Fire Emblem Heroes approaches $1 billion

Time Stamp: February 7, 2022 8:55 AM

As Fire Emblem Heroes celebrates its fifth anniversary, Sensor Tower has released estimates on the mobile title’s earnings.

Since its launch on February 2 2017, Fire Emblem Heroes has accumulated over $959 million in revenue across the App Store and Google Play Store worldwide, making it Nintendo’s highest-earning mobile game.

Japan is on top with $523 million spent in the game, roughly 54.4 per cent of worldwide consumer spending. The US places second with $308 million, accounting for 32 per cent, followed by Canada in third place.

With 17.6 million global installs, the biggest audiences for Fire Emblem Heroes are in Japan, America, and France. Japan accounts for 8.3 million downloads, equating to 47.3 per cent of the total downloads, almost double the US which is in second place at 4.5 million, or 25.7 per cent.

Comparing strategies

Coming in second for Nintendo’s mobile games at nearly $267 million is Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which launched late in 2017. Close behind in third is Mario Kart Tour, having earned $259 million to date since its 2019 release.

All of Nintendo’s top three biggest earners in the mobile sphere have gacha elements to varying extents. In Fire Emblem Heroes this revolves around unlocking new characters, both from the main series and new to the mobile title.

By comparison, Pocket Camp’s gacha system revolves around unlocking certain furniture and clothes, and in Mario Kart Tour players unlock characters and car parts. These titles also have optional paid subscription services, with Fire Emblem Heroes being the last to adopt this model.

Heroes has been celebrating its fifth anniversary with inclusions like a guaranteed five star summon and a new starter support pack featuring Mythic Hero Sothis. There is also A Hero Rises 2022, where players are currently voting for a free gift character.

Nintendo recently released its financial report for the nine months ending December 31 2021, reporting its mobile operations generated ¥39.8 billion (approximately $347 million).

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