The world's economic state may be uncertain but there is nothing holding back the gaming culture of China according to a recent report from Niko Partners. With consoles being officially illegal this data reflects online gaming and shows a 26 per cent increase in gamers resulting in 61 percent more revenue. This bodes well for the developers of numerous free to play products overseas.
2008 also saw a 26 per cent increase in the gaming population, for a new total of 58 million. The country also plays host to 23 million PCs and 170,000 internet cafés. The report puts the compound annual growth rate for gamers at 17.7 per cent, with the total in 2012 expected to reach 119 million.
"Average spending per Chinese gamer is rising to the point where a 26 per cent increase in gamers resulted in 61 per cent more revenue for online games in 2008," said Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner of Niko Partners.
Chinas compound annual growth rate for the games market as a whole is estimated at 26.4 per cent over the next five years, with revenues predicted to reach USD 8.9 billion (EUR 6.7 billion) by 2013. Videogame consoles are officially illegal in China, although the report claims that black market import sales have continued to climb over the last year.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz
