Report: Chinese Online Game Market to Grow to $2.1 Billion by 2010

Authored by dmw on April 28, 2006 - 6:12am.

Silicon Valley, Calif. - The Chinese online games market, which accounts for 84% of all gameplay among the country's estimated 27 million gamers, will grow from $683 million this year to $2.1 billion by 2010, according to Silicon Valley-based market research firm Niko Partners. Massively multiplayer titles are extremely popular, and 29% of the country's gamers play more than 60 hours per month, often at one of the country's 265,000 Internet cafes. Niko Partners also predicts strong growth for casual games, which are forecasted to account for 40% of the market by 2010. "Chinese gamers' passion for massively multiplayer online role-playing games has extended to the casual and premium casual segments. Premium casual games provide new gamers greater access to the online game market and open up an alternate source of entertainment for hardcore gamers," said Niko Partners managing partner Lisa Cosmas Hanson.
http://www.nikopartners.com
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16362