My First Visit to China and Its Impact on the Mobile Games Industry

Ad Monetization and UA Credits: Revenue from ad monetization operates on a D1 payout schedule (I’m used to D30-D60), with payments often only paid in UA credits 💥 .

Game Rankings: Games are ranked not just by IAP sales but also by ad revenue, meaning that I have no two & a half gamers party trick in China.. 😥

ISBN Requirement: To publish and earn IAPs in China, developers need an “International Standard Book Number (ISBN),” which takes about a year to obtain. Interestingly, if a game only monetizes via ads, an ISBN isn’t required. We also heard some whispers about how to avoid needing an ISBN…. 🎮📝

Ad Networks and UA Through Douyin (TikTok): The ad network ecosystem in China is more consolidated, with most UA efforts channeled through Douyin (TikTok). This results in ad revenue being mediated by just one or two network partners.

Massive Market: The Chinese domestic gaming market is a biiig, projected to hit $40 billion this year. The speed of game development here is astonishing—successful games often see up to 10 copycat versions within the first month of release! 🚀🎮