Niko News is a filter of the most important news items and bits of information concerning the games markets of China and Southeast Asia uncovered by Niko each week. Our multilingual analysts review dozens of news sources from several countries, and as a team Niko reduces the long list of articles to 3-4 "must read" items for you. We then provide our Niko analysis to these items, making them relevant and highlighting the importance for the market. This service is one of the many ways we help distill the confusing, conflicting information about the games markets of Asia for our clients and readers. 

According to a weibo post, Kingsoft, the publicly traded Chinese online game operator, developer and software company, has stated it will not develop client-based games in 2013. The news has sparked discussion about whether Kingsoft will entirely exit the client-based games segment. The operator is most notably recognized for the JX Online hit series of MMOGs, popular in China and throughout many Asian countries. While webgames and mobile games are growing rapidly, client-based games still generate the lion's share of revenue in China's games market. 

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced its forecast for the Broadband China project to result in at least 800 million Chinese Internet users by 2015, representing 61% of the population. As of June 2012, the number was 538 million, per China's Network Information Center (CNNIC). Online games are consistently the #5 or 6 most popular Internet application, though other digital entertainment apps are developed each year. Assuming online games remain "entertaining," this increase in broadband Internet users could fuel continued growth for China's online games market for several years. Niko forecasts CAGR of 23.6% for China's online games market through 2016.   

The organizers of ChinaJoy, China's primary annual conference for games and digital entertainment, have issued a statement about the seven biggest trends in China's games industry.  Among these trends are slowing growth rates yet rising absolute value of revenue and users, increased international expansion by Chinese game companies, and consolidation of the industry via mergers and acquisitions, including those of state-owned enterprises that wish to enter the games industry.  

If Apple opens an Indonesia office this year, the company will likely attempt to unseat RIM's Blackberry as the dominant mobile phone among the nation's avid mobile users. In Niko's November 2012 Southeast Asia (SEA) Games Market Regional Report, we analyzed the results of a survey of more than 13,000 SEA gamers including those based in Indonesia.  Our data indicated that younger, wealthier, and tech-savvy gamers are already switching to Apple products and iOS, but the majority of the population remains loyal to Blackberry and even feature phones. Indonesian trends are key to watch as the country is poised to be among the largest games markets in SEA.