Asia's biggest games event ChinaJoy, also known as the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, kicked off in Shanghai on August 1, 2025. Photo: Tao Mingyang/GT

Asia's biggest games event ChinaJoy, also known as the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, kicked off in Shanghai on Friday, as multiple entertainment companies told the Global Times at the expo that having observed the China market's momentum, they are determined to go even further in tapping into the growth opportunities. 

Tatsuo Eguchi, chairman and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (SIE Shanghai), told the Global Times on Friday that the Chinese gaming market is showing positive development trends. He highlighted that the market has shifted from being primarily mobile game-focused to the gradual rise of console games, with an increasing variety of choices for players and more diverse game themes.

As observed by Global Times reporters, SIE Shanghai has dedicated an area at the expo to Chinese national style. The exhibition area offers several games to try, including the upcoming Phantom Blade Zero, Lost Soul Aside and Exiledge and last year's hit Black Myth: Wukong. Each game had long lines of players waiting to try them out.

Regarding the business environment for foreign companies in Shanghai, Eguchi expressed appreciation for the strong support provided by the local government. He particularly mentioned assistance in facilitating cooperation between foreign enterprises and local developers, as well as arranging event venues. "We are grateful for the favorable environment that Shanghai provides for the gaming industry," Eguchi added.

US chip manufacturer Qualcomm China hosted the "Snapdragon Theme Pavilion" for the sixth time at the ChinaJoy, partnering with 75 industry leaders in China, including telecom operators, mobile, PC, and XR device manufacturers, top game studios, game tech companies, publishers, and e-commerce platforms, according to a statement sent to the Global Times.

Aside from a slew of mobile phone equipped with its Snapdragon 8 series chip, Qualcomm China also showcased 15 XR devices powered by the Snapdragon platform, delivering detailed, realistic visuals due to the high bandwidth and strong rendering capabilities of the Snapdragon XR platform. With the deployment of 5G-A 10G networks by China Telecom and ZTE, it enabled ultra-low latency transmission at over 8K resolution, ensuring smooth and clear video in a complex, high-traffic venue, said the statement.

A total of 743 companies registered for this edition of ChinaJoy, 237 of which are foreign companies from 37 countries and regions, including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan and South Korea, according to the organizer. 

Games remain the core segment of this year's ChinaJoy, with leading companies such as Tencent, NetEase and Century Huatong showcasing multiple popular products.

NetEase showcases active games like Where Winds Meet, Identity V, and Naraka: Bladepoint, along with new titles Sea of Remnants and DESTINY, with some available for on-site play. Huawei is releasing its game centers at the expo presenting multiple native mobile games on HarmonyOS, including Tencent's Honor of Kings and Light and Night, Perfect World's Jade Dynasty 2, and EA authorized Plants VS Zombies, among others. For overseas game companies, Blizzard's booth features classics like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch and Diablo, and Bandai Namco is showcasing mobile games Naruto and One Piece.

The 2025 ChinaJoy features a pavilion for toys and models, where global companies showcase their latest action figures from games and anime. Wu Jun, owner of MoshowToys, a mecha figure brand from Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times that he has seen huge growth in the domestic toy market since the beginning of 2025. 

He said that as the domestic market evolves, consumers are becoming more rational, which has seen toy manufacturers shift their focus from aesthetics to creating long-term IPs with cultural depth. "China is transitioning from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China,' with cultural exports and IP development as key goals," he said, adding that he has noticed a trend that with growing interest from Chinese gaming and film companies, toy market activity is boosted, signaling promising future potential.

Photo: Courtesy of Hot Toys

Adrian, a representative from Hot Toys, a toy company based in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region who only provided his first name, told the Global Times at the expo that from the company's perspective, the blind box market is retaining its popularity, with the diversification of IPs being a key trend to watch, driving the development of the global blind box market.

Adrian added that there is still significant growth potential in the domestic market, and this trend is expected to continue positively in the future. Based on the current popularity of the entertainment consumption sector, the company is actively expanding its diverse IPs in order to further enrich the product range, he noted.

In the first half of 2025, China's domestic gaming market established a new record, with actual sales revenue reaching 168 billion yuan ($23.33 billion), up 14.08 percent year-on-year. The number of game players rose to 679 million nationwide, a 0.72-percent increase, also a new high, according to a report on the Chinese gaming industry released during the 22nd China Digital Entertainment Industry Congress on Thursday.

Damian Jaskowski, a Polish gaming industry observer, told the Global Times that he has been closely following the Chinese gaming market and highlighted that China has many excellent games and developers. 

He is full of expectation for the development potential of the Chinese gaming market and, in 2024, participated in writing a Game Developer's Guide to the Chinese Market, aiming to provide valuable information for small-scale game companies worldwide to enter the world's largest gaming market.

Black Myth: Wukong's international influence has energized the Chinese gaming market, Jaskowski said. "With its success, more outstanding Chinese games will have the opportunity to gain global recognition and popularity."

Asia's biggest games event ChinaJoy, also known as the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, kicked off in Shanghai on August 1, 2025. Photo: Tao Mingyang/GT