ByteDance’s internally developed game Crystal of Atlan has become a major success, ranking as the eighth best-selling mobile game in China on iOS in July. This is a significant achievement for ByteDance’s subsidiary Nuverse, as their previous hits were developed by external partners.

This sudden rise in popularity is noteworthy, even though Crystal of Atlan is not the largest game in the Chinese market. In July, the game generated over $29 million in revenue, thanks in part to ByteDance’s active promotion on Douyin (known as TikTok outside of China). The game-related hashtags on the platform received over 3.5 billion views. Nuverse has also collaborated with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to further boost the game’s popularity.

A Promising Competitor to Tencent

ByteDance and Tencent, in many ways, are similar companies. Both operate leading social media platforms in their respective countries, Douyin (TikTok) and WeChat. However, ByteDance has shown that it can excel in the gaming industry just like Tencent. Through their subsidiary Nuverse, ByteDance has already secured an award-winning game with Marvel Snap.

Crystal of Atlan validates ByteDance’s success in the gaming sector, proving that it’s more than just a stroke of luck. The game highlights the company’s internal talent in game development, which can provide growth opportunities beyond their partner collaborations. Although ByteDance has faced challenges, including company layoffs earlier this year, the success of Crystal of Atlan demonstrates the potential that Nuverse and ByteDance have in the gaming market.