Chinese games accelerate global expansion as ChinaJoy closes with record attendance

China's game industry is accelerating its overseas expansion, demonstrating vigorous growth and aiming to achieve annual revenues of up to US$20 billion. This promising trend was a key highlight at ChinaJoy 2025, Asia's biggest digital entertainment fair, which concluded in Shanghai today.

ChinaJoy, officially known as the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, also served as a vital platform for service providers to assist Chinese game firms in their global outreach.

A game's success hinges on compelling narrative content, gameplay innovation, deep cultural and emotional connections and strong community interaction. Chinese developers have excelled at creating globally appealing narratives by deeply exploring local culture and fusing it with a global perspective.

A prime example is the Shanghai-developed "Genshin Impact." The blockbuster has consistently topped global trending game lists for several consecutive years, lauded for its stunning visuals and rich cultural content, according to X (formerly Twitter).

X released a report at ChinaJoy, projecting that Chinese game export revenue will soon hit US$20 billion annually, a leap from the over US$15 billion achieved in 2019. The online social media platform showcased its promotional and data analysis services designed to support these gaming firms.

Yandex, a major Russian technology company, also had a prominent booth in ChinaJoy's Business-to-Business zone. Its report, released at the Shanghai event, revealed that Russia ranks fifth globally in mobile game downloads, and the country's online advertising market reached US$13.4 billion in 2024, marking a remarkable 53 percent year-over-year increase.

"Russian users are more rational and deliver steadier conversion, while the market offers a new multi-platform ecosystem with a variety of options that offer real growth potential for Chinese game developers looking to expand abroad," stated Sergey Ustinov, Yandex Ads APAC General Manager.

To further facilitate this trend, a special government-backed Game Outreach Research and Service Center was formally established during the event.

ChinaJoy 2025 saw a record 410,300 visits, up 11.8 percent from a year ago and a record in its 22-year history. Among the visitors, 61 percent came from out of Shanghai, including 14,700 overseas travellers.

Organizers estimate that the four-day event generated approximately 661 million yuan (US$91 million) in consumption across catering, retail, accommodation, transportation and other service sectors, primarily benefiting business and commercial regions in the Pudong New Area.

This highlights the growing trend of the gaming industry fueling the offline economy through tourism and cultural consumption.