What we watched: Delta Force and Monster Hunter Wilds

Delta ForceTencent’s F2P tactical shooter, made a big 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 studio TiMi developing the game. The title reached over 118,000 concurrent users on Steam in its first week and received generally positive reviews. However, Niko Partners has been tracking the game via our China Games & Streaming Tracker since September 2024, when the game launched in China, before the global launch.

Data from China Games & Streaming Tracker shows that Delta Force quickly became the #4 most viewed game on Chinese game live streaming platforms and has maintained that position for the past 3 months. The game also reached 40 million registered users and has surpassed shooter games on our trackers such as Apex Legends, PUBG, Gunfight And CS2left right behind Value. 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 Wild Monster Hunter debuted on China Games & Streaming Tracker in November, showing how this SaaS tool can be used to identify upcoming 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, featured Monster Hunter the franchise had over 3 million cumulative viewers, representing a WoW increase of 156%. We note the open beta had about 40% of that total audience Monster Hunter Rise: Sunrise have during the first week in July 2022, although that’s for the full launch, not the open beta.

By leveraging China Games & Streaming Tracker, clients can understand video game opportunities in the Chinese market and assess whether existing titles or new games in development are acceptable to local audiences. Tracker, along with our ongoing research into the Chinese market, provides feedback to developers who are considering whether or not to move forward with launching a title for China if they don’t yet have an ISBN. It also allows clients to compare competitors, identify influencer partnership opportunities, and understand which streaming platforms are most receptive to certain genres.

Source: Niko Partners China Games & Streaming Tracker

Niko Partners China Games & Streaming Tracker pulls live data from 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 number of streamers, hours streamed, total subscribers, tip/donation value, Heat Index, and Niko index. The Niko Index is our estimate of viewership. The tracker doesn’t discriminate against titles without an ISBN – we track any title being streamed.

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