Tencent Shifts to Chat:
Last August Tencent Holdings Limited added a game center to its WeChat Messenger service. The mobile app was launched in 2011 and is available on all major platforms and features mobile text and voice messaging. According to Tencent half of all Chinese smartphone owners use WeChat. Somewhat like the arrival of social games on Facebook, WeChat is growing in popularity within China as a social network for mobile gameplay. Games on the service require a WeChat login to play. Despite the recent arrival of WeChat games, Android app store Wandoujia reported that two of its top three game downloads – Rhythm Master and WeRunner – were WeChat titles.
