Mobile gaming boom projected for Chinese markets
Analysts forecast revenues of USD 383 million by 2008
China's mobile gaming market is continuing to experience substantial growth, with recent market forecasts predicting a subscriber base of almost 32 million customers and revenues of USD 383 million by 2008.
According to recent forecasts from China-based Shanghai iResearch, the number of mobile games subscribers in China will more than double in the next few years, rising from an estimated 13.91 million in 2005, to 31.69 million by 2008.
SMS messaging services are set to continue their current decline, whilst Brew and Java platforms are expected to show the most significant growth in market share. The largest spike in the subscriber figures is predicted to occur during 2007 however, following the implementation of advanced 3G networks in the region.
In terms of revenues, iResearch analysts forecast significant increases, rising from an estimated USD 117.8 in 2005, to USD 383.1 by 2008. The global market revenues are noted as USD 10.2 billion in 2005 and USD 52 billion by 2008, showing a marked rise in the strength of the Chinese market in the overall mobile gaming space, aided by improved trade relations, and a noticebale increase in content aggregation as US and European content is made more accessible in other territories.