We all saw smart device-based mobile gaming exploding in popularity in China last year. TalkingData, a Chinese mobile data analytics service, concludes that causes include 1) smartphone makers, such as Xiaomi, Huawei, and Lenovo, launched various low-cost Android phones during the year, 2) those low-priced Android phones are able to run sophisticated mobile games.
TalkingData detected that 96% of 550 million active smart mobile devices have at least one mobile game installed as of the fourth quarter of 2013. It’s thanks to, according to TalkingData, the fact that mobile game developers use all kinds of distribution channels, numerous Android app stores in China, telecom operators, pre-installs in mobile devices, WeChat, and so on that users can hardly avoid them. But the number isn’t that surprising as a majority of Android phones in China have games pre-installed before being sold to users or even before being shipped.
A cumulative 9.76% of total gamers became paying users in 2013, which is 2.5 times greater than that at the beginning of the year, that contributed roughly 80% of the total profits in China market. The absolute number of paying users increased by more than 5 times.
As of the fourth quarter of 2013, revenues from mobile games on the Android platform has surpassed the incumbent Apple’s iOS.
