Reports

China's mobile gaming market - including revenues from both single-player and multi-player games - increased approximately 89% YoY to reach roughly RMB 78 billion (USD 11.4 billion) in 2016, and is on track to increase roughly 39% to almost RMB 109 billion in 2017. In 2016, mobile games adapted from popular IP (e.g. films, novels, PC games, and comics), and acceleration in the uptake of mobile e-sports and virtual reality-based games continued to buoy market growth. IP adaptations comprised roughly two-thirds of China's total mobile gaming revenues in 2016, while mobile e-sports games contributed over 20%.

Mobile gaming-related M&A deals in Q1 2017 focused heavily on the domestic market, with at least 14 major domestic mobile gaming M&A or venture financing deals announced during the quarter. While the majority of the investments announced in Q1 2017 were made by gaming companies or venture capital firms, at least 3 major deals involved acquirers from traditional industries like electrical equipment manufacturing and real estate development. In the face of increasing industry competition and more stringent industry regulation, Q1 2017 also saw multiple publicly listed internet heavyweights announce divestment of some or all of their mobile gaming assets. At the same time, other top internet companies doubled down on mobile gaming, with Alibaba Group, for example, announcing plans to invest RMB 1 bln into its mobile gaming IP ecosystem as part of a bid to aggressively expand its global mobile game distribution capabilities.

To help investors and game industry enterprises identify opportunities among China's sea of mobile game titles, developers, operators, and distribution channels, Marbridge has developed the Chinese Mobile Gaming Industry Matrix. The Q1 2017 edition of the Matrix provides details, in Excel (read-only) format, on:

Leading Mobile Game Companies (555)

• Listing Status (public, to list, private)
• Location (city in which operator/developer is headquartered)
• Company Homepage URL
• Company Contact Phone Number
• Experience in Overseas Game Publishing (specific examples available for ~8% of companies)
• Games Operated/Developed (with top grossing games highlighted)

Top Mobile Games (1,510)

• Game Environment (Android, iOS, WP)
• Game Type
• Game Dates (expected release, beta test, commercial launch)
• Game Source (self-developed vs. licensed)
• Revenue Model (pay-to-play vs. in-game items)
• Game Operation Statistics (DAU, monthly revenue, cumulative downloads - as available)
• Game Homepage URL

China's Top Mobile App/Game Distribution Platforms (40)

• Platform Operator Name
• Investment Received (available for ~35% of platforms)
• Number of Apps Hosted (available for ~35% of platforms; dates vary)
• User Base (available for ~70% of platforms; dates vary)
• Cumulative or Daily App Downloads (available for ~45% of platforms; dates vary)
• Revenue Share Ratio with Developers (available for ~55% of platforms)
• Business Model (available for ~25% of platforms)

Industry News Summaries - Q1 2017

• M&A and Internal Investment Deals (17 items)
• Partnerships (4 items)

Regulatory Announcements - Q1 2017

• Overview / Impact
• Announcement Date
• Implementation Date

The Chinese Mobile Gaming Industry Matrix is available either for one-off purchase or on a subscription basis with quarterly updates.