China's game market spikes in Q1 despite COVID-19 hit

BEIJING -- The gaming industry is among the few industries immune to COVID-19, as China's game market saw revenue exceed 73.2 billion yuan (about $10.34 billion) in the first quarter (Q1), surging over 25 percent quarter on quarter, an industry report said.

The solid growth came after the unprecedented outbreak forced millions of people to stay at home, according to a report jointly released by the Game Publishing Committee of China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association and global market research firm International Data Corporation.

The report noted that the mobile game market saw a visible surge in Q1, with the revenue swelling 46.25 percent year on year to 55.37 billion yuan.

E-sports games also reported robust growth, with the scale of users expanding to 482 million, the report added.