Genshin Impact is a free-to-play cross-platform action RPG. On mobile, Genshin Impact is particularly popular in Japan, where players generated an average revenue per download of 102.53 U.S. dollars. Singapore ranked second, with a cumulative RPD of 64.86 U.S. dollars. Genshin Impact – a free-to-play success story With an annual IAP revenue of 1.56 billion U.S. dollars, Genshin Impact is one of the highest-grossing mobile games of 2023. The game was released in September 2020 and initial reviews were mixed, describing the setting and theme as a clone of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, this stance was quickly abandoned by critics as Genshin Impact came into its own. The game features regular content releases to keep the player engaged as the story continues to evolve and new characters and regions are revealed. In August 2024, Genshin Impact launched the content update 5.0 which featured the new Natlan region and several new characters, quests, and in-game events. Genshin Impact is a live service game, also known as the Games-as-a-Service (GaaS), which is one of the strongest-growing revenue models in gaming right now. Gacha monetization mechanics In addition to the live service model, Genshin Impact is also a successful example of the gacha monetization trend in mobile games. Similar to loot boxes, a gacha system leads the player to spend in-game currency to receive random in-game items. In Genshin Impact, the gacha system is implemented via several so-called banners featuring characters or weapons which only are available for a limited amount of time. Spending in-game currency on these banners is the main way of unlocking new characters in the game. Players can earn the necessary currency either via completing game quests or through purchases in the virtual item shop with real money.In October 2024, Genshin Impact’s monthly mobile app revenue amounted to 35 million U.S. dollars, with China, Japan, and the United States leading in terms of revenue.