When the mobile version of PlayerUnknown's Battleground launched in China this past February, it looked as though its publisher Tencent would reap the benefits from the popularity and newly-found accessibility of the battle royale genre. However despite the success PUBG has seen in recent months, the company has seen a staggering drop in market value.

Since the beginning of 2018, Tencent's stock has seen a 25% drop, which equals to around $150 million, according to Bloomberg. Tencent, who specializes in internet-related services in the Chinese region, currently is the fifth-largest investment company in the world based on revenue earnings. A large portion of their earnings in recent history can be attributed to the success of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

Gameplay Screenshot PUBG

Tencent's reports show their more recent stock drops are thanks to the company being forced to remove the ability for players to purchase the PC version of Monster Hunter World just days after it launched in China. Another factor which ties into the company's dip in value is the continued growth of Epic Games' Fortnite, which passed PUBG in monthly revenue back in March.

Both the lack of offering Monster Hunter World on PC and Fortnite taking up increasingly more of the battle royale space has seen the revenue in online gaming for the company drop 19% in the last quarter. With the drop in both revenue and stock value, Tencent has reported its first profit decline in 13 years, with forecasts showing their steady drop in value to continue for the near future.

Earlier this year, Capcom announced their newest game, Monster Hunter World, was their most successful launch ever in terms of copies sold, so to see the PC port of the game being removed entirely from the region of China is a significant blow to Tencent. As far as the future of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, this holiday season will see AAA titles taking advantage of the popular battle royale mode, with Call of Duty Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V confirmed to include the multiplayer mode when they both launch this October.

Considering Call of Duty and Battlefield are adding their battle-royale modes, as well as the continued support from Epic Games for Fortnite, developer PUBG Corp. and Tencent will need to find new ways to retain their player base before the AAA market joins in on the action.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is currently available for Android, iOS, Windows, and Xbox One.

Source: Bloomberg