Emerging
Western publishers can't access Chinese growth
Prevents the classic error of citing 'industry growth' as if it were evenly distributed. The divergence between player growth and accessible revenue is the real story.
Live in
- BR
- CN
- Global
- IN
- SEA
Where it stands
Matthew Ball's analysis of where 2025's growth actually went: of the ~$10 billion industry increase versus 2021, about $4 billion was in China and another $1.5 billion went to China-made games in global markets, with 84% of Chinese game revenue going to domestically made games. This means that growth is concentrated in places and platforms many Western publishers can't reach. Niko Partners puts China's 2025 games revenue at $51.8 billion, up 5.4 percent and above $50 billion for the first time, with annual ARPU past $70 and mini games near a fifth of mobile spend; it forecasts $53.9 billion for 2026 and $59.8 billion by 2030.
Further reading
The timeline, consequences and objections for this trend are not written yet. What it is and its reading list are above.