Games Market/Game Development and Outsourcing in China: Industry Report

Games Market/Game Development and Outsourcing in China

Product Type: Market Research Report
Published by: Pearl Research
Published: January 2007
Product Code: R740-4

Description

Pearl Research's exclusive 120+ page report analyzes the emergence of China as both a consumer and producer of games and interactive entertainment.

China's games market, inclusive of online, packaged PC and console, is expected to exceed $1.3 billion in 2008. What are the latest opportunities and trends in this emerging market?

China is emerging as a development and outsourcing destination due to its low cost structure, large labor force and robust infrastructure. How much can companies really save by outsourcing game development to China and are the risks worth the benefits?

This exclusive study includes an analysis of these trends:

Online Games

Growth of casual games and its effect on increasing game adoption. Several high-profile marketing deals between game operators and well-known consumer brands have further increased the awareness of games

Increasing move towards in-game ads and sponsorships due to concern about the over-use of micro-transactions

Discussion of marketing strategies for online games including off-line marketing and the use of celebrity spokespersons

What’s popular at Internet cafes and their role in influencing the growth of the games market

Key metrics: market sizing and forecasts, size of casual versus MMORPG segment, game operator market share, top titles with concurrent user numbers

Console and Packaged PC Games

PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 market forecasts in 2006-2010

Discussion of relevant trends, current marketplace conditions for console and PC, government regulations, and the effect of piracy and gray imports on sales

Key market metrics and much more

Game Development and Outsourcing

Candid discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of outsourcing to China

Captured savings from outsourcing game development is often less than companies expect

A wave of international game developers rushing to set up operations is contributing to wage inflation and exacerbating the existing talent crunch

Much more additional information about outsourcing trends in China

Table of Contents

METHODOLOGY
GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
II. SOCIO-ECONOMIC OVERVIEW: ECONOMY; POPULATION; Per Capita Income; REGIONAL DIFFERENCES; ONE-CHILD POLICY; GAMING CENTERS; UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHINESE SOCIETY; GUANXI; FLOATING OF THE YUAN; TRANSPARENCY AND CORRUPTION
III. PC HARDWARE, INTERNET AND BROADBAND: PC HARDWARE; INTERNET AND BROADBAND
IV. INTERNET CAFES
V. GAMES MARKET OVERVIEW
MARKET FORECASTS
VI. ONLINE GAMES MARKET: DEFINING ONLINE GAMES; ONLINE GAMES MARKET FORECASTS; DRIVERS TO GROWTH; INHIBITORS TO GROWTH; UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONLINE GAMES; ROLE OF THE GAME OPERATOR; TOP GAME OPERATORS; TOP ONLINE GAMES; First versus Second-tier Titles; Internally versus Externally Produced titles; MARKETING OF ONLINE GAMES; MMORPG MARKET; CASUAL GAMES
VII. PROFILES OF SELECT ONLINE GAMES: FANTASY WESTWARD JOURNEY; WORLD OF WARCRAFT; Low cost to play WoW; Rapid Adoption of WoW; Growth Potential of WOW; The9.com’s Royalty Obligations; YULGANG; ZHENGTU; FREESTYLE; AUDITION
VIII. BILLING AND PAYMENT METHODS
IX. ONLINE GAMER CONSUMER SURVEY
X. GOVERNMENT REGULATION: Government Agencies Involved in Regulating Games; Fatigue System
XI. SOFTWARE PIRACY: Forms of Piracy; Factors Contributing to Piracy; Strategies to Counter Piracy
XII. CONSOLE AND HANDHELD MARKET: CONSOLE MARKET OVERVIEW AND FORECASTS
XIII. PACKAGED PC GAMES MARKET: PC GAMES OVERVIEW AND FORECASTS; RETAIL PRICES; PUBLISHERS
XIV. CHINESE DOMESTIC GAMES MARKET: CONCLUSIONS AND STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS: Conclusions
XV. GAME DEVELOPMENT/OUTSOURCING TO CHINA: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY; WHAT IS OUTSOURCING?; REASONS FOR OUTSOURCING TO CHINA; WHAT IS BEING OUTSOURCED?; CURRENT MARKET SITUATION - OUTSOURCING IN CHINA 84; STRENGTHS: OUTSOURCING TO CHINA; WEAKNESSES: OUTSOURCING TO CHINA; OUTSOURCING CONSIDERATIONS; SELECTING AN OUTSOURCING PARTNER
XVI. GAME DEVELOPMENT/OUTSOURCING: CONCLUSIONS AND STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
XVII. COMPANY PROFILES
TABLE OF FIGURES: Figure 1: Chinese Games Market Forecasts 2006 to 2010 Data Table, $m; Figure 2: Key Country Metrics; Figure 3: China’s Population by Age Group; Figure 4: Map of China’s Provinces; Figure 5: Major Cities in China (Population in millions); Figure 6: Number of PCs in Use - Top 7 Countries; Figure 7: Budget for New Desktop PC Purchase; Figure 8: Number of Broadband and Dial-Up Connections in China; Figure 9: Reasons to Use the Internet; Figure 10: Age of Internet Users; Figure 11: Activities at Internet Cafes; Figure 12: Location for online gaming (multiple-choice); Figure 13: Age of Chinese Internet Café Users; Figure 14: Most Installed Online Games at Internet Cafes; Figure 15: Number of PCs at Internet Cafes; Figure 16: Chinese Games Market Forecasts 2006 to 2010 Graph, $m; Figure 17: Chinese Games Market Forecasts 2006 to 2010 Data Table, $m; Figure 18: Chinese Games Market by Segment 2006, $m; Figure 19: Tencent’s Web site Screenshot; Figure 20: Matrix Comparing Casual and MMORPG Games in China; Figure 21: Online Games Market Forecast 2006-2010 Graph, $m; Figure 22: Online Games Market Forecast 2006-2010 Data Table, $m; Figure 23: Legend of Mir screenshot; Figure 24: Advertisement for Pop Kart (Kart Rider); Figure 25: Online Publisher Market Share November 2006; Figure 26: Top Online Game Publishers; Figure 27: Select Top Online Games, November 2006; Figure 28: Most Anticipated Online Games (in descending order); Figure 29: Advertisements for Zhengtu; Figure 30: Screenshots from Perfect World’s MMORPG; Figure 31: MMORPG Market Share by Publishers, November 2006; Figure 32: O2jam advertisements; Figure 33: Favorite genre for online games (multiple-choice); Figure 34: Logo for Fantasy Westward Journey; Figure 35: Netease Fantasy Westward Journey screenshot; Figure 36: Photos from The9’s WoW promotional events; Figure 37: Characters from CDC Games’ Yulgang; Figure 38: Zhengtu Screenshots; Figure 39: Freestyle Screenshot; Figure 40: Audition Screenshots; Figure 41: Examples of prepaid cards; Figure 42: Shanda’s Distribution Channel for Prepaid Cards 2005; Figure 43: Usual place for purchasing online games credits (multiple-choice); Figure 44: Percentage of games that first started playing online games in a given year; Figure 45: Main reason for playing online games (multiple-choice answers were acceptable); Figure 46: Main factors in choosing online games (multiple-choice answers were acceptable); Figure 47: Reason for quitting online gaming (multiple-choice answers were acceptable); Figure 48: Console Ownership Rates 2005; Figure 49: Console Projections; Figure 50: Sony’s booth at the ChinaJoy show; Figure 51: Ad for Nintendo DS; Figure 52: Packaged PC Games Forecasts 2006 to 2010 (in $m); Figure 53: Next-generation Console Photos; Figure 54: Comparison of Salaries, US versus China; Figure 55: Characters from Yulgang, the most popular game China.com offers; Figure 56: Logos for three of NetEase’s MMORPGs—Westward Journey Online II, Fantasy Westward Journey, and Fly for Fun; Figure 57: NetEase’s Online Game Service Revenue from Q2 2005-Q3 2006; Figure 58: EZ pod and EZ Mini from Shanda; Figure 59: Shanda Online Game Net Revenues from 2001-2005; Figure 60: Sina Mobile Games; Figure 61: Sohu’s Knight Online Logo and Screenshot; Figure 62: Tencent Penguin Mascot; Figure 63: Characters from The 9’s in-house developed Joyful Journey West; Figure 64: The9 Limited’s Net Income from 2001-2005; Figure 65: Online Game Service Revenues from Q3 2005-Q3 2006

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