Niko: China’s mobile game market will hit $8.3 billion in 2017

China implemented tough new regulations this summer for mobile games, but that isn’t expected to dramatically slow the market. Market researcher Niko Partners predicts the Chinese domestic mobile game market to reach $8.3 billion in 2017.

That revenue figure will amount to 31 percent of total digital games revenue (a category that includes mobile, TV, and online PC games). Regulators are now requiring that all companies submit detailed descriptions and copies of games in advance of launches for screening for possible censorship. Still, the Chinese mobile game market is expected to rise 28 percent this year compared to 2016. By the end of 2016, Niko estimates there will be 465 million Chinese mobile gamers, up more than 100 million in the past two years.