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Tencent gears up to take over a massive mobile games marketplace

The tech giant from China is taking aim at gamers and doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon.

Tencent Holdings Ltd. has already grabbed hold of the top spot when it comes to being the leader in the mobile games category in China, but now it is stepping outside its home borders and is aiming to lead the way throughout other marketplaces, as well.

The company intends to start exporting games made in China into the United States and other markets.

In order to accomplish this goal, Tencent is working with San Francisco mobile games publisher, Glu Mobile Inc. Back in April, Tencent purchased a considerable stake in that company and they will now be working together to bring “WeFire”, Tencent’s most successful shooting game app, into the United States as well as other Western countries in 2016. Another one of its games – though the name has not yet been revealed – will be taken into the Japanese market next year by way of Aiming Inc., a local mobile game publisher.

Should Tencent be successful in taking its mobile games into other countries, this could change the entire marketplace.

Tencent - Mobile GamesThis will also provide Tencent with a powerful new avenue of growth as the current global mobile gaming marketplace is currently expected to grow to about $30.1 billion this year. That would mean that the figure would nearly have doubled since 2013, when it had been $17.6 billion. This, according to Newzoo research firm statistics.

The WeFire game app from Tencent is currently the most successful shooting game in China. Now it will be brought to the U.S. and other countries in order to go up against the top games in those markets. When a top grossing game reaches a leading spot in a specific market, it can bring in over $1 billion in revenue. However, when it becomes a global sensation, that figure can rise to $3 billion or even $4 billion, said the chief exec of the Kabam Inc. U.S. mobile game company, Kevin Chou.

That company intends to step into the mobile games market in China, next year. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, a massive rival to Tencent, has a minority stake in Kabam.

Tag Heuer to increase its wearable technology production

The designer company will now be producing 1,200 to 2,000 of its Carrera Connected per week.

As Tag Heuer faces a rising demand for its wearable technology from retailers, the designer brand has chosen to boost the production of its Carrera Connected smartwatch device by a considerable amount.

The Swiss watchmaker will now be increasing the rate of wearables production to 1,200 to 2,000 weekly units.

This wearable technology is designed to be a highly attractive and very chic version of an Android Wear smartwatch. According to the CEO of the company, Jean Claude Biver, Tag Heuer will also be stopping all its online sales of this device until around May or June 2016 in order to give the company the opportunity to catch up with the tremendous demand from retailers selling in-store.

This device represents the first entry of a luxury watch manufacturer into wearable technology.

Wearable Technology - Tag HeuerBiver brought Tag Heuer into this category with a massive amount of popularity, at just the time when people were starting to have genuine doubts as to whether or not there would ever be a luxury smartwatch based on the Android Wear operating system.

Among the features that make the Carrera wearables stand out in this category include the titanium construction, as well as the trans-reflective display. The appearance of the device is quite chic, with an elegance that takes it a full step above most of the other smartwatches that are currently available.

Biver has since stated that Tag Heuer intends to continue producing Connected wearable technology devices and that new models will likely become available as soon as late 2016 or early 2017. This, in response to the large and growing interest that consumers have already shown in high end smartwatches. Many have speculated that the next models of the devices that the designer will issue will probably feature gold components as well as the possibility of the inclusion of diamonds.

According to Biver, “Considering the success of this single and unique watch, we will develop a collection made out of different varieties, executions and materials at the end of next year or beginning of 2017.”