Alibaba Ventures into Game Distribution

Alibaba Games and Alibaba Mobile Business Group have revealed plans to enter the game distribution industry.

April 6, 2018

Chinese media giant forms alliance to bridge the mobile games distribution between China and Russia, Europe, Japan, the Middle East and the U.S.

To kick off its initiative, the company has partnered with Mali.ru Group, TFJoy, Efun and ONEMT to establish the Global Strategic Alliance of Game Distribution, which will aim to bridge the mobile games distribution between China and Russia, Europe, Japan, the Middle East and the U.S., and provide upgraded gaming experiences to local users.

“The development in mobile games market in the five biggest international markets–Europe and the U.S., Japan and South Korea, the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia–is uneven,” says Simon Shi, president, Alibaba Games, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group. “European, American, Japanese and South Korean markets are already considered mature markets, while the Middle East in the past two years is seeing rapid development, and Latin America and Southeast Asia as the emerging markets show very high potential in the mobile games consumption. We are doing very well in emerging markets like India and Indonesia already.”

Additionally,

Alibaba Games will also upgrade the traffic distribution by integrating the traffic in both the iOS and Android platforms. The company will also use big data technology for accurate distribution as well as precise recommendation systems to each user.

"To maximize the value of Game Intellectual Property, Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group will integrate the resources from UCWeb, Youku, Alibaba Pictures and Alibaba Literature to build a circulation chain for the IP derivatives,” says Xiaopeng HE, president, Alibaba Mobile Business Group. “UCWeb with its massive traffic entry globally will play a significant role in the distribution of Alibaba Games.”