A new report on mobile market trends released by Chinese Android app store Wandoujia states that games from overseas might be losing potential revenue by using the Google Play in-app billing platform in China.
Wandoujia estimates that over 70 per cent of Android devices in China lack Google Play services, so Chinese users are unable to make in-app purchases when playing foreign games which exclusively depend on Google’s billing system.
“Games lacking a Chinese payment system not only miss out on potential revenue, they also leave Chinese players locked out of premium game content and feeling frustrated,” Wandoujia notes in the report. “These gamers are eager to pay, but complain they can’t buy (extra content in foreign games).”
The report states that domestic titles offer Chinese players a range of in-game payment methods, such as carrier billing from China Mobile, via debit cards or through services like Alipay.
The company also calculates that the Chinese game industry made in US$9.7 billion in revenues last year, which Wandoujia estimates will grow to US$21.7 billion by 2017.
