Report: China pushes past US to lead the world in App Store game revenue

Mobile market research firm App Annie's latest report suggests that China has finally surpassed the United States to become the world leader in games revenue generated on the iOS App Store.

It's a notable indicator of the region's influence in the mobile games market, though it's not unexpected -- App Annie predicted this would happen back in April, when it reported China had overtaken Japan to become the second biggest region in terms of iOS App Store games revenue.

Of course, China has been leading the world in mobile app downloads for at least a year now, and App Annie reports that the main revenue drivers among Chinese players are locally-developed mobile MMORPGs and MOBAs like Hero Moba and Westward Journey Online.

According to App Annie's research, China and the U.S. combined now account for roughly 75 percent of all iOS games revenue, and games account for roughly 75 percent of global iOS revenue. Some quick back-of-the-napkin math using those figures suggests that mobile games revenue in the U.S. and China now accounts for more than half of all iOS revenue worldwide.

Of course, App Annie's findings are drawn from its proprietary market research tools, and may not offer a full picture of the mobile market. This latest report included revenue estimates for in-app purchases and paid app downloads, for example, but not in-app advertising revenues.

Devs seeking further findings from the report, as well as deeper detail on App Annie's reporting methodology, can download the report for free over on App Annie's website.