The first quarter of 2023 has been positive for China video game approvals and Niko Partners expects total game licenses for the full year to surpass 1,100, returning to a level last seen in 2020. The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), the government regulator responsible for issuing game licenses (ISBNs) approved 288 games in Q1 [...]
Three years ago, in early 2020, Wuhan announced the closure of the city due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Three months into my family’s confinement as residents of Wuhan I wrote “A personal account of gaming and life in Wuhan during the COVID-19 outbreak” to share my story about gaming during the initial Wuhan lockdown with Niko’s [...]
As we start the new year, we celebrate 21 years of providing high integrity data, insights and analysis as local experts with global perspective. To kick things off, once again we provide a set of predictions for the video game industry across the 14 markets we cover: Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, [...]
Women’s history month celebrates women’s vital role in making history, including in the gaming industry. Historically a male-dominated field, women have impacted the industry as founders, esports athletes, developers, content creators, and analysts. Inclusivity has been growing as a prominent issue in the gaming industry. In this article, we highlight Lisa’s endeavor in leading Niko Partners [...]
Niko's China Games Streaming Tracker ranks more than 600 game titles in China based on 6 different metrics. It helps us, and our clients, identify games that are rising (or falling) quickly in the ranks. Elden Ring (From Software of Japan) has demonstrated strong popularity in the first week. Elden Ring ranked #3 on our Niko [...]
Niko analysts are dedicated every day to tracking and analyzing all aspects of video games, esports, and streaming in Asia. At the start of each year, we present our predictions for the video game industry in Asia. We have now expanded our coverage to include 14 markets in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East North Africa (aka West Asia North Africa), and South [...]
Indonesia's largest game industry event in Indonesia, Baparekraf Games Prime 2021 Online was held from August 2-8, 2021. The annual event, held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Baparekraf, the Indonesian Game Association (AGI), and GGWP.ID. This year’s event, which carries the theme #MainGameLokal (play local [...]
In May 2021, after the Chinese government announced the Three-Child Policy aimed to encourage population growth, a segment of the Chinese youth responded in social media by mentioning that they are part of the 躺平 (tang ping, lit. “lying flat” or “lying down”) generation. The term is generally shunned and criticized due to its defeatist undertone, [...]
Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft launched their newest generation consoles in China, which is notable given all console hardware and software was banned in the country just seven years ago. According to Niko’s 2021 China Console Games Market Report, the console hardware and software market (legal + grey market) is set to reach $2.5 billion in 2025. [...]
Asia is home to the largest audience of esports players and fans in the world. Esports has emerged as one of the strongest drivers of growth in the gaming industry, and nowhere is this more evident than Asia. For over two decades Asia has led global esports trends, serving as a predictor of developments that have [...]
