Smilegate’s drama series ‘CrossFire’ tops 100m views in China

Smilegate said Friday that its 36-episode drama series based on its first-person shooter game CrossFire has recorded 100 million views in China.

According to the South Korean game company, the drama series, also named as CrossFire, recorded the milestone on China’s biggest over-the-top platform Tencent Video as of Thursday.

‘Though only two episodes have been broadcast, CrossFire enjoyed more than 100 million views on Tecent Video, ranking as the second-most popular drama series on the platform,” a Smilegate official said.

Smilegate and Chinese drama production company Youhug Media poured in 270 million yuan ($38.5 million) over the past four years to produce the series.

The series stars top Chinese actors Lu Han and Wu Lei, who endeavor to become the best professional CrossFire players with different backgrounds.

Launched in 2007, CrossFire is the most popular FPS game in China, with accumulated global revenue of 12.6 trillion won ($10.4 billion). It is the first Korean game played professionally in an esports competition to be turned into a drama series.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)