Market & Data
• Sensor Tower May Mobile Game Rankings: 38 Chinese developers made the global Top 100, generating a combined revenue of $2.29 billion (accounting for 42.8%). Tencent, 360 Interactive, Lemon Micro, NetEase, and miHoYo swept the top five spots. Tencent’s *Honor of Kings* maintained its position as the global leader in May with a 9% month-over-month increase; DianDian Interactive’s *Kingshot* saw an 11% month-over-month increase, with overseas revenue surpassing that of *Whiteout Survival*; Mihoyo’s *Zero Zone* saw a 514% surge in daily iOS revenue in Japan following the Version 2.8 update.
• Tencent Financing: Finalized the issuance of notes totaling over 31.5 billion RMB (US$2.45 billion + 15 billion RMB), to be listed on June 16 for general corporate purposes.
Foreign Developer Updates
• Tencent Lightspeed & Quantum: Launched the first “Creation Workshop” creator competition; winners will receive a PS5, JD.com gift cards, and summer internship opportunities.
• NetEase New Release: Joker Studio’s open-world ocean adventure RPG *Seabound* officially announced an open beta in July.
• Bungie: *Destiny 2* received its final content update on June 9; the team is fully transitioning to the new project *Marathon*.
• Ubisoft: Initiates its sixth round of layoffs in 2026, closing studios in Winnipeg and Belgrade, while simultaneously cutting global publishing positions; up to approximately 380 employees are affected.
• New Xbox Strategy: CEO Asha Sharma reveals plans to launch ad-supported free xCloud cloud gaming and lower Game Pass subscription prices.
New Releases / Launches / Shutdowns
• *Lost Castle 2*: Version 1.0 launches on June 11 (PC).
• *Bellwright*: Launches on PS and Xbox consoles on June 10.
• *STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions* (a spin-off of *Astroneer*): Early Access begins on June 11.
• Konami’s *Pro Baseball 2026-2027*: Launches on Switch and PS4 on June 11.
• PS Plus June Additions: *Final Fantasy XVI* joins the Extra tier on June 16; *Sonic X-Generation* and others will be added in batches starting June 10.
• Service Termination News: *Girls' Frontline: Fire Control* has announced it will shut down;
• *Black Beacon* announced on June 10 that it will officially shut down on August 17.
Events and New Announcements
• Summer Game Festival/Switch Direct Follow-up: *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remastered* confirmed as a Switch 2 exclusive launching later this year; New information has been released for titles such as *Resident Evil: Code Veronica Remake*, *Final Fantasy RESONANCE* (HD-2D), and *Gears of War: Day One*.
• Wholesome Direct 2026: A number of new indie “wholesome” games were announced.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
