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.
One of the most popular mobile games series in China with over 400 million downloads to-date, Chukong Technologies has released Fishing Joy 3.
Using the new Cocos2d-x 3.0 engine, the casual screen tapper is available for iOS and Android, and sees players firing at fish as they swim by, collecting gold and other items as they 'catch' them.
The game's importance for Chukong - which recently postponed its US IPO - can't be underestimated.
The series has been responsible for around 50 percent of its sales, with Fishing Joy 2 continuing to remain in the top 10 charts on channels such as Baidu and 360.
2
Happy Elements Japan's Meroko Mono comes to China
Tower defense card-battle game Meroko Mono, which was developed by Happy Elements K.K (the Japanese office of the Chinese publisher), launched in Chinese App Store on 15 July.
Graphically cute and refreshing, Meroko Mono is a neat hybrid that combines card collecting and tower defense. There are more than 200 characters to collect, including warrior, shaman, mage and heavy infantry. Players can set up their army including any five characters to fight against rivals.
And Asian players seem to like it, too.
Since being launched in February, the game has been in top 10 top grossing in both the App Store and Google Play in Japan, and top 50 in the app stores in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
As for the Chinese launch, Happy Elements has partnered with famous Chinese video website Bilibili, which should boost interest in the game among its animation and comic book fans.
3
Changyou buys majority stake in Dolphin Browser
The Chinese game industry is undergoing constant change. One recent corporate move has seen Haloer Technology merge with Cairot Technology to form Feiyu Technology.
Established in 2008, Haloer started with web games and has since moved to mobile, with one of its most popular games being the iOS version of its Immortal web game.
As for Cairot Tech, it's best known for the Carrot Fantasy series of tower defense, with have more than 100 million player in China.
is the developer of casual games Carrot Fantasy and Carrot Fantasy 2. The first product of this series launched in 2012 and got more than 100 million players.
4
Haloer + Cairot = Feiyu Technology
The Chinese game industry is undergoing constant change. One recent corporate move has seen Haloer Technology merge with Cairot Technology to form Feiyu Technology.
Established in 2008, Haloer started with web games and has since moved to mobile, with one of its most popular games being the iOS version of its Immortal web game.
As for Cairot Tech, it's best known for the Carrot Fantasy tower defense series, with have more than 100 million player in China.
is the developer of casual games Carrot Fantasy and Carrot Fantasy 2. The first product of this series launched in 2012 and got more than 100 million players.
5
Glass company buys MMORPG dev WuShen for $150 million
There have been some odd corporate moves in the Chinese game market in recent months, typically as game developers reverse-list into existing companies.
Examples include an umbrella company and an flooring company 'buying' game studios.
A similar move seems to have come from Anhui Deli Household Glass Co. which is "buying" Beijing Wushen Century Network Technology Limited (aka WuShen) for RMB 930 million ($150 million).
As part of the deal, a further $150 million will be invested to kickstart mobile game operations.
Founded in 2008, WuShen currently operates seven MMORPGs and has four mobile games in development.
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