Leading Chinese digital entertainment company KongZhong (NASDAQ: KONG) recently announced that it planned to invest 100 million yuan in cash (around US$ 16.5 million) in the long-established casual game operator OurGame (also known as LianZhong in Chinese) (source in Chinese). This transaction is set to close before the end of February 2014.
As one of the earliest and most popular providers of Internet-based casual board and card games in China, OurGame is principally focused on casual games, chess and card games since its foundation in 1998. With the arrival of mobile era, OurGame started to shift its focus from PC to browser and mobile terminals since 2011 after addressing the turmoil of dispersed ownership. The company has been struggling for a while due to the fierce competition from Tencent and Shanda.
Currently, the company provides cross-platform supports for more than 300 board and card games, mahjong, casual games and large graphic games. OurGame’s Fight the Landlord, one of the most popular card games in China, has recorded more than 40 million downloads as of present. Other popular games developed by the company include Poker World and Texas Hold’em.
Board and card games are among the most popular games in China. The number of Internet board and card game users in China reached 259.0 million in 2013, making up 80% of all game users, according to data released by China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC).
image credit: Ourgame
