According to a presentation by Gamelook, a Chinese game analytics firm, WeChat, the popular Chinese social media platform, has revealed that its mini-games have amassed over 400 million monthly active users. WeChat boasts an impressive user base of over 1 billion users worldwide, both inside and outside of China. The platform initially introduced mini-games in China in 2017, expanding their availability globally in 2019. WeChat, known for its all-in-one features encompassing social media, payment services, and messaging, has maintained its dominance in China due to the country's closed digital ecosystem.

WeChat's mini-programs offer access to various functions, ranging from video streaming to document sharing, making it a versatile platform for personal communication and business interactions. While primarily concentrated in China, WeChat has a substantial user base worldwide. Developed by Tencent in 2011, WeChat stands as one of the company's most prominent and well-known products.

The popularity of WeChat's mini-games comes as no surprise, considering the vast number of overall users on the platform. With over 1 billion people utilizing WeChat for different purposes, it's natural that many of them choose to unwind by playing the available mini-games. The potential for capitalizing on this trend was discussed by businesses back in 2019, and other platforms, like TikTok, have also embraced the mini-game craze, recently testing them in the UK, primarily focusing on hypercasual-style titles.

For developers and publishers, the question arises as to how they can monetize this emerging trend, considering that mini-games differ significantly from full-fledged mobile titles. However, given the substantial user base and the corresponding sample size, we will soon determine whether mini-games will become a significant contender or just a passing fad in the gaming industry.

Source: Iwan Morris, Staff Writer at PocketGamer