If you are a company looking to enter the Chinese market, this article will demystify the world of Chinese computer games and help you choose the best approach for your company or product. Table of Contents Chinese Game Industry Statistics in 2024 Chinese Game Market Levels Working with Chinese Game Designers Translating Your Game Personal Translator Wei Wei Mr. Tang Ms. Huang William Dan Alfred Lu Translation Agency Ying Lingo Yi Kong Zhi Zhi Zhi CTC Translation Dubbing Your Game Should Your Game Be Reviewed for ISBN? Benefits of having your game auditedHow to get an ISBN for your game Auditing Applying for an ICP licenseFinding a Chinese game publisherIndie ArkTencentMiHoYoNetEaseChina advertisingGaming video streaming platformsTikTokHuya and DouyuBilibiliNetEaseCC LiveHuajiaoChina advertisingGaming platformsSankovoHeyBoxTencent's WeGame SteamUsing social media to promote PC games in ChinaChina's social media landscapeXiaohongshuWeChat WeiboHow to use social media to promote your PC gameIn-game previewsHold competitionsConduct pollsPlace paid adsWork with gaming magazines and websites to promote your game in ChinaGame Research SocietyGame AppearanceChick GamingHow Nanjing Marketing Group can helpChina's gaming industry statistics in 2024China's gaming industry has been in the spotlight for many years. As early as 2015, China's contribution to the global gaming market exceeded that of the United States. Last year, the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association announced that the country’s domestic game market sales revenue exceeded 300 billion RMB for the first time. So what about PC games? As someone who has lived in China for four years, I’m used to seeing gaming cafes in China, where players play on their computers while eating snacks bought in the cafe shop. Recent data from gaming magazine Niko Partners shows that 33.4% of global PC game revenue comes from the country, and the figure below is a detailed picture of the PC game market in 2023.
Outside of China, Chinese mobile games have always been in the spotlight, and many of the best-selling games on the Google Play Store come from China. Developments over the past five years have followed an interesting timeline: Increased restrictions on the gaming industry within China have prompted companies to start looking outward. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in overseas mobile game revenues. Geopolitical tensions and growth in Southeast Asia have turned the attention of many Chinese companies to developing countries. In these countries, people spend more time on their mobile phones than on consoles or PCs. Although the South China Morning Post suggests that only a few Chinese game companies are
concerned about geopolitical tensions, some of my clients believe this is the main reason they are focusing on other countries. During this period, Chinese companies shifted from PC games to mobile games for political and economic reasons; however, things seem to be changing. The following comments are excerpted from an article in Gamelook earlier in 2024, indicating that the market may be changing: "Looking back at China, the domestic game market has clearly warmed up, and the PC market is a honduras whatsapp resource standout, maintaining growth for two consecutive years. According to the "2023 China Game Industry Report" released by the Game Working Committee, following the rebound of the PC market against the trend last year, China's client game market continued to "soar" in 2023, with a year-on-year increase of 8%." The article mentioned that the downturn in PC games since 2021 is not due to a lack of desire for higher quality games, but insufficient supply. With the global success of "Black Myth: Wukong" this year, I believe PC games will regain momentum in the next few years.
The level of the Chinese game market We look at the Chinese market from several stages of localization. The first stage is none. An English game with no Chinese payment options (which may even be blocked in China) has the smallest market. However, due to word of mouth and players' desire to find the best games, you can expect some Chinese customers. These customers speak English well, they will access your game with a VPN, and pay by credit card. Unfortunately, this market is quite small. If you are able to make translated (Chinese) games more accessible, you can gain a larger market. Your ability to promote your game using paid advertising may be limited. This is described as light to moderate localization, and this article is mainly aimed at these groups. If you decide to make a fully localized version of your game, or even a new game, for the Chinese market, you'll be able to cover the widest possible market. This type of localization is more difficult than the other two types of localization, and is usually done in partnership with a Chinese publisher. Working with Chinese Game Designers If you choose the heavy industry route, you may want to work with Chinese game designers. I'm personally friends with Cubism Art, a game art studio based in the same city as Nanjing