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 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.
How to get into Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong - free!
The Connects international series heads to the East for the first time with Blockchain Gamer and Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong on July 17th and 18th - and you can get in without spending a thing.
Microsoft and Sony set aside rivalry to team up on cloud gaming
Console rivals Microsoft and Sony have signed a landmark deal that will see the latter utilise the former’s Azure data centres for its cloud gaming and content streaming services.
Rockstar acquires Indian developer Dhruva Interactive for $7.9m
Red Dead Redemption developer Rockstar Games has picked Indian studio Dhruva Interactive from Starbreeze for $7.9 million - less than the $8.5 million it has originally been purchased for in 2016.
Tencent’s "peaceful" PUBG clone Game for Peace earned over $14 million in three days
Game for Peace, which was released in order to make the PUBG formula monetisable and government-approvable in China, earned over $14 million within 72 hours of launch.
More than half of the world’s mobile gamers are based in Asia
Out of 2.4 billion mobile gamers in the world 1.3 billion of them are based in Asia, according to market intelligence firm Newzoo.
Keep an eye open for Indonesia, the fastest-growing nation in Adjust’s Global App Trends 2019 report
Indonesia was rated by Adjust as the fasted growing market in the world with a 17.62 'Growth Index' score. That was followed by Brazil (9.39), South Korea (9.11) and Malaysia (8.23).
Japan success helps propel NetEase sales to $2.7 billion in Q1 2019
Net revenue for Chinese games publishing giant NetEase increased 29.5 per cent year-on-year to ¥18.35 billion ($2.7bn) in Q1 2019. The company highlighted success in Japan, where battle royale hit Knives Out is a consistent top grosser.
PUBG Mobile adds new gameplay management tool to help promote “healthy gaming”
Tencent is making further attempts to appease Chinese regulators and national governments around the world, this time by adding a new gameplay management tool to PUBG Mobile that reminds users under the age of 18 to take breaks after extended play sessions.
Brawl Stars takes $50 million in South Korea
Supercell's latest game is proving to be a big hit in Asia, in South Korea in particular. Brawl Stars is currently open for pre-registrations in China.
Minecraft has seen impressive results in China. NetEase, which publishes a free-to-play version of the game in China, reported in its Q1 2019 financials that Minecraft now has more than 200 million registered users in the country.
Nintendo and Tencent not expected to bring Switch to China before March 2020
Nintendo is playing down expectations for the Switch in China and doesn't expect to launch it in the country during the current financial year.
Nintendo Switch overtakes PlayStation 4 lifetime sales in Japan
Switch consoles have been sold an estimated 8.13 million times, whereas the PS4 has sold 8.07 million units in the region.
Tencent hopes Season Passes will help revitalise games growth after decline
After Tencent online game sales declined by one per cent year-on-year in Q1 2019, it's looking to implement Season Passes into its key games.
Games2Win launches Replay games funding initiative for Indian developers
Mumbai-based Games2Win has launched a games fund for Indian developers to raise money for their start-up projects.
Pokemon Rumble Rush revealed for iOS and Android
Developed by Ambrella, Rumble Rush is a spin-off free-to-play game that sees users control the pocket monsters as they battle through a variety of stages across the in-game islands.
NCSoft wants more from its legacy RPG franchises on mobile as sales decline
Revenue for South Korean publisher NCSoft’s mobile games business fell nearly 25 per cent year-on-year to 199.7 billion KRW ($167m) in Q1 2019.
Battle royale games have surpassed $2 billion on mobile
The top battle royale games on mobile have collectively surpassed $2 billion in less than two years.
Weak mobile and browser game performance led to a poor 2019 financial year for Square Enix
Mobile and browser games came in below expectations over the last 12 months.
SK Telecom partners with Microsoft on 5G, AI and cloud technologies
The two firms will utilise their technological capabilities in these areas to promote internet of things business, AI tech and services and media and entertainment services.
Supercell partners with South Korean TV network OGN for Clash Royale League
In the West and in Asia, excluding China, OGN will handle production on the full second season of the tournament, including the world finals. As part of the deal, OGN will also broadcast all competitive tournaments in both regions.
This summer, Blockchain Gamer Connects heads to Hong Kong for the first time. Held at Cyberport and in association with Animoca Brands, the two-day industry conference features seven packed tracks of cutting-edge seminars from 40 of the world’s leading practitioners in blockchain games.
There were two new entries to the top 10 grossing App Store games in China for the week, with Tencent's The Legend of Moon taking eighth spot - and seventh on the free downloads rankings - while Hypergryph's Arknights was the ninth largest revenue generator.
