The Asia market has become the most lucrative and influential region in the global mobile games industry.
Companies in countries such as Japan, South Korea and China are highly successful at home and are increasingly expanding around the world through global game releases, international partnerships and M&A. These markets also offer lucrative opportunities for Western publishers.
To give you a deeper insight into this key region, each week we’re rounding up all the news from PocketGamer.biz and around the web. Don't forget to keep up with the news throughout the week on the Asia section of our site.
Got any news leads about the Asia market you'd like to share? Email PocketGamer.biz senior editor Craig Chapple at craig.chapple@steelmedia.co.uk.
You can gain more insights into the Asia markets on the East Meets West track at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle, which takes place on May 13th to 14th. PGC will be heading to Hong Kong on July 17th to 18th. We're also hosting a free London-based 'East Meets West' mini-summit for the games industry on Wednesday, May 29th in association with Mintegral.
Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong - what's it all about?
Find out what's in store as Pocket Gamer Connects heads to Hong Kong for the first time.
Report: Tencent may be set to launch its own gaming phone
Chinese publisher Tencent regularly dominates the top grossing games charts in China. Now a report claims the company could be planning its own gaming phone to take on the extremely competitive smartphone hardware market.
China and South Korea are driving Eve Online into the future
CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson believes current trends in South Korea offer a glimpse into the future for the West, based on 20 years of observation and data.
Global mobile gaming revenue hit $14.6 billion in Q1 2019
Sensor Tower analyses market growth, finding that eight of the top 10 mobile games by revenue in Q1 hailed from Asia.
Newzoo: Tencent responsible for 15% of 2018's global games revenue
Tencent's influence over the games industry is significant and this report from Newzoo shows just how much so.
Plug In Digital continues expansion by opening office in China
French digital distribution outfit and publisher Plug In Digital is looking to expand its presence in the fast-growing China market and to that end has opened up a new office in the country.
Family-focused publisher Natsume debuts its new indie program with Cosmic Defenders
The publisher behind Harvest Moon and Reel Fishing has set up a new Indie Program to support developers who are "building the future of video games".
Supercell’s Brawl Stars is making $50 million a month
Brawl Stars has now made Supercell more than $200 million in fourth months, with South Korea recently becoming the biggest driver of sales.
NetEase renames FortCraft to BuildTopia as it bags one million pre-registrations
It looks a lot like Fortnite, but it no longer shares the name. Still, the title has racked up more than one million pre-registrations and is launching ahead of Epic's own battle royale, so it could prove a big success for NetEase.
Defending against the dark arts of mobile game hacking with AppSealing
This sponsored post by AppSealing takes a look at the issues developers face from hacking and how they can combat it.
Tencent launches its own take on Pokemon Go and CryptoKitties in China
The Chinese games giant has filled up the headlines this week. The latest headline grabber is the launch of its new Pokemon Go-esque and blockchain-powered game Let's Hunt Monsters.
Weekly global mobile games charts: Clash of Clans the US top grosser thanks to new Gold Pass
Tencent's Honor of Kings maintained its hold over the publisher's other title, Perfect World, for the week of April 1st.
Save the date! Free London mini-summit and mixer this May
We're hosting a free London mini-summit for the games industry on Tuesday, May 29th in association with Mintegral. Held at 58 Victoria Embankment, the theme of the evening will be bridging the gap between East and West. Mintegral will share its expertise regarding the current environment of the Chinese mobile games market.
