Warc, 12 May 2014
SHANGHAI: The Chinese mobile games market is expected to
grow to $3bn by the end of this year, putting it on track to overtake the US as
the world's largest, new research has forecast.
Overall spending in the US will continue to grow to $3.2bn,
but the rate of growth will be slower than in China as the US market approaches
saturation point, according to SuperData Research, the New-York based digital
measurement company.
It said this could explain why a major publisher like King,
the British maker of Candy Crush Saga, last month announced a partnership with
Chinese tech giant Tencent to release the game in the country.
Joost van Dreunen, CEO of SuperData, told China Daily that
the "surprising" rate of growth in China is exciting for publishers
because it's similar to how fast the US market grew a few years ago, but there
are far more potential customers.
He said that to be successful in the growing global market,
which SuperData estimates will be worth more than $20bn by the end of this
year, publishers must ensure their products meet the needs of their consumers.
"Publishers must tailor their games to suit local
markets," he said. "This process of localisation has become
increasingly important in the games industry, and directly affects a game's
ability to persuade players to spend money."
"What works well in the US may not work well in China,
and vice versa," he added.
China lifted its 14-year ban on the sale of foreign game
consoles earlier this year, which opened the door for major players like
Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony to enter the market.
Only last month, Microsoft announced that it would launch
its Xbox One in China this September in partnership with BesTV New Media, a
subsidiary of Shanghai Media Group.
Enwei Xie, general manager of Xbox China, said at the time
that "the opportunities are endless for creators to unleash their
imaginations for games, online education and fitness experiences for China and
beyond."
Data sourced from SuperData Research, China Daily, Reuters,
Microsoft; additional content by Warc staff
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