Kevin Lin

My Real Takeaway from Hollow Knight Silksong Working at a Chinese company for 2+ years opened my eyes to how little I, and many of my colleagues and partners, really understood about the enormous market of Chinese gamers. I thought I knew before. I didn’t. Here’s what I’ve learned: On many peak holidays, more than half the MAU on Steam comes from China. The share stays very large the rest of the year. Large Chinese social platforms for casual games reach hundreds of millions of players. As more Chinese students go to college with laptops, the traditional PC player base is only growing larger. The outdated view is that Chinese players are “only mobile” or don’t play the same mainstream games. That is simply not true and has not been true for years and years. In fact, Chinese players are among the most influential communities on Steam. We’ve all seen titles where reviews are driven down by Chinese feedback. Why? Because Chinese players often lack a wide variety of other outlets for broad expression, so Steam becomes one of the clearest channels for direct, honest sentiment where they know developers will hear them. If you’re making a game for China, you need to understand this: Optimization and performance matter deeply. Localization and, sometimes, cultural context are critical. UI / UX must be well considered. Go-to-market strategy and marketing require unique, intricate planning. Failing here has real consequences. In 2025 alone, we’ve seen multiple examples of games stumble simply because developers underestimated the weight and sophistication of Chinese players. Silksong’s recent reviews are just the latest reminder. The takeaway isn’t about one game. It’s about the responsibility we all share as developers, publishers, and partners to respect and plan for the Chinese player base. I hope more of us treat this not as a side note or consideration, but as a central part of building games that can truly reach a global scale. Make China core, not an afterthought, if you want games success. Find experts who can help you achieve this knowledge and execution, if you need assistance.

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Nodwin Gaming, the esports and gaming company backed by Nazara Technologies, JetSynthesys and Krafton, announced that it will no longer operate as a subsidiary of Nazara and will instead become an associate company. The move follows a fresh $10 million infusion by investors, including Nodwin’s founders. Akshat Rathee, co-founder and CEO of Nodwin Gaming, emphasized that the transition should not be seen as a separation from Nazara but rather as an evolution. “The de-subsidiarisation isn’t a separation—it’s an evolution. It reflects mutual trust, shared vision, and a clear path forward,” Rathee said, noting that Nazara remains the largest shareholder and has not sold any shares. #gaming #esports #company #business #mumbai #indianstartupnews

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AnyMind Group has just launched AnyLive for Creators - a program to help creators develop their own AI avatars and earn income passively through live commerce. These AI avatars can stream 24/7 on creators' official channels on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, and deliver content in English and seven other Asian languages, making creators even more borderless. Additionally, brands can work with creators and their AI avatars to host livestreams on the brands' live commerce channels in addition to the creators' official accounts. We've already signed our first creator to this program - Malaysian content creator and entrepreneur, Bella Khann - and talks are underway across APAC to onboard more creators onto AnyLive, including our network of 2,300+ creators. More here: https://lnkd.in/gb3B7_vj

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🇯🇵 Japan Launches Investor-Backed Anime Fund to Reshape Entertainment Financing ◻️Bridging Entertainment & Finance Japan's mega bank, Mizuho, in collaboration with content-focused firm Questory, has announced the launch of "Talent of Talents", a dedicated anime-film funding platform aimed at broadening Japan’s animation production base. This approach seeks to diversify funding sources beyond the traditional production committee model, inviting external investors to participate. ◻️What is the traditional production committee model for Anime film? It is a risk-sharing system where multiple companies—like publishers, broadcasters, merch company, and production studios—jointly invest in a project, each securing rights (e.g. distribution, merch) in return, but often limiting creative control and profit for the actual creators. ◻️Unlocking Global Opportunities With international demand now accounting for roughly 50% of Japan's anime revenue, the fund is designed to enable larger-scale, higher-quality films. By bringing on new financial backers beyond publishing houses, broadcasters, and ad agencies, it hopes to foster more ambitious projects—and support creators more directly. ◻️Structure & Financial Scale Questory leads the creative project selection; Mizuho structures the financial instruments to attract investors. From an initial shortlist of 50 titles, the fund plans to target funding for 2–3 concrete projects. Typical project budgets are projected around ¥700 million (~US$5 million), with Mizuho’s fund underwriting ¥500 million per title. ◻️Transparency & Investor Confidence Past attempts at entertainment investment floundered due to poor transparency around usage of funds and returns. The Talent of Talents fund emphasizes clear, data-driven plans—detailing distribution strategies, theaters, and expected monetization—to give investors confidence in the financial model. (This type of transparecy is needed in the japanese music industry too!) ◻️Long-Term Vision Initially focusing on institutional capital, the team aims to refine and scale the product, eventually opening it to global individual investors who share passion for anime and entertainment. The aim is to create a sustainable, mainstream investment asset class in entertainment. 💡Comment to share your thoughts! What do YOU think the Japanese anime film industry can improve other than this? Source: Mizuho Bank's official website

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Just back from ChinaJoy 2025. It’s no longer just a gaming expo. It’s a proxy for how China is reshaping digital culture, IP economics, and the global tech-industrial stack. At first glance, it’s what you expect: cosplayers, flashy booths, and swarms of Gen Z fans. But beneath that surface, something deeper is unfolding. 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗽.  • 743 exhibitors from 37 countries, with internationally funded firms making up 31.8–31.9% of the total and ~45% in the B2B hall   • Countries like Russia and the Czech Republic exhibited as dedicated groups.  • Shanghai launched a “Game Going Global” guide and new developer conference (CIGDC) aimed at ecosystem-level export. 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 — 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆.  • Tencent shared how their internal tools accelerated game asset creation by up to 40×.  • NetEase showcased dynamic quest systems in titles like Sixteen Sounds of Yanyun, responding to player behavior.  • AI isn’t yet everywhere, but it’s not just a backend tool anymore—it’s edging into player experience design. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿.  • For the first time, ChinaJoy introduced a dedicated Creators’ Zone. Over 100 fan communities reimagined more than 50 IPs via doujin art, handmade merch, and signing events   • This marks a transition from controlling IP to cultivating it alongside the community. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.  • ChinaJoy expanded into 15 Shanghai districts, with themed pop-ups, animation trails, and co-branded retail activations.  • It wasn’t just an exhibition in Shanghai—it was Shanghai itself being remixed by subculture fans. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.  • Major global esports events, including TI and CS:GO Majors, are calling Shanghai home.  • The city has recognized Game Art Design as a university discipline, signaling a policy shift toward nurturing creativity.  • A livestream shopping event tied to the expo generated over ¥35 million in sales—proving experience-driven commerce works. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵? This wasn’t just a product showcase. ChinaJoy 2025 felt like a prototype for how gaming, AI, fandom, and urban experience converge in Asia’s digital future. #AI #ChinaJoy2025 #GameIndustry #Shanghai 🔁 Like, comment, repost, and follow me for more.

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Eggy Party’s From China to Global: The Tweaks That Made It Work We partnered with NetEase Games and Duamentes to break down how very popular game in China, Eggy Party, was adapted for its global launch. 💡The key assumption before release was: ‘What works at home might fall flat abroad’. That’s why, after testing, the team rolled out several strategic changes: 1️⃣ Lowered CPI by adjusting the app icon to better match genre tastes among Western players 2️⃣ Renamed the title from Eggy Go to Eggy Party to align with genre expectations 3️⃣ Boosted retention by reworking the FTUE to make tutorials more friendly and welcoming 4️⃣ Simplified the UI for a cleaner, more intuitive, and premium experience 🏁 Results The global version reached $8.6M in revenue and 455K MAU. Read the full case study to see all the localisation tweaks that made it work below👇

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