Niko's 2011 Southeast Asian Games Market Regional Report is coming soon! 

We've written a bit about the success of Angry Birds in China in the past, but this comment is more about the stated estimate found in a Joystiq article that says Rovio could generate $100 million in sales from Angry Birds in China this year. This is vastly exaggerated. The combined class of mobile games and social games may total $1 billion in 2011 in China (with a strong emphasis on "maybe.") If Rovio takes $100 million of that, it would imply that a single game would claim 10% market share of the combined segment of mobile and social games, when each of those individual segments has many, many popular games. While we hope more foreign game companies experience success in China, and we know that Rovio has already, it is quite unlikely that the company will generate $100 million in 2011 there.

It has been announced that this month Beijing will begin to offer free WiFi service, in an effort that will take 3 years to complete and will provide WiFi to 60% of Beijing through 90,000 access points. The first seven areas of the city to receive the hot spots are Xidan, Wangfujing, the Olympic area, the three major train stations, Financial Street, Yansha, and the Zhongguancun district. Some comments about the new system include the possibility of stronger monitoring of mobile devices by the government, yet it seems that the program will add convenience to many people. Beijing and Shanghai are China's two most connected cities for home PC broadband access already. 

A Penn-Olson blogger brought to our attention the Reuters story that confirmed Tencent's investment into Kaixin001, a once-dominate Chinese SNS that has lost considerable market share over the past year or so to rivals RenRen.com, Tencent's Qzone and Tencent's Pengyou. The investment is sure to breathe some life back into the company that Chinese gamers have told Niko Partners offered the best user experience of all the Chinese SNS.   

Niko Partners is a proud media partner of GDC China in 2011. The 4th Annual Game Developers Conference™ China (GDC China) returns to Shanghai November 12-14, 2011. Presented by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, producers of the Game Developers Conferences®, Game Developer Magazine, and Gamasutra.com, GDC China brings a unique forum and reach into the region. The conference features content programmed by an advisory board consisting of local Chinese develops who share a commitment to promoting and supporting their country's growing games industry. With support from major local and national government entities, GDC China aims to advance the state of digital entertainment in China by incorporating GDC's top-quality content and worldwide community reach. GDC China will present tracks and summits on online game development & business, global game development, mobile games, independent games, and social games.