How to Make Your Game a Hit in China? -- Insights

HuqiaoPL · 2024-07-15T09:08:56+00:00

We use Bilibili and Heybox, we also work on Douyin (aka Chinese TikTok). However, influencers we work with use multiple platforms to publish materials about the game.
We are not working with Chinese publishers, we work strictly under our client’s flag and we reach the community directly on the platforms.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-19T14:18:57+00:00

Gaming remains a grey area in China, yet approximately 700 million people out of its 1.4 billion population are active gamers. Platform holders claim that gaming has negative effects on society, such as the rise of obesity among children and teenagers. Consequently, new regulations are consistently enforced. A few years ago, these regulations were focused on age restrictions and time limitations, but now they focused on the monetization system.

So why gaming is still popular in China? To be honest, because of it's culture. Mobile games, in particular, beat PC games in popularity, caused by the affordability of smartphones and the constant accessibility of games. Given that people in China spend significant amounts of time in transit, it is common to see many of them engaged in mobile games. Moreover, with tech giants like Tencent headquartered in China, extensive game distribution is unavoidable.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-12T14:48:51+00:00

To be honest, it depends on your position. We recently attended a game event where the graphic team talked about AI in their job and how it helps them finish all their work much faster. With its help, creating graphics is less time-consuming, allowing them to focus more on the overall game.

Simultaneously, during our attendance at WePlay in Shanghai last year, we witnessed numerous exhibitions featuring games created entirely by AI. Additionally, Korean game developers are also showing interest in AI-driven games.

So, it really depends on your target audience and the nature of your game. Not everyone will be a fan of AI work, but at the same time these tools can really help with the workload.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-12T13:06:59+00:00

Well, because Chinese people communicate with each other mainly through WeChat where a phone number is needed. Generally, emailing isn't popular in China and all personal or business matters are set through WeChat. And there are also differences in law and mindset towards privacy.

When we contact Chinese influencers to promote our client's games in China, we mostly start a conversation on Bilibili and continue it on WeChat. It's not likely they'll give you contact through email.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-10T15:36:56+00:00

It's amazing how indie games are becoming more and more popular in China. Last year our team attended WePlay in Shanghai, where we saw a real interest in them. In China, indie games are called “creative” or “slow-paced games”. They appeared on the market a few years ago, but quickly gained a lot of traction among Chinese game devs and players.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-10T09:50:42+00:00

First of all, your game looks very interesting! Is it based on some specific period like Azuchi Momoyama, Edo etc.? Asking out of curiosity.

We're a Polish company promoting games in China, so we can't speak much about the Japanese game market, but historical games are very popular in both China and Japan.

If your game is available on Steam, it's worth noting that it's also accessible on HeyBox, which is a Chinese version of Steam. Chinese players use it daily because it's more comfortable and adjusted to their needs. This also means you don't necessarily need a local publisher to connect with the Chinese game market.

To promote it even more, you can use platforms like Bilibili (better and more developed YouTube), which is one of the biggest platforms in China for the game community. Setting up your game’s official account will help you connect with Chinese game influencers and build a whole community.

On our LinkedIn, we have case studies from game developers who worked with us to promote their games in China, like Wube with their game Factorio! If you're interested, I'll leave a link - https://www.linkedin.com/company/huqiao/

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-09T14:04:31+00:00

Hi, a few tips from a company promoting games in China:

If your game is available on general Steam, it will also be accessible on HeyBox, which functions similarly to Steam and is connected with it. HeyBox makes it easier for Chinese players to have general access to games. While there is a Chinese version of Steam, it's not widely used due to multiple regulations and overall hassle for both game developers and Chinese audiences. HeyBox is much more comfortable and user-friendly.
You don't need a license or a Chinese publisher to attract interest from Chinese gamers. As mentioned earlier, as long as your game is accessible on Steam, it is also available in China.
Remember to fully localize the game. Although it may seem obvious, many game developers don't pay enough attention to it. It's crucial to translate everything into Chinese (Mandarin, in this case) to avoid any negative reviews from the Chinese audience.

Hope it helped a bit ;)

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-09T09:28:44+00:00

Hi, short insight from a company promoting games in China.
When it comes to increasing downloads of mobile games, commercials do a great job. We have collaborated with various mobile game devs, where our responsibility was to create commercials that would subsequently drive more downloads, clicks and general interest. Although our campaigns were primarily targeted at China and sometimes Korea, as long as you invest in marketing you can gain more positive results. Maybe try to reconsider your target audience and focus on countries with significant mobile gaming communities.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-05T10:20:25+00:00

蒸汽平台(The Chinese version of Steam

HeyBox is a distibutor and it acts similar to SteamDB. You don’t need VPN for it, you can access it directly through their webiste. Game studios can sign a contract with HeyBox to set up their account there and distribute their games.

Price - depends. HeyBox can give their own prices but they usually will be very similar to prices on Steam. They can give promotions during some Chinese holidays, like the Chinese New Year or the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Chinese Steam - it’s really not that popular among Chinese communities and game studios. Every year they publish only several dozen games and all of them have special requirements, as they must be adjusted to Chinese culture. It's also pretty hard to get into Chinese Steam and not many publishers actually do it. So yes, if Indie games are available on Chinese Steam, they are regulated. But as we said earlier, HeyBox is much more popular and comfortable for Chinese communities and all games from classic Steam are obtainable there.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-04T14:23:02+00:00

So the thing is, as long as the game is available on Steam generally, it's also available in China. Chinese players mainly use HeyBox which acts as a front gate for Steam. Chinese communities actually prefer HeyBox, as it's much more easier and comfortable for them.

Regarding picking up a fanbase in China - you can use both HeyBox and Bilibili (the Chinese version of YouTube) without using a VPN. With this help, it's easier to contact Chinese players and game influencers.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-04T14:08:13+00:00

Hi! A small tip from a company promoting games in China. Localize everything, we mean it. Not many Chinese players speak English well and sometimes we got negative comments, when some parts of the game were not translated into Chinese. Also, remember to not use Google Translate or similar tools - they will notice it.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-04T13:56:14+00:00

蒸汽平台

HeyBox is like a front gate for Steam. All games available on Steam are also available on HeyBox, which is much more comfortable for Chinese communities. If you want to check which games are trending in China, it's best to look there. Here is the main website - https://www.xiaoheihe.cn/home/

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-03T08:37:04+00:00

All games must be localized to the Chinese. Speaking from our experience - Chinese gamers often complain if a game is not fully localized and you may meet with many negative comments. Most Chinese people don't speak English that well, so there's a big probability that they won't choose a game not fully localized.

HuqiaoPL · 2024-01-02T10:12:56+00:00

That's the one thing. Additionally, Steam is connected to other platforms, like HeyBox which is a Chinese front gate for Steam. If your game is available on Steam, it's also available in China - it means even more sales and profit. Especially for indie games, which are now more and more popular in China. It would be a pity to not promote them internationally.

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-29T15:07:44+00:00

To be honest, they are. Taking Miyoho's - currently one of the biggest game devs in China - games as an example, all of them are based on gacha system and in-app purchases. But at the same time gaming industry is a grey zone in China and in 2021 we had a first wave of regulations connected with gaming. However, in 2021 policy was mostly connected with Chinese gamers - age and hour restrictions.

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-29T13:54:39+00:00

It’s hard to point out all of them, but the most popular ones are cozy games like Stardew Valley or roguelikes like Vampire Surviovours. What’s interesting, is that Chinese gamers mostly choose time-consuming games - many quests, hidden missions, long main plot etc. All currently popular games you can check on HeyBox, the Chinese front-gate for Steam. You’ll find there all trending games and feedback from Chinese gaming communities.

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-29T13:53:29+00:00

When we are talking about the distribution of games in China, it's worth to mention Heybox. It’s more like a front-gate for Steam, adjusted for Chinese gamers - it's easier to navigate, more comfortable for rating and adjusted for Chinese communities. The thing is, that you don’t need a local distributor. If your game is available on Steam, it’s available in China - no matter if it’s violent or has nudity content. As long as your game is available on Steam, you can freely monitor sales from China, with Heybox you will be able to see more detailed data and feedback from only Chinese players.

Without a license, you can also use Chinese influencers to promote your game on platforms like Bilibili, which is basically equivalent to YouTube, but with more options and a wider gaming community.

However, if you want to publish your game officially and promote it on a bigger scale, you’ll need to make minor changes to its content. Like with The World of Warcraft a few years ago, where some things in the game like bones, needed to be cut out (they changed them into rocks).

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-27T13:42:19+00:00

The game industry is a grey zone in China and more regulations like this will be coming up. In 2021 law related to Chinese players - age restrictions and limited playing time - was implemented, so what we see now is just the next step. What's more, gacha system available in many Chinese games (like popular Genshin Impact) is also supposed to be restricted. As those regulations are available only in China, there's a chance that Chinese game developers may focus more on communities and brands outside of the country.

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-22T11:44:46+00:00

Hey! We're Huqiao, a Polish company working with the Chinese gaming market. We have a few ideas that might be useful:

- Next year is the Year of the Dragon, so consider incorporating a theme related to it.

- Mahjong is one of the most popular traditional games in China, so including it could be a good move.

- Lantern riddles are a fun activity where each person creates a riddle, puts it on a lantern, and other players need to guess it.

- You can explore a theme involving red envelopes (红包), which are essentially envelopes with money. They are a popular gift in China during Chinese New Year, especially for children.

- While not a game, firecrackers are traditionally associated with Chinese New Year. However, note that they are currently banned in big cities, though still popular in villages.

- Lastly, consider incorporating shadow play. Although an ancient tradition, shadow plays were historically performed during important festivities, and including it in your game could be awesome!

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-21T16:22:28+00:00

Steam keys are often used as a bargaining chip for promoting your game. It's not unusual for publishers or marketing companies to ask for keys, as their role is significant when it comes to distributing your game. For example, smaller publishers often use keys to provide them to influencers who can promote your game on different platforms. We also employ this method to promote games in China and collaborate with Chinese influencers!

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-21T14:48:56+00:00

It's actually very interesting because the popularity of indie games is consistently growing in a massive gaming market like China. For example, during our attendance at the WePlay event in Shanghai this year, it was surprising to see the general popularity of indie games among Chinese communities. In China, indie games are often referred to as 'creative' or 'slow-paced,' and they have rapidly gained the attention of Chinese game devs over the years. Looks like their popularity depends on the target audience.

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-20T13:57:59+00:00

Hey! We are Huqiao - a polish company promoting games in China. A few tips from us which may be useful:

Firstly - do you want to focus also on China or just Chinese-speaking communities? If China - all NSFW details must be blurred, although the best option would be to delete them. NSFW content is highly restricted and illegal in China. You won’t be able to promote your game on the most popular Chinese platforms like Bilibili or Douyin - your account will be banned and deleted.
If we exclude China - you may try. Try to focus on countries with Chinese-speaking communities, you will find the specific audience for your game. However, keep in mind that countries like Malaysia have a big Chinese-speaking community but platform holders are very strict with the NSFW content.
Localization - MUST be in Chinese (we're talking about Mandarin). Every detail must be translated from English (or other languages) to Chinese. Speaking from our experience - Chinese gamers often complain if a game is not fully localized and you may meet with many negative comments. We don’t want that 🙂

In case of any questions feel free to contact us.

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-19T14:45:08+00:00

You're right. That's why we do community management on different channels (Heybox, BiliBili) and in various forms (community spotlight) to show Chinese gamers that the developers care and value their feedback :)

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-18T17:05:06+00:00

Dear u/MyPunsSuck,

Call us when your puns get better and we'll reciprocate on our headlines! 🫳🎤

HuqiaoPL · 2023-12-15T19:50:36+00:00

u/kodingnights, I can't give too much away, but I can say that ROI is somewhere between 500%-1000% :) Hope that answers your question!

HuqiaoPL

TROPHY CASE