Walking through Gamescom, the massive, eye‑catching booths are usually associated with household names—Capcom, Xbox, Sega, EA, Ubisoft, and the like. This year, however, a sizeable portion of Halls 6 and 7 is dominated by a brand most visitors will not recognize: 4Divinity.
"By any measure, it’s huge," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK operation, describing the company’s Gamescom footprint. The publisher is presenting six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of which will also appear in the trailer showcases, and four games will be displayed on the public floor across two separate stands. The larger of those stands occupies roughly 800 square metres. 4Divinity isn’t just betting on size; it is also investing heavily in the visual experience.
"We’ve hired one of the best booth‑builders at Gamescom and spared no expense," Doust adds. One of the most striking displays belongs to the 1980s‑style pop‑culture RPG *Showa American Story*.
The set recreates the Hollywood Hills—rebranded as Neo‑Yokohama Hills in the game’s alternate timeline where Japan governs the United States. A seven‑metre‑high Golden Gate Bridge, adorned with Japanese lanterns, spans the scene, and a fully realised diner invites visitors to step inside and try the game. The whole installation is designed to be immersive and experiential. When asked about the cost, Doust declines to give a precise number, calling it “crass,” but confirms that the investment runs into the millions.
"The scale of our footprint alone shows the level of money we’re putting in. It signals how seriously we’re treating the Western market—a stance not all Chinese firms share or even understand." The reason this relatively unknown company can afford such a splash is its corporate backing. 4Divinity is part of Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a conglomerate that also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery business.
GCL’s origins lie in a physical‑distribution venture called Epicsoft, which has been operating for nearly two decades. While the disc‑based model is now under pressure—especially after recent announcements from Sony—GCL still maintains the operation as long as there is demand for physical media, acknowledging that the segment is in decline and that a digital‑first approach is essential for future growth. 4Divinity was launched in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring their titles to Southeast Asia.
Doust explains that finding a Western game that truly resonates in China is challenging. The company succeeded with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, and later replicated that success with *Stalker 2*. However, those titles were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine. As a Nasdaq‑listed entity, GCL needed a more scalable revenue source.
"From a growth perspective we had to become a global publisher," Doust says. The shift meant signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the roster already included a few indie projects and the ambitious *Showa American Story*.
Since then 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 focus on the “squeezed middle” of the market mirrors a strategy pursued by other independent publishers such as the U.S.
firm ProbablyMonsters. Doust believes this segment captures current player sentiment: "People don’t have time for 200‑hour live‑service games. The $80 AAA titles are reserved for a few blockbuster franchises, but many gamers are willing to spend $40‑50 on a high‑quality single‑player adventure." Developing these AA‑level games typically costs between $5 million and $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is based in China or the West.
To break even, a title must sell roughly a million copies—a daunting target given today’s discoverability challenges. 4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its emphasis on new IP.
Every game on display at Gamescom is a fresh property, many of which are debut releases even in China. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, focusing on established franchises rather than betting on untested concepts. This risk aversion has left a gap in the market that 4Divinity aims to fill.
The turning point for the publisher, according to Doust, was the handling of *Black Myth: Wukong*. GCL managed the physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as the Taiwanese publisher.
Because the developer, Game Science, is a Chinese studio, it lacked the infrastructure to handle global logistics, and 4Divinity stepped in from its Singapore base. *Wukong*’s triumph highlighted a broader opportunity. Since China lifted its console ban in 2016, many Chinese developers who had been working abroad returned home, forming new console and PC studios. *Black Myth* was among the first to break out, and more are following.
The game reportedly cost around 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million) to develop and sold 30 million copies, delivering a massive profit margin. Lower development costs in China, combined with price‑sensitive players, shape 4Divinity’s strategy. Doust argues that while major Western publishers have retreated from this segment due to financial risk, consumer demand remains strong, creating a “massive drought of supply.” The publisher’s mission is to bridge Western appetite for affordable, novel experiences with the output of Chinese studios. He explains his personal thesis: "What if we can find universal themes—loyalty, trust, defiance, revenge—that resonate both east and west?
Then we market the same game with different cultural lenses, using the same assets. No one has done this effectively yet." Even without an active marketing push, games tend to cross borders organically. Doust calls this the “do‑nothing” business model: the publisher focuses on Chinese marketing, which creates a ripple effect abroad, typically resulting in an 80/20 sales split (80 % in China, 20 % elsewhere).
*Wukong* followed that pattern, selling 20 million copies in China and about three to four million internationally. The goal for 4Divinity is to shift that balance toward a 60/40 split, which would significantly increase total unit sales. Doust muses that if *Wukong* had achieved such a ratio, it could have become the best‑selling game of all time relative to its development budget.
The company is pursuing a two‑way Silk Road strategy—promoting Chinese games in the West and Western games in China. Its only non‑Chinese title at present is *Guns of Eschaton*, developed by Eschatology Entertainment, a Cyprus‑based studio founded by a former Wargaming employee. The marketing launch began at Bilibili World, a massive anime and pop‑culture expo in Shanghai, a move rare for Western developers.
The early buzz propelled China to become the second‑largest wishlist market for the game, behind the United States. The massive Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market approach.
4Divinity’s titles will appear in Cologne shortly after a showcase at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, allowing the company to generate simultaneous momentum in both regions rather than playing catch‑up after a Chinese hit. Gamescom also serves as the publisher’s western debut party, consolidating multiple game campaigns into one high‑visibility event. Doust concludes, "If we’re using Gamescom to introduce our portfolio and ourselves to the West, why not go big?"