Hanjin Zhang on the success and future of Arena Breakout | Pocket Gamer.biz

Arena Breakout launched on June 26, 2023 and in the short time since its release the title has already seen massive success as the highly anticipated first person shooter game has already surpassed 80 million users. The game is currently in its first season, with a second in sight.

In light of recent successes we caught up with MoreFun Studios president, Hanjin Zhang to discuss the ambition and creation of Arena Breakout, in addition to what comes next for the widely popular mobile hit.

Pocketgamer.biz: How long did the development of Arena Breakout take?

Hanjin Zhang: It took about two and a half years from the project’s launch to official release. A significant amount of time was spent engineering the underlying technology of Arena Breakout to work well on mobile. At the time, we looked at where mobile devices should be in about two years and built a game that balances performance while keeping the core experience intact.

We always wanted Arena Breakout to be comparable to a PC or console-quality game, so a lot of the tech needed was a first for mobile, like volumetric clouds and light adaptation. The research and development of this tech is where we spent most of our time and effort.

The game was released in only at the end of June this year. How do you reflect on its performance so far?

So far, from both an active player and a revenue standpoint, the game has met our initial expectations, but there are still areas for improvement. We’re working hard to explore future possibilities for the game.

Surpassing 80 million registered users is an amazing feat. What is the driving factor behind the high demand for the game?

Player demand for new experiences is the basis of everything. We believe that fans of tactical FPS games have an unmet demand for a more immersive shooting experience for more intense gameplay and that this demand continues to grow. What we’ve accomplished so far validates our thinking here.

Many mobile games can be considered casual titles, whereas Arena Breakout offers a hardcore shooter experience. Was this always the goal when in development? 

I think many mobile FPS games out there are all aiming to approach PC or console in terms of quality. While it’s true people are more willing to kill some time playing casual games, and mobile has mainly catered to this demand in the past, it’s changing. As the mobile gaming market grows, so does the demand for a more convenient way to enjoy intense gaming experiences. This is also reflected in the growth of mobile eSports.

Offering a more hardcore and serious gaming experience on mobile aligns with market needs, not just our dev team’s wishful thinking.

How regularly do you anticipate new updates going forward?

We’re providing a game as a service, so consistently releasing new content to meet the growing needs of players is the cornerstone of what we do. Said another way, introducing new modes and other game content regularly within a reasonable time frame is our team’s most important task.

And what about the future of Arena Breakout? Is there anything else you can tell us about or something we should be on the lookout for?

We believe Arena Breakout’s gameplay is full of potential. A lot of things are possible. We’re looking forward to communicating with our players more, seeing what they love, and bringing more ideas to reality which provide amazing experiences for them.