The Success of China’s Gaming Industry: Insights from ChinaJoy

The China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy) has commenced in Shanghai. The event brought together government regulators, business executives, and researchers to discuss the remarkable achievements of China’s gaming industry in the first half of 2023.

A Record Gamer Base

According to the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA), China’s gamer base reached a remarkable milestone of 668 million in the first half of 2023. This means that approximately one out of every two individuals in China is engaged in gaming.

Slow Revenue Growth

Despite the significant increase in the gamer base, revenue for the same period experienced a slight decline of 2.39%, amounting to 144.3 billion yuan ($20 billion). This suggests that while the Chinese gaming market is recovering from the challenges faced in 2022, revenue growth has been relatively sluggish. It is speculated that the restrictions on playtime for young players might have influenced this slowdown.

Positive Forecast for the Market

CADPA’s vice director general, Zhang Yijun, is optimistic about the future of the gaming market, describing it as “turning warm.” He revealed that Q2 revenue saw a quarter-on-quarter growth of 22% and predicts further growth in the second half of the year.

Strong Performance in Shanghai

The vice director of Shanghai’s Publicity Department highlighted the resilience of the city’s gaming industry. Shanghai stands as the home for one in every four mobile games generating over 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) in revenue.

A comprehensive report detailing China’s gaming performance in the first half of 2023 will be revealed during the conference, providing further insights into the industry’s progress.

A Promising Future

China has long held the title of the world’s largest mobile gaming market. Despite the challenges faced in the previous year, the data suggests that a period of strong recovery is on the horizon.

Notably, China is home to some of the world’s leading mobile companies, several of which were featured in our list of the top 50 mobile game makers in 2022. Stay tuned as we unveil our list for 2023 in the coming months.