On April 18, 2024, the 2024 Game Enterprise Overseas Development Strategy Forum was held in Beijing, guided by the Publicity and United Front Department of Suzhou Industrial Park and hosted by the Cultural and Creative Industry Recruitment Center of Suzhou Industrial Park. The event was co-hosted by Gamma Data and the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Leaders from the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA) and numerous business representatives gathered to discuss the future global development of the Chinese gaming industry.
Key guests at the forum included Ao Ran, Deputy Secretary-General and Secretary-General of CADPA, Yin Weidong, Deputy Director of the Publicity and United Front Department and Director of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau of Suzhou Industrial Park, Li Ningyi, Head of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Industry Development Division of the Publicity and United Front Department, Jin Jun, Director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Zhang Xinyong, Deputy Dean of the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Ji Hua, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, among others. Representatives from various Chinese game industry companies such as Gamma Data, China Animation Group, Perfect World, Zulong Entertainment, NetDragon, Layabox, VAST, and Xsolla were also in attendance.
In his opening address, Ao Ran stated that according to the “2023 China Game Industry Report,” China’s self-developed games generated overseas sales revenue of $16.37 billion in 2023, marking four consecutive years with sales exceeding 100 billion RMB. He emphasized that despite the increasing challenges and costs of game exports, Chinese game companies have significantly improved their comprehensive competitiveness in technology and product development. Mobile games, in particular, have become a crucial force in global game development and operation. As 2024 unfolds, these efforts signify a new era for the Chinese gaming industry, ready to seize the next wave of rapid growth opportunities.
Professor Zhang Xinyong, Deputy Dean of the School of Design, presented a video message from Dean Hao Ninghui who was unable to attend in person.
Zhang Xinyong highlighted that under the framework of industry-academia integration, the Central Academy of Fine Arts engages students in practical projects and competitions, combining theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience and fostering problem-solving and innovative thinking. The school incorporates industry needs into its curriculum design and teaching content, continuously adjusting and optimizing to ensure that taught knowledge and skills align with industry standards and demands. This collaboration between academia and industry explores a new educational model that better serves societal needs and promotes holistic student growth.
In his speech, Yin Weidong introduced Suzhou Industrial Park, which has been a significant window of China’s reform and opening up for 30 years. Over three decades, the park has contributed 1 trillion RMB in national taxes, 1 trillion RMB in social fixed asset investments, and 1.46 trillion RMB in total imports and exports. It ranks first in the country for openness, economic density, and innovation intensity. Since becoming a national cultural export base in 2021, the park’s cultural exports reached 700 million USD last year.
Yin Weidong emphasized the park’s strong support for the cultural industry, particularly in the digital culture sector, focusing on the development of anime and games, digital entertainment, digital new media, digital performances, and nurturing creative design and esports industries. The park aims to establish centers for game copyright, entertainment performance, film and television production, and cultural and sports consumption, leading Suzhou’s integration with Shanghai and its role in the Yangtze River Delta’s cultural demonstration area.
Wang Xu, Co-founder and Chief Analyst of Gamma Data, shared insights based on the “2023 Global Mobile Game Market Game Enterprise Competitiveness Report.” He discussed the trend of Chinese game exports in 2023, which, despite reaching a plateau, still showed an upward trend. Markets like the US, Japan, and South Korea accounted for nearly 50% of overseas income. Wang Xu also pointed out that foreign mobile game developers are increasingly competing with Chinese companies globally, using South Korea as an example where local and Chinese companies are vying for market share both domestically and abroad.
He emphasized the challenge of talent, particularly the shortage of international talents, especially in high-end technical fields, and the high turnover rate. Establishing a long-term international talent cultivation system is crucial, he suggested.
Associate Professor Wang Liming, convener of the Digital Media Art Program at the School of Design, spoke about the program’s collaborative efforts with enterprises in game design from 2020 to 2024. He outlined reforms since 2015, which established a foundation framework consisting of strategic design, technological design, design thinking, industrial design, and design ethics. Collaborating with enterprises, they developed four modules: talent cultivation, course construction, practical training, and faculty training. Wang Liming hoped that this approach would create a balanced teaching model, incorporating both academic and industry perspectives to provide students with practical industry knowledge.
Wu Shenghe, Executive President of Zulong Entertainment, shared the company’s global expansion. He highlighted that Chinese games not only expanded markets but also enhanced the image of Chinese games and cultural dissemination worldwide. Looking ahead, Wu Shenghe identified “premiumization” and “multi-platform” as key strategies for global integration. He also mentioned AI’s role in the Chinese gaming industry, emphasizing its potential to catalyze creativity and provide equal opportunities for young graduates.
Xia Chenghong, President of Layabox, discussed global game engine development and the opportunities and challenges faced by Chinese engines in overseas markets. He highlighted that mini-games and one-code multi-platform technologies are emerging growth points, presenting unprecedented opportunities for Chinese engines.
Xia Chenghong introduced Layabox’s LayaAir strategy for 2024 in the overseas market, detailing how it supports domestic game globalization through technology and distribution.