Strolling through Gamescom, you’ll quickly notice that the most eye‑catching booths belong to household names—Capcom, Xbox, Sega, EA, Ubisoft, and the like. Yet this year a sizable portion of Halls 6 and 7 is dominated by a company most attendees probably haven’t heard of: 4Divinity. "It’s massive by any standard," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the publisher’s Gamescom footprint. The firm is presenting six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of them featured in trailer showcases, and four games on the public showfloor across two separate stands.
The larger of those stands covers roughly 800 square metres. Doust adds that the scale isn’t limited to square footage; the company has hired one of the premier booth builders at the fair and spared no expense in creating an immersive experience. One of the showcased experiences, the 1980s‑inspired RPG "Showa American Story," includes a full‑scale recreation of the Hollywood Hills—rebranded as the Neo‑Yokohama Hills in the game’s alternate timeline where Japan governs the United States. "We built a seven‑metre‑high Golden Gate Bridge adorned with Japanese lanterns, and a diner you can walk into to start playing.
It’s all very experiential," Doust explains. When pressed about the cost, Doust declines to give an exact figure, calling it "crass," but confirms that the investment runs into the millions of dollars. "That level of spending shows how seriously we’re taking the Western market—a commitment not every Chinese‑owned company makes or knows how to execute," he says. The reason this publisher can afford such a splash is its parent group, Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, which owns a range of businesses, including a jewelry brand that mimics diamonds.
GCL’s core has historically been physical game distribution through a company called Epicsoft, a business that has operated for nearly two decades. While physical media is declining—especially after Sony’s recent moves—GCL still maintains the operation as long as discs are viable, but it recognises the need to pivot toward digital. 4Divinity was founded in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring their games to Southeast Asia. Doust notes that finding a Western title that resonates strongly in China is challenging; the firm succeeded with Atomic Heart, which performed well in the Chinese market, and later with Stalker 2.
However, those successes were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine for a Nasdaq‑listed company. Consequently, 4Divinity shifted its focus to global publishing of Chinese‑made games.
By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the company had already signed a handful of titles, including the ambitious Showa American Story. Today the portfolio has expanded to eight games slated for release over the next two years, marking a rapid growth phase.
All of the titles share common traits: they are primarily single‑player experiences lasting 15–20 hours, priced in the mid‑tier range. This wasn’t a pre‑planned formula but rather an organic strategy aimed at the “squeezed middle” of the market—a segment also being targeted by US‑based ProbablyMonsters.
Doust believes this is exactly what many gamers want today: they lack the time for 200‑hour live‑service games, and while $80‑plus AAA titles are reserved for a few blockbuster franchises, players are willing to spend $40–$50 on a high‑quality single‑player adventure. Developing such games costs between $5 million and $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West. With additional operating expenses, a title typically needs to sell around a million copies just to break even—a daunting target given the current discoverability challenges. 4Divinity’s approach also differs in its commitment to new intellectual property.
Every game on display at Gamescom is a fresh IP, many of which are debuting in the West for the first time. Larger publishers tend to avoid betting on untested IPs, especially as AAA development becomes increasingly risk‑averse and franchise‑driven.
By contrast, 4Divinity is willing to showcase multiple brand‑new titles simultaneously. The turning point for the company, according to Doust, was the handling of Black Myth: Wukong.
GCL managed the game’s physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as publisher in Taiwan. Because Game Science, the Chinese developer, lacked the infrastructure to distribute globally, 4Divinity stepped in from its Singapore hub. Wukong’s triumph highlighted a broader opportunity.
After China lifted its console ban in 2016, many Chinese developers who had been working abroad returned home and formed console‑focused studios. Wukong was among the first to break out, and more are following. Development costs in China are considerably lower; a tax filing suggests Wukong’s budget exceeded 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million), yet the game reportedly sold 30 million copies, delivering substantial profit. Doust points out that Chinese players are highly price‑sensitive, which shapes 4Divinity’s pricing strategy.
He argues that while major Western publishers have retreated from this niche due to financial risk, consumer appetite for affordable, story‑driven experiences remains strong, creating a “massive drought of supply.” His mission is to bridge Western demand for fresh, reasonably priced experiences with the supply side that Chinese developers can provide. "When I started working with Jacky Choo, GCL’s chairman, I asked whether we could find common themes between East and West. It turned out to be simpler than expected—values like loyalty, revenge, defiance resonate everywhere.
We market the same game with different cultural lenses," Doust explains. Even without an active marketing push, games tend to cross borders. Doust calls this the "do‑nothing" model: the publisher markets primarily in China, and a ripple effect generates sales abroad, typically an 80/20 split.
Wukong, for example, sold roughly 20 million copies in China and 3–4 million elsewhere. 4Divinity hopes to shift that ratio toward a 60/40 balance, which would dramatically increase unit sales. Doust muses that if Wukong had achieved such a split, it could have become the best‑selling game of all time relative to its development cost—a tantalising prospect. The company is also experimenting with the reverse flow—introducing Western titles to Chinese audiences.
Its only non‑Chinese game in the pipeline, Guns of Eschaton, comes from a Cyprus‑based studio founded by a former Wargaming employee. After announcing the game, 4Divinity took it to Bilibili World, a massive anime and pop‑culture convention in Shanghai, a move no other Western publisher has made at such an early stage.
The early exposure made China the second‑largest wishlist market for the title, behind the United States. Thus, the massive Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑direction strategy.
The games will appear in Cologne shortly after a showcase at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, allowing 4Divinity to generate simultaneous buzz in both markets rather than playing catch‑up after a Chinese hit has already peaked. Gamescom also serves as the publisher’s Western debut party. While individual game campaigns continue, the trade show offers a single platform to amplify the entire portfolio and the brand itself.
"If this is a 4Divinity portfolio push, why not go big?" Doust concludes, underscoring the company’s belief that a bold, unified showcase can accelerate its cross‑border ambitions.