our November 2024 summary for free and learn more about the Tracker.

What we are watching: Delta Force and Monster Hunter Wilds