Walking through Gamescom, the massive, eye‑catching booths are usually anchored by 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 company most visitors will not recognize: 4Divinity. “It’s gigantic by any measure,” 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 the accompanying trailer showcases, and four titles on the public floor across two separate stands.
The larger of those stands occupies roughly 800 square metres. 4Divinity is not only betting on size but also on spectacle.
“We’ve hired one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and spared no expense,” Doust explains. One of the highlighted experiences, the 80s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*, recreates a Hollywood‑Hills‑like setting that the game re‑brands as Neo Yokohama Hills – an alternate timeline where Japan governs the United States. “We built a seven‑metre‑high Golden Gate Bridge draped with Japanese lanterns, and a fully realised diner that visitors can walk into to try the game. It’s all about immersion,” Doust adds.
When pressed about the cost, Doust refuses to give an exact figure, calling it “crass,” but confirms that the investment runs into the millions. “The scale of our footprint alone shows we’re putting serious money behind our western push – something not every Chinese‑owned publisher is willing or able to do.” The reason this name may be unfamiliar is that 4Divinity is just one piece of a larger Singapore‑based conglomerate, GCL Global Holdings, which also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery business. GCL’s roots lie in physical distribution through a company called Epicsoft, a business that has existed for almost two decades. While disc production remains a component of GCL’s revenue – “as long as Sony continues to support physical media” – Doust acknowledges that the model is in decline and that the group needs a stronger digital focus.
Enter 4Divinity. Launched in 2022, the subsidiary originally acted as a co‑publisher for western developers seeking entry into Southeast Asian markets. Doust notes that finding a western title that truly resonates in China is a rare feat.
Their first success came with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, followed by *Stalker 2*. However, those wins were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine for a Nasdaq‑listed entity.
“From a growth standpoint we needed a global publishing model,” Doust says. The company therefore began signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the roster already included a handful of indie titles 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 expansion phase. All of the titles share common traits: they are primarily single‑player experiences lasting 15‑20 hours, positioned at mid‑tier price points.
This focus on the “squeezed middle” of the market mirrors strategies pursued by other independent publishers such as the U.S. firm ProbablyMonsters. Doust believes this segment captures current player sentiment: “People don’t want to invest 200 hours into a live‑service game.
The $80 AAA titles are reserved for a few blockbusters, but there’s a willingness to spend $40‑$50 on a well‑crafted single‑player adventure.” Developing these AA‑level games typically costs between $5 million and $20 million. “Regardless of whether you’re in China or the West, that’s a substantial outlay,” Doust explains. With additional operating expenses, a title often needs to sell a million copies just to break even – a challenging target given today’s discoverability issues. 4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its emphasis on new IP.
Every title on display at Gamescom is brand‑new, both for Chinese audiences and for western players. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, leaning on established franchises to justify AAA budgets.
By contrast, 4Divinity is willing to gamble on multiple fresh properties, betting that lower development costs in China can offset the risk. 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, leveraging its Singapore base to bridge the gap for the Chinese studio Game Science.
The success of *Wukong* illuminated a broader opportunity: 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. Doust points out that *Wukong* was developed for roughly 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million) and has sold 30 million copies, delivering a massive profit margin. “Development costs are far cheaper in China, and Chinese gamers are highly price‑sensitive,” Doust says.
This dynamic shapes 4Divinity’s regional strategy: use cost‑effective Chinese production to create affordable, high‑quality experiences that can be marketed globally. He argues that while major publishers have retreated from this segment for financial reasons, player appetite for such games remains strong, creating a “massive drought of supply.” Doust’s mission is to link western demand for fresh, reasonably priced experiences with the supply chain that Chinese developers can provide. He describes his guiding principle: “Find universal themes – loyalty, trust, defiance, revenge – and market the same game with different messaging tailored to each region.” He believes few have executed this cross‑cultural branding effectively.
In practice, 4Divinity’s model can be summed up as a “do‑nothing” business in the sense that they primarily market games in China and let a natural ripple effect generate western sales. *Wukong* sold 20 million copies in China and roughly three to four million elsewhere, an 80/20 split. Doust hopes to shift that ratio toward a 60/40 balance, which would dramatically increase total unit sales and potentially elevate a title to best‑selling status relative to its modest development budget.
The company is also testing the reverse flow: promoting western‑origin games in China. Their sole non‑Chinese title, *Guns Of Eschaton*, was developed by Eschatology Entertainment, 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 expo in Shanghai, a move no western publisher typically makes at such an early stage. The early exposure propelled China to become the second‑largest wishlist market for the game, trailing only the United States.
Thus, the colossal Gamescom presence mirrors this bidirectional strategy. 4Divinity’s titles will hit the Cologne floor shortly after debuting at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, allowing simultaneous momentum in both regions rather than a delayed, catch‑up approach. Gamescom serves as the western “coming‑out party,” consolidating multiple campaigns into a single, high‑impact showcase.
As Doust puts it, “If we’re presenting an entire portfolio to the west, why not go big?”