After Apple started accepting payments in local currency in China, the number of downloads in the store increased dramatically by a third. First of all, it affected the category of games.
App Annie analysts note that both China and Japan are experiencing a boom in the field of mobile games. “Over the past six months, the mobile games market in Japan has grown by 35% compared to the previous six months, and in China the growth was 30%. This is at a time when there was a pause in the US due to the expectation of the release of the new iPhone.”
The company also predicts that by the end of the year Japan will have a 20% share in global App Store revenue, which is twice as much as it was in September. In Japan, people are used to mobile payments, and as the number of smartphones increases, opportunities for gaming industry companies will also grow.
Interestingly, the other day Rovio announced plans to localize the Angry Birds game for the Japanese market, recognizing the potential and maturity of the “mobile culture” in the country.