171 Chinese Game Companies Went IPO in 2015

Top Policy Changes in China This Year

The USA version of China’s English language newspaper, China Daily, published the Top 10 policy changes in China in 2015. According to the article, various new policies have been introduced in China in 2015. From the two-child policy to a unified pension system, from household permits for all to the delayed retirement age, all these policies will make a difference to the nation. Here we selected ten policy changes that we think will most impact our lives. Take a look.

Console Gaming in China Update

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group, the company who partners with Xbox One and PS4, recently announced that China has sold 500,000 game consoles (Xbox One and PS4) in total, and 410,000 are PS4 systems. Gamelook pointed out that many people born in the 1980s and 1990s were already familiar with Xbox and PlayStation before the new generation consoles launched in China. According to the number of followers in Baidu forums, PS4 forum has 420,000 followers and Xbox One forum has 130,000 followers. The total number is higher than the total sales of the consoles in China. This doesn’t include players who follow PS4 and Xbox One in other forums. Many PS4 and Xbox One enthusiasts already purchased their consoles through Dai Gou (procurement service of overseas products on e-commerce websites such as Taobao) and they have access to all the games launched in the west (even those that won’t pass Chinese censorship). In our June 2015 report “Chinese TV-based Gaming” Niko Partners projected sales of 550,000 units of consoles by the end of 2015.

171 Chinese Game Companies Went IPO in 2015

The “2015 Chinese Game Industry Report” published by The China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association, Gamma Data, and IDG, says that in 2015 171 Chinese game companies went IPO in China. A-share listed companies account for 79.6%, companies listed in Hong Kong account for 9.9%, and companies listed in the US account for 10.5%. By the end of 2015, the value of Chinese public game companies totals RMB 4.76 trillion. Among the 171 companies, Beijing game companies account for 21.7%, Guangdong game companies account for 22.2%, and Shanghai game companies account for 11.1%.

Fantasy Westward Journey 2 is #1

NetEase’s Fantasy Westward Journey 2 (mobile edition) has been the #1 mobile game by revenue in China for eight consecutive months since launch at the end of March 2015. NetEase has thrived on the Fantasy Westward Journey (FWJ) franchise for a decade, and the PC online game version has perpetually been in the Top 5 MMORPGs on PC since inception. The franchise has staying power among dedicated hardcore gamers and spenders in China.

Niko Partners on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter @nikochina to see these comments in real time as we publish them! Here are a few of our tweets from last week:

Tencent Now Owns 100% of Riot Games https://nikopartners.com/tencent-now-owns-100-of-riot-games/ …

Tencent’s empire is growing even bigger: Riot Games now owned entirely by Tencent http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/16/10326320/riot-games-now-owned-entirely-by-tencent?
utm_campaign=polygon&utm_content=article%3Atop&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter … via @Polygon

Google Tests Out China’s Free Trade Zone https://nikopartners.com/google-tests-out-chinas-free-trade-zone/ …

Yeahmobi, a Niko client, put out an analysis of the Vietnam mobile Internet environment. Find it here: http://insidegamesasia.biz/vietnams-mobile-internet-environment-analysis-

360 Game is entering the competitive area of bringing games from the US and other countries into the Chinese market http://insidegamesasia.biz/360-game-aims-to-bring-us-games-to-china/ …

The9 Obtains Exclusive License for Crossfire 2 in China https://nikopartners.com/the9-obtains-exclusive-license-for-crossfire-2-in-china/ …

China to Release Guidelines for Pre-installed Mobile Apps http://www.marbridgeconsulting.com/marbridgedaily/2015-11-20/article/88370/china_to_release_guidelines_for_pre_installed_mobile_apps …