*Ding! China’s gaming industry sees first-half growth of 27%

China’s gaming industry market sales revenue amounted to 99.78 billion yuan (US$14.82 billion) in the first half of 2017, a staggering 26.7% year-on-year increase, according to a mid-year research report released by the Game Publication Committee under the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association on Wednesday.

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The number of online gaming users hit 507 million, a 3.6% year-on-year increase, said the report, released at the annual China Digital Entertainment Congress (CDEC), which runs from Wednesday to Friday in Shanghai. The congress focuses on “pan-entertainment” strategy development, including integration of gaming, anime, literature, film and music online.

Mobile game sales accounted for 56.3%, or 56.14 billion yuan, of the total revenue reported. Such games attracted 435 million users, thanks in part to using “storylines” from known, intellectual property-protected works.

According to the data, the value of the e-sports market rose to 35.99 billion yuan in the first half of 2017, a 43.2% year-on-year increase. The segment took 36.1% of total revenues.

There were 166 listed online game corporations as of the end of June, with 85.6% listed on China’s A-share markets, and 9.6% and 4.8% listed, respectively, on the Hong Kong and US stock markets. Almost 70% of the 139 companies listed on China’s index for start-ups, the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), are from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, according to the research.

Quoted by Caixin, Zhang Hongsen, deputy head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), told the congress that China’s increasing online gaming industry has growing international influence, adding that cultural enterprises should pursue social benefits as a top priority because young people are their main consumers.

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