China's game industry has achieved leapfrog development in the past few years.Free online games such as "Genshin Impact" and "Mingchat" have tens of millions of players around the world, and new works such as "Iser" are also ready to go.What is even more eye-catching is that "Black Myth: Wukong" exceeded 10 million sales within five days of its release in August 2024, and won the 2024 Steam Game of the Year Award.

Chinese game studios are making full efforts, and multiple products are competing for the next global hit.Behind this prosperity is a triple driver of growth in consumer revenue, rising developer enthusiasm and strong support from local governments.In response to the rapid growth of China's game industry, Game Developer recently interviewed Simon Zhu (Zhu Yuan), founder of China Independent Game Alliance (CIGA), former China CTO of Tencent Games China and Epic Games, and Xia Siyuan, co-founder of Chengdu Lingze Technology and producer of "The Last of Ming: Yuanxu Feathers".

A way to break the deadlock in stand-alone games

Chinese developers have long avoided single-player game development.Paid stand-alone games face huge challenges, while the commercial prospects of free online games are brighter.Zhu Yuan recalled: "In 1995, "Legend of Sword and Fairy" pioneered the golden age of domestic stand-alone, but rampant piracy stifled the market potential. It was not until the rise of online games in the 2000s that the Chinese game industry really started. In 2015, PlayStation introduced console stand-alone games into China, and the Steam platform finally opened up the market."

Xia Siyuan pointed out: "The success or failure of a stand-alone game often depends on the first day of release, and the risks are much higher than those of online games that are sustainable." But with the global hot sales of "Black Myth: Wukong", publishers' willingness to invest in stand-alone games has significantly increased.Lingze Technology's "The Last of Ming Dynasty: The Feather of the Abyss" and S-Game's "Shadow Blade: Zero" are taking advantage of the opportunity to expand the market."The Late Ming Dynasty: The Feather of Yuanxu" is set in the late Ming Dynasty and integrates elements of the ancient Shu culture of Sanxingdui, which is only an hour's drive from the studio.

"Chinese games are forming a unique identity in the global market," Xia Siyuan emphasized. "Cultural export is not a one-day effort and requires collective efforts from the industry." Li Shen added: "Black Myth" has inspired industry pride as the 'broken man of China 3A', and practitioners regard it as an idol who challenges Western game hegemony and enhances the representation of Asian culture."

The current status of the game industry

The practitioners interviewed agreed that Chinese developers have both unique advantages and obvious shortcomings."Chinese companies have accumulated commercial design capabilities in the field of free online games in the world," Zhu Yuan pointed out, "but there are still shortcomings in game design, narrative screenwriter and other aspects, and industry exchanges need to be strengthened urgently."

Li Shen admitted: "Although the mobile game field has reached a world-class level, the rising costs and intensified competition have led to developers becoming more conservative, focusing more on production accuracy rather than innovation differences." He took the comparison of China-US industry activities as an example: "GDC tickets are about 10,000 yuan and still attract global participants, while tickets of 500 yuan for similar activities in China are still facing sales pressure, and some local speakers are unwilling to share their experience."

Overtime culture remains the focus of controversy."There is a common phenomenon of 996 during the project sprint period," said Li Shen.Xia Siyuan introduced: "Lingze does not encourage overtime work, but the team members have emotions about "The Late Ming Dynasty" and often stay up late voluntarily." Zhu Yuanse optimistically predicted: "As the younger generation attaches importance to work-life balance, this old model will eventually change."

Despite the overall growth of the industry, the layoffs have not subsided.Zhu Yuan revealed: "In the past two years, many companies in Shanghai have laid off their entire project teams or subsidiaries." However, Li Shen pointed out that China's unemployment insurance and government retraining plans provide strong protection.

Local government projects boost

Chinese game publishing must pass the approval of the State Administration of Press and Publication, involving content review and technical compliance.Local governments often provide additional support.

"The Sichuan Provincial Government has given strong support to "The Late Ming Dynasty: The Feather of the Yuanxu"," Xia Siyuan said. "Since the story of "Wuchang: The Feather of the Falling" is set in Chengdu and some areas of Sichuan, the local government has even assisted us in finding more cultural heritage sites that can be digitally preserved through scanning technology." Li Shen added: "Local policies include tax reductions and exemptions for cultural projects, scientific and technological research and development subsidies, etc. Projects listed as the key 'digital cultural industry' will also receive overseas promotion support."

The Shanghai Science and Technology Park where Zhu Yuan is located is a model of government support: "There are large and small technology companies here, and most of them only need to pay symbolic rent." Local governments also provide one-stop policy services in the incubation, operation, and distribution of games.

Future prospects for the development of China Tourism

As the world's largest gaming market, China still faces challenges such as insufficient experience in stand-alone gaming and first-day revenue risks.But the interviewees remained optimistic.

"Revenue growth and demand for high-quality content will continue to drive the industry." Li Shen predicted.Zhu Yuanse emphasized CIGA’s support for the independent gaming community: “Industry change does not last overnight, and it requires persistent investment.”

Xia Siyuan quoted a Chinese proverb to summarize: "The fire is high for everyone. We hope to pave the way for future creators through hard work and let more interesting works emerge."