Tag: mobile games industry

New research estimates China’s mobile games market to make billions.

According to SuperData Research, the leading provider of digital games market intelligence, in 2014, the mobile games market in China is anticipated to break the $3 billion mark, which could result in the country becoming the leading market in the mobile gaming sector, bumping the U.S. out of the top spot.

The United States and China are the two largest players in the mobile games industry.

SuperData CEO Joost Van Dreunen said that while it is no surprise that these two countries are the biggest players in the market, “what is surprising is the rate at which China has caught up with especially large Western mobile game markets.” Dreunen has said that this is very exciting news for publishers, as the growth of the Chinese games market is not unlike the one the U.S. market experienced a few years back. The difference, however, is that China’s growth has greater potential for a larger audience.

The Super Data CEO stated that the United States gaming market is going through a transition. Instead of a game industry that has been physically retail-based, its focus is becoming much more digital. “Publishers must tailor their games to suit local markets,” Dreunen said. He added that “what works well in the US may not work well in China, and vice versa.” What is becoming more important in the games industry is process of localization, which has a direct impact on a game’s ability to convince players to buy.

SuperData’s 2014 Mobile Games Brief of China and the U.S., predicts that the global games market will exceed $20 billion by the end of the year.

The Chinese mobile gaming space is attracting investors.

According to Lisa Cosmas Hanson, the managing partner at research firm Niko Partners, the mobile games space in China is being embraced by investors. However, despite this fact, the recent report released by Niko Partners estimates that by 2018, the country’s PC online gaming market is likely to double.

Dreunen notes that like most Asian markets (with Japan being the exception), China does not have a very big market for physical retail games. Although it is probable that video game consoles will grow in popularity, as it is now legal to buy these devices, consoles like Xbox One are likely to face stiff competition in China where PC and mobile gaming remain dominant.

Mobile games catch the attention of Kongregate

Kongregate has served as a host for online, browser-based games since being launched in late 2006. The platform supports a wide variety of online games that have been developed by independent studios and even individuals. The platform has garnered a great deal of support for this approach to gaming and now Kongregate is working to enter into an increasingly popular sector within the game industry: Mobile games. Kongregate has high hopes for mobile games and is keen to leverage its past experience in to make these games even more popular than they already are.

First mobile titles to be released this month

The first mobile games that will be released under the Kongregate banner will be Tyrant: Unleashed from Synapse Games and BloodRealm from RedPoint Labs. Numerous other mobile games will be supported on the platform in the coming months. All of these games will be free-to-play, but will include microtransactions. Gamers will be able to pay for additional content and services and these funds will go toward the developers of these mobile games, with a small percentage being taken by Kongregate as well.

Mobile games continue to generate hype with consumers

Mobile games have quickly become one of the most popular sectors in the game industry. These games are enjoyed by millions of consumers around the world and their popularity continues to grow as smartphones and tablets become more common. Kongregate is keen to take advantage of the popularity of mobile games while also offering a powerful platform upon which independent developers can reach out to consumers.

Game industry grows increasingly interested in the mobile space

Kongregate is not the only organization in the game industry that is interested in mobile games, of course. Zynga, which had once been considered the dominant force in social gaming, has also taken a strong interest in mobile games. Both Electronic Arts and Square Enix also have a strong interest in mobile games and have plans to support these titles in the future.