Developing Story
Nanobit on the opportunity for narrative games in China
"If it’s bigger than the US, and the US is our biggest market, and we can make a game that fits into that space then it’s what we need to do"
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Command & Conquer Red Alert Online fires up China's top grossing list
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 22nd to 28th
Artificial Intelligence
4 ways China’s AI industry could transform video games in the country across the world
Mobvista investigates the hot new tech and its potential effects
Check
Tencent will soon require Chinese players to verify their identities against a police database
Publishing giant continues to try and appease a government looking to crack down on gaming addiction
Partnership News
Gree partners with Chinese video sharing platform BiliBili to develop new mobile games
Also plans to explore the virtual YouTuber space
The China Effect
Newzoo's drops 2018 global games industry revenue forecast by $3 billion
Mobile dip by $8bn, PC and console forecasts lower overall decline
Up
Animoca Brands Q3 revenue rises 283 per cent year-over-year following Crazy success
The Chinese firm has also consolidated its position in blockchain through a string of investments and acquisitions
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Tencent's Command & Conquer Red Alert Online rolls into China as a top grosser
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 15th to 21st
Freeze
China reportedly halts “green channel” approvals during a government restructure
Local developers and gamers are increasingly turning to Steam to remain active in the space
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Candy Crush Friends Saga inevitably dominates the download rankings
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 8th to 14th
Globe Trotting
Yoozoo VP on finding the next great games market and the importance of localisation
“It’s down to them because games publishing and making there will be very different to how they are in China”
Dead On
Chinese outfit GAEA snaps up 20% stake in Fallout Shelter dev Behaviour Interactive
The pair are currently co-developing a Game of Thrones game for mobile
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: South Korea's Line Puzzle tops downloads as Clash Royale makes a comeback
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 1st to 7th
The Big Freeze
"I don’t think the Chinese government is ready to lose its title as the world’s biggest games market"
Taptica division CEO Rivi Bloch discusses market expansion and the big freeze
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Supercell's Clash of Clans shuffles up the top grossing rankings
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of September 24th to 30th
Invested
Tencent invests $318 million in Chinese video-sharing company Bilibili
Publisher acquires 12.3 per cent of shares in a company that dabbles in running League of Legends and Overwatch esports teams
Sales Out
NetEase’s PUBG-like Rules of Survival bags $75 million
Another battle royale success for the publisher alongside Knives Out
Big Brother
Tencent tests facial recognition to restrict gameplay time in Honor of Kings
Chinese publisher wants to check identity and age of players
Business Shuffle
Tencent restructures business for first time in six years as games regulations bite
Publishing giant setting itself up for future challenges
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Snake Vs Colors cracks top spot on US App Store while China's top grossing gets a shakeup
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of September 17th to 23rd
Acquisition News
Chinese tutoring services provider snaps up chidren's apps developer Dr. Panda
Companies to work on "new models for future education"
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Voodoo and Lion Studios battle it out for top spots
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of September 10th to 16th
Banned
China bans games streaming platform Twitch
The ban comes after the site experienced a popularity spike
Business News
Hong Kong’s Apptutti signs new partnership to help Korean devs access China games market
Support services localised for Korean speakers
Guide To China
China's temporary games approval freeze - Your key questions answered
Niko Partners offers a complete breakdown of the current market situation in China and who it's likely to affect
Cube
Tencent and LEGO unveil mobile open-sandbox game LEGO Cube for China
The open-sandbox game is set for release late 2018
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Lion Studios rules the roost in China, UK and US
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of September 3rd to 9th
Monetisation Blow
China's regulatory roadblocks stop most downloaded game PUBG Mobile from making money
Despite 100 million downloads and 50 million active users, there are no IAPs
Hot Trends
China mobile game trends H1 2018: Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile top the grossing and download charts
Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad delves into what the first six months of 2018 tell us about the Chinese mobile games market
China
It could take another four-to-six months for China to start approving new games again
Governmental restructure may see the region’s normally-booming market frozen for another half year.
Fold
Tencent axes poker game as China tightens the leash on gaming
Servers for “Everyday Texas Hold’Em” will go offline on September 25th
China
A third of the Chinese population is playing mobile games
China’s 459 million large mobile audience rivals the total population of Japan and the US combined
China
China’s gaming crackdown pushes Tencent towards further age restrictions in Honor of Kings
As part of a government campaign to prevent myopia amongst children and reduce gameplay time
Publishing Deal
Mobile internet giant Cheetah Mobile secures publishing rights for Ministry of Games' Trade Town
Cheetah Mobile beat multiple publishers to win the deal
Listed
Chinese mobile games publisher CMGE looking to raise $500 million through Hong Kong IPO
The company originally delisted from Nasdaq in 2015 in the US
Revenue
King of Avalon ventures abroad to bring in $380 million outside of China in two years
Online strategy is the third-highest grossing Chinese game in the USA
Jesus
Tencent's value plummets by $20bn after China dishes out new regulations on games
Company has lost $164bn in value since January
Restrictive Policies
China’s block on new game licenses could be coming to an end - but fresh regulations are incoming
Calls to restrict the number of new game releases
China Lockdown
What the hell is happening to games in China?
Conspiracy or cock-up?
Worldwide
How Chorus Worldwide helped indie developers to release mobile games in China
"As I’m sure everyone knows, the Google Play store is not a big player in the market. Instead, the area is dominated by local Chinese app stores"
Banned
No end in sight as South Korean games companies locked out of China for over a year
No signs of issues being resolved
Chinese Exports
Chinese games raked in more than $600 million in the US for the first half of 2018 alone
The haul was a 52 per cent increase year-on-year
Games Suspended
China hasn't approved any new mobile games since March 28th
Market sees single-digit growth in first half of the year, the slowest since at least 2009
Don’t You Mean Football?
Sociable Soccer dev Tower Studios snags China publishing deal with China Mobile
Arcade football game is will land in China first and is pencilled in for launch in Autumn 2018
Take To The Seas
Pirate Code walks away as the second Big Indie Pitch in China winner
Big Ear takes second while Hexland Heroes walks away in third
Duty Calls
Activision working with Tencent on new Call of Duty mobile game for China
Collaboration confirms a free-to-play mobile entry in the long-running first-person-shooter franchise
Market Dominance
Is the dominance of Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu stifling creativity and innovation in China?
AppBi looks into the data
Not So Improbable
NetEase invests $50m in UK tech company Improbable
Ties between Chinese publisher and SpatialOS developer deepen following partnership announced back in February
Deal
Beijing Bosi Interactive secures exclusive $740k deal with Animoca Brands to distribute Crazy Kings in China
BBI wins rights to distribute Android and HTML5 ports of the iOS strategy title, due next year
Come Say Hello
Meet the PocketGamer.biz team at ChinaJoy 2018
We'll also discuss opportunities on PCGamesInsider.biz, InfluencerUpdate.biz and BlockchainGamer.biz