Chinese game industry revenues grew to $13 billion in 2013, up 38%

Newsbrief: Games in Asia reports that China's game industry revenues grew 38 percent year-on-year, to $13 billion, or 83.17 billion yuan -- that's according to numbers from a government agency called GPC, which tracks the game industry. According to the report, client-based PC games took in $8.7 billion, while browser games took just over $2 billion. Mobile games accounted for $1.8 billion while social games generated less than $1 billion, and console games -- which are still officially banned in the country -- generated a comparatively measly $15 million. $7.8 billion of the $13 billion total was generated by games developed inside China, according to the report. According to Chinese law, foreign companies must partner with a Chinese service provider to run their online games in the country; while a partner is not required for mobile games, the complexities of the market make it extremely difficult for Western companies to enter without a local partner. It is widely expected that the ban on dedicated game consoles will be relaxed in 2014, though official details on this plan have yet to be revealed.