How China won and the West lost 2024 in gaming.

Easy to read what went on in 2024, China rocked, Japan was mid, and the West flopped.

While Japan had some well received games, the sales did not match the acclaim, and their market is a mess. The West did abysmal with layoffs, the fall of Ubisoft, and those live service failures.

Meanwhile China had the most successful single player game release in Black Myth Wukong, and FIVE live service hits, three came in December; Zenless Zone Zero, Wuthering Waves, Marvel Rivals, Infinity Nikki, and Where Winds Meet. Tencent (who have Riot and Grinding Gear Games), NetEase, and MiHoYo are in strong positions. Their industry is doing well while everyone else is mostly in recession. Why?

Because they can make good games cheap, their culture is very strong, and they actually listen to what players are telling them when it comes to live service games unlike the West. The only thing stopping China right now from a complete breakout is their government (which put their industry in a dark age in 2021). Meanwhile in the West, you have overbudgeting, poor management, terrible ideas and culture, not listening to gamers, etc.

And with many more games coming in 2025, China stays in a strong position.

Cheap? Genshin is the most expensive game ever made

Anyway congrats

Black Myth Wukong only cost $40-50 million.

Genshin's updates are rising the overall cost of the game.

@texasgoldrush: Too bad they couldn't have done it in a less expensive way. One of the odd things was making people basically redownload the entire game whenever it needs to update, and also storing all of the earlier versions. This makes the game grow bigger and bigger, and be more annoying to update. That sounds wasteful for no reason.

But they are an exception, not the rule.

@texasgoldrush: Any idea why nobody ever bothered localizing and marketing earlier Chinese-developed games? That seems like a missed opportunity. I wonder why they only bothered trying more recently?

I don't play Chinese games (nothing against them, I just haven't), so how did they win in games for me?🤔

They should absolutely release the Sword and Fairy and Xuan Yuan Sword games. They did release Xuan Yuan Sword 3 in English (the localization was pretty bad).

@texasgoldrush: It doesn't sound like they made such a big effort. Maybe they weren't that serious about targeting the west with their games.

XYS 7 was better localized. And really Xuan Yuan Sword is from Taiwan, not mainland China.

Because they are not massively laying off their employees or are in recession.

@texasgoldrush: Is that it? Gaming has been a market in the west for over 40 years...

So a few companies that has massive layoffs is a representation of the entire industry?🤔

The entire industry is having layoffs.

@texasgoldrush: my guess is that you are Chinese because you spend 100% of your time trying to promote china.

In which case your user name is really misleading.

You should post in weibo and swim in the Chinese nationalism and han racial supremacy that defines modern Chinese culture.

No, I just like some of their games, and I am detesting the Western industry right now and its games journalism. But facts are facts, China is doing well while the rest of the world's gaming industry struggles.

Notice I said their government was an obstacle? The biggest threat to their industry is misguided thinking from the CPC.

@texasgoldrush: I think you are not being honest, I have even seen you engage in pro china political talk that wasn't even remotely related to games .

Knew it.

@texasgoldrush: Where can I find out about all the important milestones in Chinese gaming like the first Chinese game console, top 10 games each year, popular gaming magazines, famous Chinese developers, important innovations in gaming, etc?

What part?

It is no secret that since Deng, China (as well as Vietnam with Doi Moi) has had the fastest development in human history the last couple decades. Or that their economy is so damn resilient they have conditions right now that puts everyone else in recession and they still grow. Or how the rapidly decreased the gap in tech or even surpassed the US in areas of tech.

Do I like China's censorship, human right abuses, etc? No. But you cannot ignore their capabilities and strengths. And Americans are finding that out on Red Note (which I will not be on).

Meanwhile, the West and their media also have their problems, their propaganda. While the Chinese government has their propaganda, so does the West. Their reporting on Venezuela is so bad, I have a hard time taking them seriously.

Here is the thing. China was well behind (and gaming was mostly in Taiwan) in the 90's and 2000's. They had a few hits like the first Sword and Fairy, but like their country, the Chinese game industry is growing fast.

China does get credit for the first truly successful live action game adaptation, of that game I just mentioned above. And before Nirgal cries Han supremacy, the story revolves around the Miao people.

Bring in the Xi Jinping Winnie the Pooh onesies and CCP flags so the OP feels at home.

Seriously someone here should look into the OP and his Chinese propaganda as he's pouring it on strong.

China continues to impress me

Don't really like Xi Jinping. Try again.

@miquella: Wuchang Fallen Feathers

You don't like him, you love him. You try again.

With ultra crappy live service games? I don't care what makes the most money, I prefer games that aren't shit.

Marvel Rivals eating Overwatch's lunch is funny though.

@texasgoldrush: It didn't impress me as much as Phantom Blade, maybe there have been too many Souls-likes in the past years.

It is getting pretty positive reception in it's previews.

Does look like Bloodborne, but it's leveling system is more like Black Myth Wukong.

Been saying for a while China will win.

1. It's government isn't full of low IQ's

2. It's people are of higher education (studies have factually proved this)

3. Chinese people work harder

4. They make good looking female characters with big milkers

You'll all be talking Mandarin by 2070.

SW’s Resident China propagandist is back again lol

@uninspiredcup: I have already taken mandarin decades ago, it made me hate their government and system with fury.

It's also the reason I don't consume any Chinese media, including games.

Precisely.

China will rise because America is a nation of morons getting dumber by the day. That is what the Chinese are betting on, that the US will destroy themselves and it isn't a bad bet. They already have a high speed rail throughout the country while the US doesn't.

Hell, America is so dumb, their favorite sport gives players brain damage.

America's system of oligarchy isn't great either, nevermind it's brain drain, hypocrisy, and grand standing.

Americans can't go by one day without saying how great they are.

From what i've heard America is just Canada if it was worse, but thought it was better because they are very arrogant and don't even have health care.

I do like some Chinese games, but come on... I think people need to realize that no matter the region, you can find games that you like. You can find entertainment that you like.

@uninspiredcup: Time to move to Canada then.

@uninspiredcup: Good God no. Canada is a shithole atm. People are genuinely struggling to get doctors, and if you dare go to an emergency room, it's packed with 10+hr wait times for an overstressed doctor that just prescribes shit and kicks you out (genuinely had one do that when I was puking blood).

Due South was good.

The Chinese gaming industry has been on fire lately. I don't see as many comments of people not wanting to play a Chinese game because they automatically see it as Spyware as much anymore. People seem even excited now because it is Chinese. Black Myth Wukong definitely did a lot of good in giving China soft power.

Chinese electronic brands are also on the rise. China might be the new Japan in a couple of years when it comes to electronics and video games.

Yeah, it's been interesting to see some breakout hits coming from China. Korea too. Kind of surprised it hasn't happened sooner considering how big gaming is in both those countries. But I'll take it. Don't care where a games come from, just want to play stuff that's fun.

Don't disagree with this and I don't like China at all.

AAA Gaming industry in the West is full of a bunch of lefty woke wanna be Hollywood Sock Cuckers and the games reflect it. When it comes to video games the West needs to get thier shit together.

It's going to be hard for developers in the West to compete with China especially for upcoming live service games. They have massive teams that work 72 hours a week. Marvel Rivals released more content in a month then Overwatch did in a year. While are developers are bitching about crunch and harassment they just keep working.

I'm happy to live in a world where gaming and game development is a worldwide effort and no one country "wins" at gaming, but the entire world wins, especially as AAA abominations lose the market to independent and small-scale developers and we get better games as a result.

A rising tide lifts all ships 😀

@elderlord99: yes, it's the 996 culture. Developers in china if they are good earn about 30000 yuan a month, which is about 4000 usd, but those are the really top guys. And that includes constant unpaid overtime.

Usually 5 days total yearly holidays, working most weekends, start at 9am finish at 9pm and pulling quite a few all nighters.

It's very hard to compete with someone willing to ruin his own life and health.

It's good to see them finally having some relevance in Western markets, but I think you might be overblowing it.

They had a couple of hits. Very popular, derivative games that aren't likely to steer the industry one way or another. People won't be flocking to make Wukong-likes, and hero shooters and gatcha games are a dime a dozen.

2024 was also an unusually slow year. If they'd tried going head to head with any major developer this year (like a mainline Zelda or Souls game), i don't think they'd have done quite as well.

But yeah, give is a few years. You'll know they've made it once it stops being a novelty that Chinese games are great - similar to how Poland was in the late 00s.

No, they are killing competition.

Marvel Rivals is eating on Overwatch 2. Genshin Impact basically is breaking the traditional MMO. China is dominating Japan in the gacha market. Then you have Path of Exile 2 while New Zealand made, the studio is owned by Tencent.

Where Winds Meet may very well challenge AC and Ghosts.. Phantom Blade Zero and Wucheng have positive previews, etc.

While they won't dominate the Western market overall (like they did in 2024), they are now a force to be reckoned with.

The OP is definitely Chinese, or at worst a Chinese sympathiser.

1) no, their paranoid freaks.

2) higher education? what just Chinese education pfft.

3) Correction, Chinese children work harder in those American clothing factories 🤣

4) They do? so total fiction when compared to their own race.

Nah, everyone here will be either dead or have severe Dementia.

@last_lap: love that you try to defend the US while at the same time managing to prove uninspiredcups point! The irony is freaking hilarious!