Xboxist

Report: Chinese Gamers Gaining Numbers

A recent report claims that there will be nearly 65 million gamers in China by the end of 2009. Market intelligence firm Niko Partners issued these findings in its latest report, the 2009 Chinese Gamers Study. This document covers gamer demand, behavior, preferences and usage based on a survey conducted in 20 Chinese cities.

Niko forecasts that there will be 64.9 million online gamers by the end of 2009 who will spend $52 per person on average. Obviously, this represents a massive market for savvy companies that are able to deliver the content that Chinese gamers want. With piracy still a massive problem in China, the mobile and online space offers the most possibility for profit. According to the firm, Chinese gamers prefer free-to-play online games over the subscription model, but also spend a great deal of time on PC offline games. It is important to remember that gamers in China remain a relatively wealthy segment of the population. 84 percent of Niko's gamers sampled own a PC at home - far outpacing the national rate for all consumers.

"There's no doubt that the market for games is growing at an incredible rate in China," said Niko Partners. "The economics of the market are shifting from supply-driven to demand-driven, which means that game publishers, hardware makers and service providers must understand their users behaviors and preferences in order to offer products and services that will be very popular in this hit-driven business."

Gamers at a popular Internet cafe in China.