Tencent’s gaming rebound drives Q3 revenue up 8% amid fintech weakness

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings (OTC:TCEHY) posted on Wednesday a 8% rise in third-quarter revenue, driven by growth in its gaming business after the recent launches of new titles.

Tencent, the world’s largest video game company and operator of the WeChat messaging platform, reported revenue of 167.19 billion yuan ($23.14 billion) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, in line with the average analyst estimate of 167.8 billion yuan, according to LSEG data.

Domestic gaming revenue rose 14% to 37.3 billion yuan, extending the previous quarter’s 9% growth and marking two straight quarters of expansion after earlier declines. International gaming revenue increased 9% to 14.5 billion yuan.

The result was partly driven by “Dungeon & Fighter Mobile”, a marquee title launched in May, as well as the release of a new shooting game, “Delta Force”, in September.

The August release of “Black Myth: Wukong,” a globally successful game based on the Chinese classic “Journey to the West,” boosted Tencent’s investment portfolio, where the company holds a stake in the game’s developer.

Tencent’s net income rose 47% to 53.23 billion yuan. Analysts had on average expected net income of 52.89 billion yuan, according to LSEG.

($1 = 7.7791 Hong Kong dollars)

($1 = 7.2242 Chinese yuan renminbi)