The Chinese games market hit $25.6 billion in 2016, representing 25% of the world's total games spending.

That figure is forecast to increase again in 2017 to $29 billion, according to research by IHS Markit, with mobile games the key engine of growth.

On the rise

The Chinese mobile games market is said to be worth $12.4 billion, having enjoyed a 55% spending increase in 2016, with a further 24% growth expected in 2017.

Free-to-play is clearly the dominant model in China across all platforms, with 88% of PC game spending in 2016 coming through microtransactions.

It is also suggested that with Chinese mobile games spending having long outgrown that on PC, there has been a rise in PC-style games on mobile - such as the hugely successful Fantasy Westward Journey, Onmyoji and Honor of Kings.