FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PC GAMES AND CONSOLE HARDWARE SALES SURGE IN CHINA’S
BOOMING ECONOMY
Online Game Revenue to hit $2.5 billion in 2008, Console
Sales Rose by 75% in 2007
San Jose, CA – May 2, 2008 – Niko Partners, the leading
market intelligence firm on China’s video
game industry, today announced results from its latest
report citing China’s 46 million gamers
spent $1.7 billion on online games in 2007, up 71% from
2006. Advanced casual and casual
online games made up 21% of the total, and new flash-based
casual versions of popular MMO
and RTS games demonstrated the hardcore gamers’ appetite to
play casual games along with
subscription MMOs. Online revenue is expected to reach $2.5
billion in 2008 and $6 billion in
2012, for a 29% compound annual growth rate in the five-year
period.
“China’s spending on games is up thanks to their booming
economy,” said Lisa Cosmas Hanson,
managing partner of Niko Partners. “14 million hardcore
Chinese gamers play online games more
than 22 hours per week. They play online, LAN, and
single-player offline PC games in China’s
185,000 Internet cafés and increasingly on their PCs at
home, thanks to falling prices and higher
disposable income.”
According to Niko’s 6th Annual Review & Forecast Report,
part of an annual subscription of
reports for publishers, hardware makers, service providers,
and investors who need to
understand China’s fast-moving video game industry, gamers
are buying consoles with their
disposable income as well. “In spite of the regulation that
has banned the sale of game consoles
in China since the year 2000, gamers are flocking to stores
that sell illegally imported Wii, Xbox
360, PS3 and PS2 machines to take part in the excitement of
console gaming,” said Hanson.
“While these consoles are expensive for the average Chinese
consumer, gamers are willing to
spend money on them to supplement their online gaming
experience, and unit sales hit 2.48
million units in 2007, up 75% over 2006.”
Piracy remains an issue for packaged software via digital
downloads and counterfeit copies of
games, but legitimate sales of packaged offline PC games
surged 56% in 2007, over 2006.
Chinese gamers are showing that they like to buy the
legitimate copies to ensure quality and to
get customer support.
The 2008 Annual Review & Forecast Report on China’s Video
Game Industry by Niko Partners is a
thorough review and forecast of the 2007-2012 PC online, PC
offline, console, handheld games
and hardware market. Based on 75,000 points of data
collected by Niko Partners in 10 Chinese
cities in March 2008, the study provides one of the largest
and most comprehensive sources of
information on gamers, Internet cafés, regulations, online
game operators, games, hardware,
distribution, retail, outsourced development, and important
trends in supply and demand.
ABOUT NIKO PARTNERS
Niko Partners is the leading research firm focused on
providing specialized market intelligence on China’s
video game industry. Founded in 2003, the firm conducts
syndicated and custom research studies on
Chinese gamers, online games, offline games, consoles,
handhelds, regulatory issues, piracy,
development, online operators, distribution, and retail.
Niko Partners also offers consulting services
including focus groups, partnership selection, market
opportunity analysis, custom surveys in cities
throughout China and customized data analysis. The goal of
the research and strategic advisory services
is to help understand the market, strategically enter or
expand market share, and continue to profitably
grow within China. The company is based in Silicon Valley
and Shanghai, and its clients include worldwide
leaders in game software, hardware, and services, as well as
hedge funds, media companies, trade
associations, and management consulting firms, all of whom
have a vested interest in a thorough
understanding of China’s video game industry.
# # #
Contact:
Sean Kauppinen
International Digital Entertainment Agency
415-299-2156
sean@ide-agency.com
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