Why an Obscure Publisher Is Investing Millions in Its Gamescom Showcase

Walking the bustling aisles of Gamescom, you’ll instantly recognize the massive booths that belong to household names—Capcom, Xbox, Sega, EA, Ubisoft, and the like. This year, however, a substantial portion of Halls 6 and 7 is occupied by a company most attendees probably haven’t heard of before: 4Divinity. "It’s enormous by any standard," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the publisher’s Gamescom footprint. The company is presenting six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of which will appear in dedicated trailer showcases, while four games will be displayed on the public showfloor across two separate stands.

The larger of those stands covers roughly 800 square metres. But the scale isn’t limited to square footage; the spectacle is equally ambitious.

"We’ve hired one of the best booth builders at Gamescom and spared no expense," Doust adds. One of the most eye‑catching installations is for the 1980s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*. The set recreates a Hollywood‑hillscape that, in the game’s alternate timeline, has been renamed Neo Yokohama Hills after a fictional Japanese‑ruled United States.

"We built a seven‑metre‑high Golden Gate Bridge adorned with Japanese lanterns, and a fully stocked diner that visitors can walk through while playing the game. It’s all about creating an immersive, experiential environment," Doust explains.

When pressed about the cost, Doust declines to give an exact figure, calling it "crass" to disclose, but he confirms that the investment runs into the millions. "The sheer size of our footprint shows the level of money we’re putting in. It signals how seriously we’re treating the Western market—something not every Chinese‑based publisher is willing or able to do." The reason many have never heard of 4Divinity lies in its corporate lineage.

The publisher is part of Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a conglomerate that also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery brand. GCL’s origins trace back to a physical‑distribution business called Epicsoft, which has operated for nearly two decades.

While physical disc distribution remains a component of the group’s revenue—"as long as Sony continues to support discs, we’ll keep it"—Doult acknowledges that the model is in decline and that the group needs a stronger digital focus. Enter 4Divinity, launched in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring their games to Southeast Asia.

Doust notes that finding a Western title that resonates in China is exceptionally challenging. The company succeeded with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, and later with *Stalker 2*. However, those successes were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine.

For a Nasdaq‑listed parent like GCL, a broader, global publishing strategy became essential. 4Divinity therefore began acquiring Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the company already had a handful of titles, including smaller indie projects and 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 characteristics: they are primarily single‑player experiences lasting 15–20 hours, priced in the mid‑tier range. This focus on the “squeezed middle” of the market mirrors a strategy pursued by U.S. firm ProbablyMonsters.

Doust argues that today’s gamers often lack the time for 200‑hour live‑service games, yet are willing to spend $40‑$50 on a well‑crafted single‑player adventure. Developing such games is costly—typically $5‑$20 million per title—whether in China or the West.

To break even, a game must sell roughly a million copies, a target that is increasingly hard to achieve given discoverability challenges. This reality pushes 4Divinity toward the AA segment, where development budgets are lower but quality can still compete.

Another differentiator is the emphasis on brand‑new IP. Doult points out that every game on display at Gamescom is a fresh intellectual property, especially for Western audiences. Larger publishers are reluctant to gamble on multiple new IPs simultaneously, preferring the safety of established franchises. In contrast, 4Divinity is betting on the creative output of Chinese studios, which can produce games at a fraction of Western development costs.

The catalyst for the publisher’s strategic pivot was *Black Myth: Wukong*. GCL handled the game’s physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as the publisher in Taiwan.

Because the developer, Game Science, is a Chinese studio, it lacked the infrastructure to manage global logistics, creating an opening for 4Divinity. The success of *Wukong* demonstrated the commercial potential of Chinese‑made titles on the world stage. Since China lifted its console ban in 2016, many Chinese developers who had been working abroad have returned home, forming new console and PC studios.

*Wukong* was among the first to break out, and its performance—reportedly over 30 million copies sold—proved that Chinese games could achieve blockbuster sales. Development costs for *Wukong* were estimated at around 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million), yet the revenue far outstripped that figure, highlighting the cost advantage of Chinese production. Doult believes that Chinese developers are uniquely positioned to deliver high‑quality experiences at lower price points, catering to a price‑sensitive audience. This creates a supply gap in the global market, where many major publishers have retreated from mid‑budget single‑player games for financial reasons, but player demand remains.

His mission is to bridge Western demand for affordable, compelling experiences with the supply chain of Chinese studios. "When I started working with Jacky Choo, the GCL chairman, I asked: what common themes can we find between East and West? Loyalty, revenge, defiance—these are universal. We market the same game with different messaging tailored to each region," Doult explains, noting that few have executed this cross‑cultural approach effectively.

In practice, 4Divinity often adopts a “do‑nothing” model: they market a game primarily in China, and a ripple effect generates modest sales in the West, typically an 80/20 split. *Wukong* sold about 20 million copies in China and 3‑4 million elsewhere, exemplifying this pattern.

The company now aims for a 60/40 balance, believing that a more even split could dramatically increase total unit sales and potentially produce one of the best‑selling games of all time relative to its development budget. The publisher is also experimenting with reverse promotion—introducing Western‑made titles to Chinese audiences early. For example, after announcing *Guns of Eschaton* (developed by Cyprus‑based Eschatology Entertainment), 4Divinity debuted the game at Bilibili World, a massive Shanghai anime and pop‑culture expo, a move no Western publisher typically makes at such an early stage.

The early exposure helped make China the second‑largest wishlist market for the game after the United States. Thus, the massive Gamescom presence mirrors 4Divinity’s dual‑market strategy. Their titles will appear in Cologne shortly after a showcase at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, ensuring simultaneous momentum in both regions rather than chasing a delayed Western breakout after Chinese success. Gamescom serves as the Western “coming‑out party,” allowing the company to consolidate multiple campaigns into a single, high‑impact event.

As Doult puts it, "If we’re using Gamescom to introduce our portfolio and ourselves to the West, why not go big?"