Riot spin-off TFT mobile game tops iOS China charts

Riot Games and Tencent released a spin-off version of Teamfight Tactics via mobile in China today called The Battle of Golden Spatula—and it reportedly debuted at the top of the iOS game download charts.

Launching in 2019 via the League of Legends client, TFT has grown immensely in popularity over the last two years. Expanding upon the autobattler’s foundation, Riot and Tencent have produced a mobile spin-off that’s only available in China. Upon its release today, The Battle of Golden Spatula debuted at the top of the iOS game download chart and third on the revenue chart, according to industry insider Daniel Ahmad. 

The TFT spin-off was co-developed by NExT Studios, an indie developer that’s owned by Tencent. The Battle of Golden Spatula is a standalone mobile game, for now, that showcases additional content that’s not in TFT. Players have the option to choose between three modes of gameplay, including a two-player mode. 

A successful launch of The Battle of Golden Spatula could potentially pave the way for future TFT content that includes a two-player mode and more. Unlike Legends of Runeterra, TFT was launched attached to the League client. If The Battle of Golden Spatula maintains its initial success, it’s possible that Riot may consider removing TFT from the League client and have it as a standalone game as well. 

Gamers outside of China who are interested in playing The Battle of Golden Spatula will need to “download the APK or change your app store to China,” along with needing “a QQ or WeChat account to log in,” according to Ahmad. The Battle of Golden Spatula is available via mobile platforms in China only.