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. This year, however, a sizeable portion of Halls 6 and 7 is dominated by a company most attendees probably haven’t heard of: 4Divinity. "By any measure it’s massive," 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 which will appear in the associated trailer showcases, and four will be displayed on the public show floor across two separate stands.
The larger of those stands occupies roughly 800 square metres. Doust stresses that the scale isn’t limited to square footage; the company has also spared no expense on the visual spectacle. "We hired one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and left no stone unturned," he explains. One of the highlighted experiences, the 80s‑inspired RPG "Showa American Story," features a meticulously recreated Hollywood Hills set that, within the game’s alternate timeline, has been renamed Neo Yokohama Hills after a Japan‑ruled United States.
"We built a seven‑metre‑tall Golden Gate Bridge adorned with Japanese lanterns, and a fully functional diner that visitors can walk into to try the game. It’s all about immersion," Doust adds. When pressed about the cost, Doust declines to give a precise figure, calling it "crass" to do so, but confirms that the investment runs into the millions.
"The size of our footprint alone shows the level of commitment. It signals how seriously we’re taking the Western market – something not every Chinese‑based publisher is prepared to do." The reason this relatively unknown firm can afford such a splash is its backing by Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a diversified group that also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery business.
GCL’s core revenue historically came from physical distribution through Epicsoft, a company that has been operating for nearly two decades. While physical media sales are declining – especially after recent Sony announcements – GCL continues the business as long as discs remain viable, yet acknowledges the need to pivot toward digital.
4Divinity emerged in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring games to Southeast Asia. Doust notes that finding a Western title that resonates strongly in China is difficult.
Their breakthrough came with "Atomic Heart," which performed exceptionally well in the Chinese market, followed by a similar success with "Stalker 2." However, those were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine for a Nasdaq‑listed parent company. "From a growth perspective we needed a truly global publishing model," Doust says. Consequently, 4Divinity began acquiring Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the company had already signed a handful of titles, including a few 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 expansion phase.
All of the announced titles share common traits: they are primarily single‑player experiences, lasting 15‑20 hours, and priced in the mid‑tier range. This focus was not pre‑planned but evolved into a coherent strategy aimed at the "squeezed middle" of the market – a segment also being explored by US studio ProbablyMonsters. Doust believes this is where player demand currently lies.
"People don’t have the time or desire to invest 200 hours into a live‑service game. The $80 AAA titles are reserved for a few blockbuster franchises.
But many gamers are willing to spend $40‑$50 for a polished single‑player adventure." Developing such games is costly, ranging from $5 million to $20 million per title, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West. To break even, a game typically needs to sell around a million copies – a challenging target given today’s discoverability hurdles. 4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its emphasis on new intellectual property. "Everything you’ll see at Gamescom is brand‑new IP.
Even in China, these are fresh concepts, and in the West they’re completely unknown," Doust explains. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, favoring established franchises because development costs have ballooned. Only a few emerging Chinese studios are willing to gamble on original IP.
The catalyst for 4Divinity’s global pivot, according to Doust, was the success of "Black Myth: Wukong." GCL handled the game’s physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as publisher in Taiwan. Because the developer, Game Science, is a Chinese company, it lacked the infrastructure to manage global logistics, which 4Divinity provided from its Singapore base. 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 started console and PC studios. "Black Myth: Wukong was one of the first successes, and now there are many more," Doust says. The development cost, according to a Chinese tax filing, was roughly 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million), yet the game sold 30 million copies, delivering a substantial profit margin. Cost efficiencies in China are notable – development is cheaper and Chinese gamers are highly price‑sensitive.
This reality shaped 4Divinity’s regional strategy and, Doust argues, makes it easier to test these games in Western markets where major publishers have largely retreated from mid‑budget single‑player projects. "There’s a massive drought of supply for this type of game," he observes.
Doust’s mission is to bridge Western appetite for affordable, high‑quality experiences with the supply chain of Chinese developers. "My thesis, when I started working with Jacky Choo, GCL’s chairman, was to find common themes between East and West – loyalty, trust, defiance, revenge – and market the same game with different messaging for each region. No one has done this effectively yet." Even without a dedicated cross‑border push, games tend to travel organically.
Doust calls this the "do‑nothing" business model: market primarily in China, let a ripple effect reach the West, resulting in an 80/20 sales split. "Wukong sold 20 million copies in China and about three‑four million elsewhere – that’s the classic 80/20 pattern," he notes. He hopes 4Divinity can improve that ratio to 60/40 through deliberate marketing efforts, which would dramatically increase total unit sales. The publisher is pursuing a two‑way Silk Road strategy – east‑to‑west and west‑to‑east.
Currently, its only non‑Chinese title is "Guns Of Eschaton," developed by Eschatology Entertainment, a new studio founded in Cyprus by a former World of Tanks developer. The marketing launch began in China at Bilibili World, a massive anime and pop‑culture expo in Shanghai, a move rarely seen from Western studios.
That early exposure helped make China the second‑largest wishlist market for the game after the United States. 4Divinity’s massive Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market approach.
The company is rolling out its titles in Cologne shortly after showcasing them at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, aiming to generate simultaneous buzz in both regions rather than chasing a delayed Western wave after Chinese success. Beyond individual game promotion, Gamescom serves as 4Divinity’s western debut party.
While the firm does run game‑by‑game campaigns, the trade show allows it to consolidate all its efforts into a single, high‑impact event. "We haven’t done much in the West yet, so this is our chance to make some noise," Doust says. "If we’re using Gamescom as a portfolio launch, why not go all‑in?"