Following the success of its previous editions, the GamingonPhone Conference Online (GPC) returned for its 3rd Edition. The premier B2B gaming event from GamingonPhone took place on May 27, 2025, and saw multiple sessions from gaming industry experts delivering their insights to over 500-plus attendees.
After the Japan and Korea markets tapped in, the State of the Chinese Mobile Games Market was next. The session featured experts Mandy Huang from 37Games, Ilya Gutov from Meridian Play, and Montgomery “Monte” Singman from Radian Strategic Solutions, moderated by Ealing Ng from Aptoide.
How the “Less Spend” behaviour drives Players in China
A major shift is occurring in Chinese player behaviour, driven by tighter wallets and changing entertainment habits. Mandy H. from 37Games explained that games emphasizing “less grind and less spend” are thriving, especially among younger users facing career and financial pressure.
She added that players are now gravitating toward quick and easy enjoyment rather than deep time or money investments. This trend has also coincided with the rise of mini games and mix-genre casual titles, appealing especially to users in lower-tier cities. Cross-platform games are also gaining popularity as a way to reduce platform commission costs and reach wider audiences.
The Regulatory Challenges that come with it
Monte Singman highlighted the significant regulatory challenges in China, especially those related to minors’ online gaming time and authentication systems. While some companies struggled, others adapted well, viewing stricter compliance as a necessary evolution.
On the tech front, Chinese giants like Tencent, NetEase, and ByteDance are investing heavily in AI to improve content generation and personalization. Monte also pointed out the surprising success of cloud gaming in China, a model often dismissed in the West.
Chinese infrastructure and consumer readiness have made it a legitimate business, with even budget “cloud phones” catering to this model. Monty explained how the 5G rollout and cheap cloud devices have helped cloud gaming take off.
A Big Market Attracks Bigger Challenges
Ilya said that a third of the 100 top games are Chinese, so it’s hard to say that they have challenges. But he also pointed out common mistakes. “You’re going to other countries. Why do you continue to do business with your own people?”
He stressed that localizing properly, not just the game, but also marketing and community, is key. “If you break the law overseas, it’s really dumb. You break another country’s law, it’s a ticket to jail.”
Mandy added that art style and culture often hold Chinese games back overseas. “You just have a look and you find it’s again from Chinese studios. The cultural difference in storytelling can be tricky to handle.” She gave Whiteout Survival as a good example of a game that worked both inside and outside China.
The 2024 that was a “Winter” and What’s Next
Mandy shared that 2024 was “a really winter” for the Chinese game industry. “Many companies have gone through layoffs, big companies have focused on their core business now.” She said strategic investment by game companies themselves is now more common, and there’s more interest in Chinese cultural IPs.
Monty added that Web3 games funding is picking up, AI and cloud is one direction. But he warned against blindly chasing hype. “Bears make money, bulls make money, pigs get slaughtered. Pigs are followers.” He stressed that one-hit wonders are common and said, “I would like to see the company making the second hit.”
GPC Online 3rd Edition Unpacked – Further Reading:
