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318 million smartphones sold in 2013, will Tencent rule them all?

Weekly taster from the Middle Kingdom

318 million smartphones sold in 2013, will Tencent rule them all?

Not only is China one of the largest markets for mobile gaming, it's also one of the most dynamic.

There's the broad shift from feature phones (and no phones at all) to a potentially billion-strong smartphone market.

More specifically for games, the PC client and browser market is transitioning to mobile, while the lack of Google Play as a distribution channel for Android content has resulted in an explosion in local app stores.

For these reasons, and more, the Chinese market is a heady and ever-changing mix, which is why PocketGamer.biz has hooked up with GameGrapes (aka Youxiputao) to bring you a weekly digest of the freshest and most tasty Chinese mobile gaming news.


Click here to view the list »
  • 5 Qihoo 360 to buy MediaV?

    Qihoo 360 to buy MediaV? logo

    According to reports from 21st Century Business Herald, anti-virus outfit and app distributor Qihoo 360 is looking to acquire MediaV.

    It's a Chinese online marketing analytics and tracking tech company, that services more than 3,000 online business ranging from education and games to automotive.

    The point of the deal would be to boost Qihoo 360's advertising business.


  • 4 Chinese game market was worth $2.4 billion in Q1 2014

    Although it's only up 2 percent year-on-year, the total value of the Chinese games market in Q1 2014 was $2.4 billion (RMB 14.7 billion).

    Perhaps one reason for the lack of growth was no new blockbuster hits, with the likes of League of Legends  and Blade and Soul  from Tencent, Tian Long Ba Bu  from Changyou, Fantasy Westward Journey  from NetEase and Sword Man 3  from Kingsoft still the most popular PC games.


  • 3 780 million Chinese smartphone owners by 2015?

    As for wider internet usage in China, new figures suggest there are over 500 million internet users, with a total market value of $17 billion (RMB 106 billion).

    When it comes to mobile, it was estimated that 318 million smartphones were sold in China during 2013, up 64 percent compared to 2012.

    By the end of 2015, it's expected total smartphone ownership will be 780 million.


  • 2 The battle for mobile wallets

    The battle for mobile wallets logo

    WeChat adoption as been fast in China (where it's known as Weixin), but adoption of Tencent's Tenpay mobile payment system has been even faster.

    According to TalkingData, it's gone from 0 to around 10 percent of total mobile payments in a year, although Alibaba's Alipay system remains the dominant player with 59 percent of transactions.

    Interestingly, though, Alipay has 49 percent market share of total transaction value, compared to Tenpay's 13 percent, suggesting Tencent's system is being used for larger payments.


  • 1 The power of WeChat boosts two more

    The power of WeChat boosts two more logo

    Tencent is the dominant player in the Chinese PC games market, and it's looking like the same thing will happen in mobile games too.

    It's just announced it's published two new games on its Tencent Mobile Games Platform, which includes integration with the incredibly popular mobile QQ and Weixin (WeChat) social networks.

    The first title is Singapore-based IGG's Castle Clash, while the second is Taming Monster, which is developed by South Korea outfit Seed9 Games, and a #1 hit in Korea on Google Play and the App Store.

    Both titles are now in the top 10 top grossing chart on iOS in China, where Tencent also has five other games, giving it a total of 7 titles in the top 10. Now that's dominance.


PocketGamer.biz regularly posts content from a variety of guest writers across the games industry. These encompass a wide range of topics and people from different backgrounds and diversities, sharing their opinion on the hottest trending topics, undiscovered gems and what the future of the business holds.