Legitimate Game Sales Soar in China
Huge sales spike sees China’s case for inclusion strengthen.
As China battles with its well-deserved IP-unfriendly status, statistics released by the republic’s Press and Publication Administration show massive growth in traditional online game sales in the country.
Sales of online games products and related materials reached 2.47 billion yuan (US$298.6 million) in 2004, up 47.9% from the previous year. And given that the Internet is not exactly a piracy void, these figures do make for impressive reading.
The report goes on to mention that China plans on containing as much of these revenues as possible, rather than paying for products largely developed in Korea, the US and Europe. It is expected that 300 Chinese titles will be developed in the coming year, creating around 20,000 developer and ‘Net publisher jobs.
University programs will also be funded by the central government, looking at expanding the country’s base knowledge of online game development.
As you are no doubt aware, China is regarded as something of a blackspot for traditional game releases. The PlayStation 2 console has been launched there, but at a price prohibitive to all but the country’s bigger earners. Software support for Sony’s machine has also been lacking.
Nintendo has also released a cut-down Nintendo 64 called iQue, for which games must be downloaded to memory cards in retail outlets. The Kyoto creator of Mario to date reports no piracy issues with iQue in China and is thought to be planning a launch in South America this year.
Sales of online games products and related materials reached 2.47 billion yuan (US$298.6 million) in 2004, up 47.9% from the previous year. And given that the Internet is not exactly a piracy void, these figures do make for impressive reading.
The report goes on to mention that China plans on containing as much of these revenues as possible, rather than paying for products largely developed in Korea, the US and Europe. It is expected that 300 Chinese titles will be developed in the coming year, creating around 20,000 developer and ‘Net publisher jobs.
University programs will also be funded by the central government, looking at expanding the country’s base knowledge of online game development.
As you are no doubt aware, China is regarded as something of a blackspot for traditional game releases. The PlayStation 2 console has been launched there, but at a price prohibitive to all but the country’s bigger earners. Software support for Sony’s machine has also been lacking.
Nintendo has also released a cut-down Nintendo 64 called iQue, for which games must be downloaded to memory cards in retail outlets. The Kyoto creator of Mario to date reports no piracy issues with iQue in China and is thought to be planning a launch in South America this year.
Companies:
Nintendo
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