Uma Musume: Pretty Derby launches globally today after racing to $2.6bn on mobile in Japan
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Cygames’ Japanese revenue giant Uma Musume: Pretty Derby launches globally today, June 26th, after generating $2.6 billion in its home country on mobile alone.
According to AppMagic estimates, monthly player spending peaked early at $125.4 million on mobile in March 2021, its first full month after launching on February 24th in Japan that year.
The title went on to be Japan’s top grossing game of 2021 and 2022 and continues to generate over $10m on mobile every month even four years on.
Trotting into new territories
A Western expansion for Uma Musume: Pretty Derby was first teased in June 2024 when developer Cygames launched a website, X (formerly Twitter) account and YouTube cinematic in the English language. An English demo later appeared at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California.
Over nine months later, pre-registrations opened for an English language version of the game in April 2025, solidifying the game’s global rollout on iOS, Android and Steam. Cygames encouraged potential players to sign up to unlock rewards like 3,750 Carats, enough for 25 gacha pulls.
The studio also held a pre-registration promotional campaign on social media, with one winner who followed the new X account and reposted the campaign receiving a round-trip flight to Japan.
Now, the multi-billion dollar hit has finally arrived worldwide, more than one year on from its English reveal and over four years after the Japanese iteration’s launch.
The move follows three consecutive years of declining player spending in Japan. The mobile version earned $367.1m in the country last year – still a substantial sum, but down 62% from the $965.4m generated back in 2021.
A global version suggests Cygames has confidence in the West’s increasing reception to Japanese media.
It also follows just nine days after Cygames’ anime card game Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond launched globally, already racing past $20m in player spending.
