Lingxi Games launched its anime basketball title Basketball Girls: Leap to the Peak on October 23, pulling in roughly 4.72 million yuan across its first three days on iOS and climbing as high as fourth on the platform’s top-grossing chart, 36kr.com reported. The launch marks the publisher’s first major public test since reaching a preliminary equity transfer agreement in August 2026 to separate from Alibaba Group by selling its shares to Trustar Capital.
Basketball Girls Peaks at Fourth on Grossing Chart
Data tracked by DianDian shows that Basketball Girls: Leap to the Peak opened for pre-downloads on October 21, immediately capturing the top spot on the iOS free games chart before its official server activation two days later. By October 28, following its first weekend on the market, the title settled at 12th on the free charts.
Monetization followed a different trajectory. On launch day, October 23, the game opened at 36th on the iOS grossing chart. It climbed steadily over the next four days, reaching its peak at fourth place on October 27. Total iOS downloads reached approximately 639,000 units by October 25, generating an estimated 4.72 million yuan in gross revenue over its first 72 hours of live service.
Player reception on TapTap remained stable at an 8.2 out of 10 rating. Positive reviews praised the character designs and narrative presentation, while negative feedback concentrated on progression roadblocks, resource acquisition rates, and monetization pressure.
Players Manage Athlete Attributes as Team Coach
Developed outside the traditional open-world genre, the title places the player in the role of a newly appointed team coach. Rather than demanding the high-action reflex controls typical of arcade basketball games, matches rely on automated simulations punctuated by manual tactical interventions during critical game possessions.
Out-of-match progression requires managing six core attributes for each athlete: shooting, jumping, ball handling, defense, stamina, and tactical awareness. Weekly training schedules, random events, and weekend activities drive attribute growth, while recruitment operates through standard gacha-style player pools.
Art direction splits between two distinct styles. Story sequences use detailed Japanese-style 2D character illustrations, while in-game matches render characters as simplified three-head-tall 3D chibi models designed to maintain fluid motion during on-court animations.
Marketing Assets Surge to 1,200 on Launch Day
Data from DataEye-ADX indicates that the project team tested marketing materials aggressively following its final beta test on September 2, hitting a testing peak of nearly 700 daily creative assets before volume tapered off in late September.
Ahead of the October 21 pre-download window, marketing volume surged. On launch day, daily creative output surpassed 1,200 assets. More notably, those 1,200 assets linked to more than 22,000 distinct advertising plans on launch day, a figure that climbed past 65,000 plans by October 24.
The marketing push centered on four distinct creative angles: official NBA licensing partnerships featuring star jerseys; character showcases emphasizing visual design alongside athletic execution; comedic skits playing on internet memes such as the “Basketball Girls, Activate!” catchphrase; and direct conversion ads highlighting pre-registration rewards including 200 pulls, guaranteed high-tier characters, and special skins.
Lingxi Reorganizes Structure as Alibaba Transfers Stake
The game arrives as Lingxi reorganizes its operational structure following Alibaba’s agreement in August 2026 to transfer its entire stake in the developer to Trustar Capital, pending final closing procedures. Sensor Tower figures show Lingxi’s global revenue for 2025 stood at roughly 2.37 billion yuan, less than half of its historic peak, with 2019’s Three Kingdoms: Tactics remaining the publisher’s primary financial driver.
Market analysts note that the company is shifting toward two distinct operational vectors to reduce single-product dependence. The first involves mid-budget content-driven titles like Basketball Girls that explore niche sports and character-driven markets rather than competing in crowded open-world spaces. The second focuses on lighter, fragmented experiences such as Grandmaster Above, which targets mini-game ecosystems and shorter production cycles to offset the extended development timelines required for large-scale strategy games.
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