Earlier, there were predictions about the difficult situation of Wild Rift in the introductory article, but no one expected the reality to be so brutal and so swift.
Now, let’s delve deeper into each country, starting with South Korea, where Wild Rift achieved a rank of 17 in the top free games after 7 weeks since its launch. Assuming this were another mobile game, this result would be quite significant in a highly competitive market like South Korea, but this is Wild Rift, a blockbuster that should naturally dominate the charts for months, if not years, as other hits like PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings have done in key markets. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that just a few weeks in, Wild Rift has taken a nosedive, and if this trend continues without timely and appropriate interventions, the snowball effect will be hard to stop.
Sounds pessimistic, right? Let’s see how other markets are doing; perhaps South Korea is an exception?
Thailand – Rank 33
Thailand, a market known for being easygoing but not easy to conquer, has seen Wild Rift fall to rank 33 after 7 weeks! While this was anticipated, I must honestly say I was still quite surprised that ROV (the Thai name for Arena of Valor) – the mobile MOBA national game in Thailand, could swiftly outshine Wild Rift like this. But could this reason just be the tip of the iceberg, just like the Titanic disaster was merely due to hitting an iceberg?
After careful consideration, I’m inclined to assume that the direct cause may indeed stem from ROV, and it could also be related to Wild Rift itself – which will be elaborated on later. However, the most intriguing reason actually lies in a more profound indirect cause named Heroes of Newerth – the former PC MOBA national game of Thailand, which once overshadowed League of Legends, leading to the current state where Wild Rift has little to inherit, be it community or esports tournaments with unimpressive achievements.
Now, let’s parachute into another Southeast Asian country, a market that is incredibly populous and fertile.
Indonesia – Rank 151!
I must express my deep concern upon seeing Wild Rift plummet to rank 151, as at this point, the chances of a turnaround are almost zero. Let’s just sigh and excuse it once again because Indonesia, like Thailand, lacks a solid foundation of League of Legends PC, and of course, the Indonesian national game, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, plays a crucial role in the dismal state of Wild Rift in this country.
Additionally, there are markets like Malaysia and Singapore, but due to their size and limited influence, they are not mentioned here, or the exception of Japan where the game fell to rank 350, which isn’t much to discuss, as League of Legends has never found success in the land of cherry blossoms, so Wild Rift’s failure is understandable.
Thus, as of now, after 7 weeks since its launch, the overall situation of Wild Rift is quite bleak across all fronts, whether in its “home turf” like South Korea or in countries with existing competitors, where it has been quickly overshadowed. So, aside from factors like mindset, behavior, and competition – the objective conditions, could the issue also stem from Wild Rift itself? A game product that may be correct, but is it effective? More specifics will come in the next section – Wild Rift: Caught Between Friendship and Love.