By Xinhua writers Yue Yuanyuan, Guo Shuang
WARSAW, June 26 (Xinhua) -- From the global success of Black Myth: Wukong to the enduring popularity of Genshin Impact, Chinese-developed video games are reaching wider international audiences than ever before, reflecting the growing global appeal of the country's gaming industry.
According to the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, overseas sales revenue of Chinese self-developed games exceeded 20.45 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, marking the sixth consecutive year that annual overseas revenue exceeded 14 billion dollars.
Industry observers attribute this growing international recognition to a combination of factors, including a mature industrial ecosystem, advancing technological capabilities and culturally rooted storytelling that resonates with overseas players.
MATURE GAMING ECOSYSTEM
Over the past decade, China's gaming industry has evolved from being known primarily for its vast domestic market into a mature ecosystem spanning game development, publishing, live operations and global distribution.
The industry is now home to a diverse range of companies, from established giants such as Tencent and NetEase to internationally active studios including miHoYo, Lilith Games, Game Science and iDreamSky, reflecting an increasingly diversified development landscape.
According to Newzoo, a leading gaming market research and analytics firm, Chinese publishers continue to lead some of the fastest-growing mobile game genres, including merge and 4X strategy games.
The firm attributed this to Chinese companies' sophisticated live-service operations and substantial investment in user acquisition, underscoring their growing competitiveness in the global mobile gaming market.
Monika Michalak, founder of Poland-based gaming recruitment firm 8Bit, shared this perspective. Speaking to Xinhua at DevGAMM Gdansk 2026, one of Central and Eastern Europe's leading game industry conferences, she said China has become an increasingly important part of the global gaming talent and business network.
Michalak has worked with both Chinese and international gaming companies and spent six years working in Beijing and Shenzhen. She said China's mature ecosystem enables studios not only to develop games efficiently but also to operate and scale products for international markets.
The industry's rapid evolution has also drawn attention from international veterans.
Former PlayStation Studios head Shuhei Yoshida said Chinese studios have developed remarkable advantages in both development speed and production scale.
Newzoo also expects China to outperform both the global average and Western developed markets in PC game growth over the forecast period, supported by the continued recovery of major game franchises and the launch of new flagship titles.
VISUAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
Industry observers say China's gaming industry is also gaining recognition for its edges in visual presentation and technical capabilities.
Reviewing Black Myth: Wukong, international media outlets said the game featured "state-of-the-art graphics" and praised its visual ambition.
In 2024, Black Myth: Wukong won both Ultimate Game of the Year and Best Visual Design at the Golden Joystick Awards, one of the gaming industry's longest-running awards programs.
Technical advances are also evident in production methods. For Black Myth: Wukong, developers used photogrammetry technology to digitally capture ancient Chinese architecture and cultural heritage sites across the country, helping create highly detailed and realistic in-game environments.
Not only Black Myth: Wukong, games such as Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves have also been widely discussed by international media and players for their visual design, animation quality and large-scale open-world experiences, highlighting the progress Chinese developers have made in delivering increasingly complex and technically demanding projects.
Niko Partners, an Asia-focused gaming market research firm said in a recent report that it has become more optimistic about China's video game market than in its previous forecast, citing stronger-than-expected performances from both newly released titles and long-running evergreen games.
CULTURAL STORYTELLING
If artistic quality and advanced technology have helped Chinese games attract attention, cultural storytelling may be helping them stand out.
Several developers interviewed by Xinhua said the global success of Black Myth: Wukong highlights the growing appeal of culturally authentic content.
"No other country could have made this game in the same way," said Gabriela Siemienkowicz, communications lead at 11 bit studios, a Polish game developer and publisher. "Its mythology and cultural background make it feel authentic."
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, communications director at Czech video game developer Warhorse Studios, echoed Siemienkowicz's view, describing Black Myth: Wukong as "the first giant single-player game carrying Chinese ideas into the world." He said the title has helped introduce Chinese narratives to a broader global audience.
The influence of Chinese culture can be found across a growing range of internationally successful games.
Drawing on Chinese martial arts traditions, historical weapons and Eastern aesthetics, Naraka: Bladepoint has built a substantial international following.
Set during China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-979), Where Winds Meet combines historical settings with traditional wuxia storytelling, bringing elements of Chinese history and martial arts culture to global players.
Meanwhile, Honor of Kings draws extensively on Chinese mythology, folklore and historical figures, drawing extensively on Chinese mythology, folklore and historical figures and is expanding into overseas markets.
According to Tao Feng, director of the Institute of Industrial Economics at Jinan University, games are becoming an increasingly important channel for cultural exchange, allowing overseas players to engage with Chinese stories and traditions in virtual worlds while deepening their understanding of Chinese culture.
"China has gone from gaming novice to global powerhouse," said Joost van Dreunen, co-founder and CEO of ALDORA, a gaming industry intelligence firm. "The Chinese video game industry has experienced significant growth and transformation over the past decade," making China the world's largest mobile gaming market.
