Bluepoch’s debut title Reverse: 1999 is celebrating its “semi-anniversary” with the release of Version 1.6’s first phase. The update comes as the time-travel RPG celebrates its first anniversary in China (released May 31st, 2023) and seven months in the West (released October 26th, 2023), with up to 90 free summons available as a gift to new players.
Reverse: 1999 is, after all, a gacha game, a lucrative genre on mobile with a monetisation model that has pushed the likes of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail well beyond $1 billion.
A fellow Chinese company, Bluepoch has found financial success in its own right by AppMagic estimates, albeit it not on HoYoverse’s scale, with $74 million generated on mobile in one year since Reverse: 1999’s Chinese launch. It’s no small feat for a new IP from a previously unknown studio.
The largest single region for downloads is China at 43% over the past year, explained not only by the country’s headstart but also by ongoing success there.
International impact
Bluepoch aims to become a globally recognised company and is off to a good start in this regard with Reverse 1999’s success. The title has effectively monetised its Japanese audience and has a sizeable playerbase in the US, though China remains its most-played, highest-spending territory.
So far, 70% of Reverse: 1999’s revenue has come from China, totalling $51.8 million, and this isn’t just because of a five-month lead. Rather, Chinese spending is on the rise again, with 85% of May 2024 revenue having come from Bluepoch’s home country and only 15% from overseas.
Across its lifetime so far, Japan and the US have consistently been the second and third-biggest spenders, contributing 14% and 8% of the game’s revenue. But this month, they have only contributed 6% and 5% of earnings respectively.
Downloads see a similar trend. The largest single region for downloads is China at 43% over the past year, explained not only by the country’s headstart but also by ongoing success there; Chinese downloads grew this May too, above the average and up to 68% of the month’s total.
These rising figures are likely a result of the game’s first-anniversary celebration in China, where the RPG has launched Version 1.9 with new characters and content, raising new interest and opening more players’ wallets.
The US and Japan represent 12% and 9% of total downloads, or 10% and 7% in the last 30 days. Worldwide, the game is on the verge of 20 million installs.
Up to date
Reverse: 1999’s semi-anniversary is kicking off with the Notes on Shuori event and introduces a time-limited character for the first time: Jiu Niangzi is a new 6-star character summonable during the event period, and will not be added to the wider pool thereafter.
The 5-star character Yenisei is also obtainable via the Dushuo Festival limited banner, and fans can summon up to 30 times for free in celebration of the semi-anniversary. Newcomers, meanwhile, are being encouraged with the allure of 90 free pulls – a move clearly designed to further bolster installs.
Phase 1 will also include new outfits for A Knight, Druvis III, Balloon Party, Зима, and free garments for An-an Lee.
There’s a new story event too, plus the game’s first roguelike mode starting on June 8th.
6-star arcanist Getian has been teased for Version 1.6 Phase 2, launching in June.
“This is an incredibly exciting update for Reverse: 1999, not just because of Jiu Niangzi and Yenisei, brought to life by our incredibly talented voice actors Melody Peng and Alice Malakhov,” said Reverse: 1999 art director Guest Cat.
Reverse: 1999 is all about rewinding time through the 20th century, but as time presses ever forward in the real world, the RPG marches steadily on towards that $100 million milestone. Whether it reaches it by the first global anniversary, for now we can only wait and see…