PapayaMobile, the mobile social gaming community on Android that has more than 19m active users, has launched its ‘Gateway to China’ programme, which it says is the only turnkey solution for Western developers to launch their games in China.
The company notes that as Western mobile developers look to extend their reach, the Chinese market offers new opportunities for rapid growth, consisting of more than 800m wireless subscribers and a virtual goods market projected to reach $4bn (£2.5bn) in 2011.
The first wave of developers will be participating in the program includes BulkyPix, Kiloo, Connect2Media, Mindstorm Studios and Digital Prunes. Along with other Papaya developers, they will have immediate access to free China localisation services; game reviews and other marketing channels; distribution and management of games in app stores in China; introductions to China OEMs for pre-installs; and easy access to China Billing Solutions through Papaya’s Social SDK.
“With three years of experience working in China, PapayaMobile has established relationships with key handset manufacturers, app stores, wireless operators and press, making Papaya the most widely distributed mobile Social Networking Service in this territory,” says PapayaMobile CEO, Si Shen. “Our goal is to share these relationships with our developers, so that they too can monetize off of the largest mobile market in the world.”
Papaya notes that China is a challenging market for game developers to enter, due to factors such as culture, economy and regulations. Distribution of Android apps in China is extremely difficult and fragmented, due to the lack of Android Market on all legally-sold Android phones, the company says. As a result, developers looking for broad distribution need to launch their games in as many as ten app stores and also manage these relationships.
“Given the complexities and fragmentation of Android in China, it would have been extremely difficult and resource intensive for Kiloo to enter the China market alone,” says Jacob Moller, CEO of Kiloo, who recently partnered with PapayaMobile to launch their titles on Android. “We recognise the large potential of the Chinese market, and want to establish a presence there now, so we are well positioned in the future. This programme allows us to do exactly that.”
There’s more information for developers about how to enroll in Gateway to China here.