China’s Games Industry To Hit $3.8bn This Year

A leading market analyst has claimed the Chinese games industry will make around $3.8bn USD from online gaming in 2009. Niko Partners, a market intelligence firm, today announced the results of a report on the Chinese games industry, revealing a $2.75bn USD revenue from online gaming. The company predicts the online game market will continue to grow, hitting $3.8bn USD next year and $8.9bn USD by 2013.“Average spending per Chinese gamer is rising to the point where a 26% increase in gamers resulted in 61% more revenue for online games in 2008,” said Niko Partners’ Lisa Cosmas Hanson.“Niko’s conclusion is that China’s online market has plenty of room for growth in the next five years, and much of that growth will come from beyond the major metropolises where the number of Internet cafés, home PC penetration and Internet usage are all on the rise.”