Fall Guys coming to China's $36 billion mobile games market

Fall Guys is set to rake in tons of microtransaction cash when it releases on mobile devices in China.

Fall Guys, gaming's biggest new indie sensation, is coming to China's $36 billion mobile market. The game is being developed by Billibilli, but the official product page has been scrubbed, presumably due to an earlier-than-expected announcement. Neither Mediatonic, the developer of Fall Guys, nor publisher Devolver Digital have confirmed a mobile release just yet.

China represents a boon for a game like Fall Guys, which has exploded onto the market with 2 million sales in just 6 days. The game is buy-to-play on PC and PS4 alongside a free download for PS Plus subscribers, and features in-game microtransactions via a premium currency that unlocks new outfits.

The game seems like an easy adaptation for the mobile market, especially China's, which routinely makes over $30 billion every year. Analyst firm Newzoo predicts smartphone games will generated $63.6 billion in 2020, representing 40% of total yearly earnings. Asia-Pacific, which includes China, will compromise 49% of total 2020 earnings, or $78.4 billion.

Microtransactions are likewise expected to make far more than actual game sales in 2020. Newzoo predicts mTX will generate $117 billion in revenues in 2020 across all global regions and gaming platforms, making up 74% of 2020's total estimated earnings of $159.3 billion.

In 2019, a whopping 98% of mobile games earnings were from mTX, Newzoo says.