AFK Journey, a free-to-play fantasy RPG (role-playing game) released by Lilith Games, has reached the top of China’s iOS free game download charts having just been released last Thursday. The 3D strategy card game blends real-time combat with diverse gameplay, while its painting-like design and fairytale style offer players an engaging adventure.

The new game has surged in overseas markets, topping the mobile game sales charts in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau, and climbing into the top 15 mobile game bestsellers in Japan, according to Chinese gaming media outlet Nadianshi.

Why it matters: Lilith Games, a well-known Chinese game developer, is renowned for creating popular mobile games such as AFK Arena and Rise of Kingdoms. The company’s influence in China’s gaming industry has made its new releases noteworthy. Despite leveraging its IP advantage and marketing efforts to good effect, AFK Journey faces a longer term challenge as a strategy card game over the easier to monetize SLG (Simulation Games) genre. 

Details: In AFK Journey, players explore the magical world of Esperia as the legendary Merlin, engaging in strategic battles and uncovering hidden mysteries alongside diverse creatures of the realm.

• The game team has made all heroes available for free after the launch, as card-collecting and character-developing can become a burden in such games for new players. Players can access all heroes in the game without extra expenditure by logging in daily, completing main-story quests, and participating in in-game activities.
• Compared to its forerunner AFK Arena, the new game uses 3D modeling and detailed character illustrations, while retaining its fairytale style. AFK Journey also adds an open-world exploration feature that allows players to explore the map, discover treasure chests, and search for monster lairs.
• The game’s vertical screen gameplay design is an innovative feature allowing players to operate the game with one hand, making it easy to play on commutes, during lunchtime, or in idle moments. It is also less likely to be noticed by colleagues if players indulge at work. 

Context: According to market intelligence platform SensorTower, predecessor AFK Arena has earned over $1 billion in overseas revenue since its launch in April 2019. Lilith Games released the overseas version of AFK Journey on March 27, and saw it rank 10th on China’s mobile games overseas revenue chart and lead China’s mobile games overseas growth chart in April.

• With advertising campaigns across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, AFK Journey’s overseas revenue surpassed Rise of Kingdoms to become Lilith Games’ highest-grossing title, the same SensorTower report said.
• Local media outlet Gaming Daily estimated that AFK Journey’s overseas revenue in its first month was around RMB 300 million ($42 million).