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Top 25 games companies made $34.5B in the first half of 2016

Chinese internet giant Tencent, which will soon complete its $8.6 billion acquisition of Supercell, led the charge with half year revenues of $5.3 billion.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

October 28, 2016

2 Min Read
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The top 25 most successful games companies have generated combined revenues of $34.5 billion in the first half of 2016. That's a year-over-year increase of 22 percent. 

The news comes from Newzoo's latest Global Games Market Report, which also highlights the growing importance of the mobile sector. 

For context, Newzoo says mobile titles accounted for 40 percent of all revenues made by the top 10 game companies -- an increase of 34 percent from last year. 

As for who those companies are, Chinese internet giant Tencent -- which will soon complete its $8.6 billion acquisition of Supercell -- is top of the pile, with half year (H1) revenues of $5.3 billion. 

Sony sits in second place thanks to an revenue haul of $3.6 billion, and is followed by Activision, Microsoft, and Apple, which pulled in H1 revenues of $3 billion, $3 billion, and $2.6 billion, respectively.

EA, NetEase, Google, Bandai Namco, and Mixi make up the rest of the top 10, which you can see in full below.

Looking specifically at revenue growth, Asian companies are leading the charge. Sony saw revenues leap up 45 percent year-over-year, a shift Newzoo attributes to a rise in digital game sales and PSN subscriptions. 

Japanese developers Mixi and Konami saw the most growth in terms of rank position, with each company climbing four places to secure a spot in the top 10. 

Chinese internet outfit NetEase was also flying high, with half year revenues at the company soaring by 69 percent to $1.9 billion.

The standout performances of mobile titles Fantasy Westward Journey and new release Onmyoji mean NetEase could overtake EA and grab a spot in the top 5 by the time 2017 rolls around. 

It wasn't plain sailing for every game company in the top 25, however, with Warner Bros. falling four places thanks to a 10 percent revenue drop in the first half of the year. 

Facebook also lost four spots after revenues dipped by 14 percent, while Puzzle & Dragons creator GungHo also slipped up after a loss of interest in the puzzler caused revenues to decrease by 20 percent year-over-year. 

For a more comprehensive look at the current state of the global games market, you can check out Newzoo's report right here

About the Author

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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