Google Play's return to China is highly anticipated: it is expected to reshape the Chinese mobile game market

According to the technology blog VentureBeat, China has a huge mobile game market, but due to the lack of Google Play, it has become a very difficult nut to crack for Western developers. According to Asian market research firm Niko Partners, Chinese users spent a record $5.5 billion on mobile games last year, but only a small portion of it flowed into the pockets of foreign developers.

There are many reasons for this situation (such as cultural differences), but the most important reason is probably the serious fragmentation of the domestic Android market (after Google left in 2011, 200 to 400 independent Android application markets were born in China). Many foreign developers saw this chaotic situation and had no intention of expanding the market.

The fragmentation of the domestic Android market has forced developers from Europe and the United States to choose to cooperate with local Chinese publishers. If the legendary return of Google is true, then the official Google Play will become a great savior for developers.

Earlier this month, reporters interviewed several senior figures in the Chinese mobile game industry at the European Casual Games Conference. They all believed that Google's return to China would have a positive impact on the industry.

The joint choice of users, developers and publishers

The vice chairman of game developer RedAtoms said: "As a developer, we are looking forward to Google Play returning to China, the sooner the better."

In addition to being troubled by the fragmented application market, developers now face another major problem, that is, more than half of their revenue is contributed to various markets and publishers.

At present, NetEase, which has the best mobile game business, is also looking forward to the return of Google Play. The head of international business of NetEase said: "Android is in a very dangerous situation. NetEase welcomes the return of Google Play very much. It will have a positive impact on the future of publishers and developers."

Why is Google Play so important?

Looking at the entire Chinese mobile game market, foreign games have almost no influence. The best of them, Clash of Clans, is already well-known, but it still does not rank among the top 10 popular games. In addition to the tastes of domestic players, game promotion and testing are also a big problem. Some small game developers have even given up on the Chinese market.

NetEase said: "If Google Play returns, this situation will be improved, there will be fewer and fewer distribution channels, and their fees to developers will gradually decrease." They believe that Google Play will become the main battlefield for many foreign developers in the future, so the platform will have many exclusive contents, and small platforms will gradually die out in the competition. The platforms that survive in the end will also reduce their fees, after all, Google only takes 30% of the share, while the domestic Android market currently eats up 60%-70% of the profits of developers.

Google's return will also bring growth in mobile advertising revenue, and many game developers have been relying on advertising fees for their livelihood. In addition, the return of Google Play will greatly reduce the piracy problem that many developers are worried about.

Is Google Play really that powerful?

Even if Google Play successfully returns to China, it will still face very fierce competition.

The Chinese market has been occupied by several major platforms, and its growth rate is gradually slowing down. It may be difficult for Google Play to gain the same market share as local platforms.

As China's largest Internet company, Tencent also has its own app store. With the help of its own QQ and WeChat's huge user base, Tencent's mobile game business is going smoothly, and the number of app downloads is also steadily increasing. If Google Play returns smoothly, it is likely that it will not be able to get a high-quality entrance like WeChat, and it is even more impossible to dominate the market.

NetEase said: "The Chinese market is already quite mature. If Google wants to return to its peak, it still needs to make great efforts."

Even if Google Play fails to take the lead in the competition, it can still help China shape the future of the mobile gaming industry. The platform will become a showcase for foreign developers, and more and more excellent works will enter the country, which will drive a thorough transformation of the entire industry from the inside out.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.