Supercell's Brawl Stars Is a Hit in South Korea with $50 Million Grossed There to Date

Launched worldwide five months ago this week, Brawl Stars—the latest release from mobile gaming juggernaut Supercell—has found its greatest success in an unlikely place for the publisher: South Korea. The market has become the title's largest, edging out the United States with 21 percent of all player spending—which, to date, tops $50 million there according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates.

By comparison, the U.S. and Japan are the game's second and third largest markets in terms of revenue at 20 percent and 9.7 percent of player spending, respectively. Brawl Stars has ranked in the top five of mobile games in South Korea by revenue since launching there, reaching No. 4 in February.

The percentage of revenue being generated by Brawl Stars from South Korea stands in stark contrast to the performance of Supercell's other mobile games there. Clash of Clans has grossed more than $372 million in the country, but this only amounts to about 5.7 percent of the title's overall earnings since 2012. The $122 million we estimate has been spent by South Korean players of another major Supercell title, Clash Royale, is just 4.8 percent of its global revenue since launching in spring 2016. Brawl Stars has taken in nearly half of that amount in just five months.

Brawl Stars has grossed an estimated total of $230 million across all of its available territories since releasing in December. The title has yet to launch in China, although it is available for pre-order there and saw more than five million users register their interest in the first 24 hours. Tencent, which is currently enjoying the domestic success of its re-tooled Game for Peace, will publish Brawl Stars in China at a yet-to-be-determined date.