Recently, New One Studio announced that the cumulative sales of its live-action interactive historical drama game, "Reign of Empress," have surpassed 6 million copies, once again breaking its own global sales record for live-action interactive film and television works.
The "Reign of Empress" series is divided into two chapters: "Wu Zetian Chapter" and "Empress Chapter." Released as a buy-to-play title, the game follows the life of Wu Zetian as its main storyline, allowing players to make continuous choices that lead to vastly different branches and endings.
"Reign of Empress: Wu Zetian Chapter" launched in September 2025, surpassing 1 million copies sold within just 12 days and topping paid charts in China and several Southeast Asian regions. The sequel, "Reign of Empress: Empress Chapter," was released in June 2026, featuring a total playtime of 1,000 minutes and double the content volume of its predecessor. Within 21 days of launch, it drove the series' total sales past 5 million copies. Three months later, the series' sales climbed again to reach 6 million copies.
The developers expressed their gratitude to players worldwide: "Dear players, the total sales for the 'Reign of Empress' series have now exceeded 6 million copies. Thank you to everyone who chose to experience this story. New One Studio will cherish this love and support and carry it forward. We look forward to seeing you again in our next story."
Previously, live-action interactive games were a niche market, with few titles breaking the 1 million sales mark. The phenomenal success of "Reign of Empress" can be attributed to the strong immersion provided by live-action filming and its narrative design featuring numerous branches and multiple endings. Additionally, a large volume of player walkthroughs and fan-created content on short-video platforms helped attract casual players, earning the game significant popularity among overseas audiences as well. The achievement of 6 million copies sold serves as an important reference model for domestic interactive narrative games in China.
