It would appear that Mobile usage is becoming more and more ubiquitous and this is no more prevalent than significant spike being recorded in the Chinese Market. But what effect will this growth in mobile worldwide sales have on mobile gaming usage over the next number of years?
Mobile gaming is exploding faster than a wall breaker in Clash of Clans with nearly 40% of all mobile gaming revenue being generated by users from China and the USA. Considering that an estimated $30 billion dollars will be spent worldwide and especially the fact that over a fifth of nearly all revenue will come from the Asian market it appears that there is a significant shift towards mobile gaming in this particular market. With an estimated quarter of a billion users in China playing mobile games there is evidence to show that this revenue figure is going to grow again by 2016 through to 2017.
Reasons for Growth
Growth in user numbers can be attributed to certain factors but perhaps the fact that China now represents Apple’s second major market place ahead of Europe best explains how mobile gaming has exploded in this region. Both IOS and Android have claimed a significant stronghold in the Asian market with Apple pushing slightly ahead of its competitors thanks in part to a 71% increase in revenue coming out of this market. Revenue figures for Android and IOS in the Chinese market are very impressive with reports recently suggesting that nearly 12% of the Android global figure coming from their local Android store in China. Equally nearly 19% of Apple’s global revenue currently comes from the Chinese market.
Messaging apps are having an influence on the growth of mobile gamers as Line, WeChat and Tango have demonstrated recently. Tango offer free to play in-app games, such as Pokerist for Tango, which has allowed the messaging app a platform to capture user attention within itself thus improving their chances of increasing the number of daily active users.
Although China appears to be surging past other countries, the influence behind the growth within this market is also influencing other countries inside that geographical region. The Asia-Pacific region in general is at the forefront of the mobile revolution with South Korean gamers, for instance, tripling their share of the gaming market between 2012 and 2013. According to ystats "countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are expanding their market potential with growing Internet and smartphone penetration. While Australia and New Zealand are still seeing double-digit growth rates in the digital gaming segment".
This significant growth within the Asian market offers app builders and mobile games makers the opportunity to reach an audience that was once cut off due to geographical barriers. The surge in user numbers and the growth in sales of mobile devices in these markets show that there is increased potential for expansion and gaining market share within this region.