We recently wrote about how app downloads in China have reportedly increased since Apple began accepting local currency payments. Today there’s more evidence of mobile app fever on the Asian continent, most specifically games, as Barron’s is citing the app analytics specialists at App Annie in a report that says both China and Japan are seeing a mobile gaming boom:
[D]uring the past six months Japan grew 35 percent over the previous six months, and China grew 30 percent, while the U.S. was down because of a shift in iPhone launch (last year’s iPhone launch was in June and this year’s launch was in September) and negative seasonality during the first half of the year.
Other key facts from App Annie include the prediction Japan will account for 20 percent of world-wide app revenue in Apple’s AppStore by the end of the year, more than twice as much as what it was in September. Japan is accustomed to mobile payments and as smartphone adoption continues to grow (with the iPhone now on au in addition to Softbank) the opportunities for gaming companies will only increases.
In fact just yesterday Rovio held an event to announce that it will be bringing Angry Birds to Japan, recognizing the potential of the nation’s mature mobile culture.
Similarly, in addition to China and Japan, Korea shows great potential for mobile games growth as well. The DeNA/Daum partnership that was formally announced yesterday is targeting Korea large number of smartphone subscribers, who still represent a relatively untapped (or lesser tapped?) gaming market in comparison to neighboring Japan.
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