Hearthstone is starting to realize its serious earning potential

Blizzard’s first free-to-play game is showing that it has staying power.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is charging up the top-grossing charts in several crucial mobile-gaming markets, according to data-tracking firm App Annie. On the iPad (which has a separate chart from iPhone), the collectible-card game is the fourth highest-grossing game in South Korea. It is No. 9 in China, 12 in Canada, 22 in the United Kingdom, and 22 in the United States. These nations are many of the biggest spenders when it comes to games on iOS and Android. In Japan, the top country for mobile-gaming revenue, the game is No. 100. That is up 65 spots from the previous day (App Annie updates daily). With spending on mobile platforms expected to reach $21 billion through the last 12 months, Hearthstone’s surge in the top markets could really help Blizzard’s bottom line.