SocialPeta about the specifics of Asian countries (mainland and non-mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries)

Mainland China

• It is characterized by an oversupply of offers and fierce competition.
• The main hits are developed by local companies that will not be able to compete without innovations in gameplay and marketing.
• Local regulators are strict and selective. It is very difficult to get a publication license from them. Therefore, the release of the game in China can always easily fail.
• To enter the Chinese market, the game must have a local partner (almost all Western hits, including Angry Birds and Subway Surfers, were released in China with the assistance of local representatives).
• In terms of promotion in the Chinese market, appealing to folk culture always works. At the same time, it is important to take into account a huge number of things that should not be used in any case (for example, national flags).
• It is recommended to use TikTok (Douyin) and Weibo social networks as promotion channels.

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

• There is no strict policy on regulating games in the territories dependent on China.
• The main advertisers in the region are games of the following genres: RPG, puzzles and strategy.

Distribution of advertising impressions by genre in non-mainland ChinaJapan

• The greatest demand for localization among Asian regions is observed in Japan.
• In Japan, they are used to playing while traveling to work. The games themselves, as a rule, are chosen in accordance with current trends in the stores.
• According to SmartNews, in the country, the largest part of the advertising displayed falls on strategies (local mobile players have well-established preferences).

Distribution of advertising impressions by genre in JapanJapanese gamers prefer offline events dedicated to games more than UGC activities.

South Korea

• This region has the highest smartphone penetration rate in Asia (at 94%, for comparison in China — 68%, and in Japan — 59%). The level of distribution of mobile games, according to SocialPeta, is therefore also the highest in the region.
• If we start from the amount of traffic purchased on Google Ads, then puzzles are the most popular in South Korea.

Distribution of advertising impressions by genre in South KoreaPromotion in the country can be carried out with the support of local k—pop stars.

Southeast Asia

• Most of the paying players in this region are under 24 years old (the second largest paying age group is people from 25 to 39 years old).
• The most popular category of puzzle games.

Distribution of advertising impressions by genre in Southeast AsiaCompetitive games and esports are one of the main entertainments among the male gaming audience.

• The countries of Southeast Asia are often spoken of as something whole, homogeneous. It is better not to do this, because the behavior of users varies greatly from country to country.