The global gaming market has experienced a remarkable increase in value, reaching $166 billion in the past year. Mobile gaming accounted for $85.76 billion of this total, with half of that revenue coming from Chinese companies. This growth can be attributed to the continuous focus of Chinese companies on developing high-quality games and their enhanced efforts towards global expansion.
Despite the overall success, revenue from overseas titles developed by Chinese developers saw a slight decline of 5.65%, amounting to approximately $16.366 billion, as reported by Gizmochina. Nevertheless, key markets such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea continued to contribute significantly to China’s earnings from international markets.
The popularity of Chinese mobile games abroad can be attributed to the continuous improvement in game quality and the effective implementation of market and brand expansion strategies. Although strategy games remain dominant in Chinese mobile game exports, the casual gaming sector is experiencing notable growth, with overseas market share increasing from 0.6% to 5.1% within three years.
Tencent Setting the Pace
Leading the charge in China’s gaming industry is Tencent Games, a major revenue contributor with 100 billion yuan ($14.13 billion). Additionally, 51 other Chinese companies secured positions among the top 100 global earners in the gaming sector.
Despite China’s impressive performance in the gaming market, challenges lie ahead. Issues such as declining domestic revenue, fierce global competition, high user acquisition costs, and regulatory hurdles imposed by the Chinese government remain areas of concern. However, the impact of these challenges appears to have lessened for now.
To address the obstacles of international expansion, over 60% of surveyed Chinese companies are prioritizing long-term product operations, strategic partnerships, regional preferences, and advanced technologies. These strategic efforts not only help sustain China’s global dominance in the gaming market but also pave the way for further success on the international stage.
