Investment Rating - The report maintains a "stronger than the market" rating for the trading card game (TCG) industry, indicating a positive outlook for growth and investment opportunities [3]. Core Insights - The trading card game market is evolving into a comprehensive industry chain that encompasses IP licensing, content creation, product manufacturing, channel distribution, and community operation, with IP as the core engine driving user engagement and long-term retention [3][4]. - The industry is characterized by a dual-channel strategy of "offline foundation and online expansion," which enhances consumer experience and broadens market reach [4][50]. - The integration of trading cards with various business models, such as digital platforms and gaming devices, is driving innovation and expanding the market [8][66]. Summary by Sections 1. Trading Card Game Overview - Trading card games (TCGs) combine themes, collection, exchange, and competitive play, often based on popular IPs from films, anime, or original designs, providing rich cultural experiences [2][12]. - TCGs can be categorized into competitive and collectible types, each with distinct value propositions and target audiences [13][14]. 2. Industry Chain - The TCG industry has established a complete industry chain driven by content, with upstream IP providers, midstream design and production companies, and downstream sales channels [35]. - Upstream, IP is the fundamental driver of user recognition and purchase conversion, with emotional resonance being a key factor in consumer decisions [38][39]. - Midstream, design differentiates products and targets specific consumer segments, enhancing brand value and user engagement [44]. - Downstream, the dual-channel strategy combines offline experiences with online sales, creating a comprehensive consumer engagement ecosystem [50][51]. 3. Market Development - The TCG market in China is projected to grow significantly, reaching a market size of 263 billion RMB by 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56.6% from 2019 to 2024 [20][21]. - The competitive landscape is concentrated, with the top five companies holding 82.4% of the market share, highlighting the dominance of key players like 卡游 (Kawoo) [26][27]. 4. Investment Recommendations - The report suggests focusing on companies with rich IP resources, strong design and manufacturing capabilities, and significant sales channel advantages [8].

Market Overview - The total revenue from in-app purchases (IAP) in the Japanese mobile gaming market is projected to be $11 billion (approximately 78.2 billion RMB) from August 2024 to July 2025, reflecting a year-on-year decline of 2.2% [1] - Despite a slight market contraction and a 2.5% decrease in downloads, the market remains stable due to a high average revenue per user (ARPU) and effective monetization strategies, maintaining annual revenue above 1.6 trillion yen (approximately 77.2 billion RMB) since 2021 [1] Category Performance - RPG games continue to dominate the Japanese mobile gaming market, contributing 37.4% of total revenue, with titles like "Uma Musume," "Monster Strike," and "FGO" leading the revenue charts [3] - Strategy games rank second with a 21.8% revenue contribution, driven by 4X strategy games like "Last War: Survival" and "Whiteout Survival," which saw a 35% revenue increase, and the card battle game "Pokémon TCG Pocket," which achieved a 305% revenue surge [5] - Casual puzzle games are the primary drivers of download volume, accounting for 33.2% of total downloads, with games like "Car Jam" and "Screw Sort 3D" experiencing over 70% year-on-year growth in downloads [5] IP Importance - Local IPs play a crucial role in the Japanese gaming market, with the "Pokémon" IP achieving a 32% year-on-year revenue increase due to the success of "Pokémon TCG Pocket" [10] - The "Gundam" IP, through the new release "SD Gundam GGENERATION ETERNAL," saw over 800% year-on-year growth, highlighting the effective operational strategies that enhance IP value [10][12] Publisher Landscape - Japanese publishers dominate the market, contributing over 52% of total IAP revenue while accounting for only 31% of downloads [14] - Major Japanese companies like Bandai Namco, Sega, and Capcom rank among the top ten global publishers on Steam, indicating strong influence in the PC and console gaming markets [14] - Overseas publishers adopt differentiated strategies to penetrate the Japanese market, focusing on core paying users and launching casual games that appeal to a broader audience [16][18] Advertising Strategies - The gaming sector is a leading category for digital advertising in Japan, with significant ad spending and display volume [19] - LINE is the most prominent channel for game advertising, with successful campaigns often aligning with major in-game events [19][20] - Targeted advertising strategies are employed, such as "Whiteout Survival," which focuses on male users aged 25-34, utilizing platforms like TikTok and Instagram to resonate with younger audiences [22]

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly state an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The domestic card market primarily relies on overseas high-quality IP, while the overseas market is dominated by proprietary IP [7][22] - The core advantages of trading card games (TCG) include longer lifecycles and broader monetization channels [8][10] - Recent efforts by domestic and international manufacturers have created a positive cycle in the trading card industry, potentially leading to new growth points [9] Summary by Sections Differences Between Domestic and International Card Markets - Domestic card companies mainly operate on overseas high-quality IP, while the US and Japan markets are mature with proprietary IP [7][22] - The card types differ, with TCG being predominant overseas and collectible card games (CCG) being more common in China [28] - The domestic card industry is expected to undergo accelerated integration across its value chain [40] Advantages of Trading Card Games - TCGs benefit from longer lifecycles due to evergreen IP and competitive content design [8][57] - The competitive nature and blind box attributes of TCGs enhance user loyalty and consumption frequency [62][71] - TCGs have diversified monetization channels through mobile games and other derivative products [8][10] Breaking Through in the Trading Card Industry - The industry is in a cultivation phase, with consumer habits around competitive play still developing [9] - Domestic manufacturers are enhancing their channel strategies and event experiences to foster a trading card culture [9][49] - The establishment of a robust ecosystem through collaboration between manufacturers and event organizers is crucial for market maturation [9][53]