China's amusement market appears to be booming with growth opportunities, while the country continues to invest a lot of time and effort in R&D.
Speaking exclusively to InterGame following his recent trip to China for the GTI Asia China show, Bob Boals of US distributor Betson said: "The Chinese government, while cracking down on illegal gambling is allowing much expansion and development in the FEC/arcade sector. During a visit back in February, one government official told us how they had just approved 6,000 additional game centre licences. Distributors and manufacturers are participating in a new development and manufacturing area by the name of Huachuang. This complex is amazing and will be the main centre for development of all amusement products in the future."
Commenting on the show itself, Boals added: "There were a few new driving games displayed by various Chinese development companies and there were some interactive sports games and music/DJ games that were getting a lot of interest. The show was actually much better attended than last year and I saw international visitors from Japan, Turkey, South America and Europe everyone was really interested to see the new products being displayed.
"As a US company selling goods in China, the reception to our products this year was much better. This, I am sure, is directly related to player demands. As more of our products get out on location in China demand is rising considerably and I will definitely be attending the show next year. It is a must if you wish to do business with the Chinese suppliers. I also expect to see many new Chinese suppliers displaying at the upcoming IAAPA show as they start to export the new games they have been developing."
