Walking through Gamescom, the massive, eye‑catching booths are usually attached to household names – Capcom, Xbox, Sega, EA, Ubisoft, and the like. This year, however, a sizable portion of Halls 6 and 7 is dominated by a company most visitors probably won’t recognize: 4Divinity. "It’s huge by any metric," 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 those in dedicated trailer showcases, and four on the public show‑floor across two separate stands. The larger of the two spans roughly 800 square metres. But the scale isn’t limited to square footage; the production value is equally ambitious. "We’ve hired one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and spared no expense," Doust explains.
One of the most striking installations is for the 80s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*. The set recreates 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 draped with Japanese lanterns, and a fully stocked diner that visitors can walk into to try the game.
It’s all about creating an immersive experience," he adds. When asked about the cost, Doust declines to give an exact number, calling it "crass" to do so, but confirms that the investment runs into the millions. "The size of our footprint alone shows we’re committing resources at that level. It signals how seriously we’re taking the Western market – something not all Chinese companies are prepared to do or even understand." The reason this publisher can afford such a lavish presence is that 4Divinity sits under the umbrella of Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a conglomerate that also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery business.
GCL’s roots lie in physical game distribution through Epicsoft, a company that has been moving discs for nearly two decades. While physical distribution remains a part of the group’s revenue, Doust acknowledges the market’s contraction, especially after recent announcements from Sony. "We’ll keep producing discs as long as Sony supports it, but we recognise the trend is downward, so we need a stronger digital focus." Enter 4Divinity, launched in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring titles to Southeast Asia. Doust points out that finding a Western game that truly resonates in China is a rare feat.
The publisher succeeded with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, and later with *Stalker 2*. However, those were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine for a Nasdaq‑listed group. "From a growth perspective we needed a global publishing model," Doust says. The shift meant signing Chinese‑made games for worldwide release.
By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the company already had 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 launch within 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 wasn’t pre‑planned but emerged as a coherent strategy aimed at the "squeezed middle" of the market – a segment that US‑based ProbablyMonsters is also targeting.
"Players today don’t have the time or desire to invest 200 hours in a live‑service game," Doust notes. "The $80 AAA titles are reserved for a few blockbusters, but many gamers are happy to spend $40‑50 on a well‑crafted single‑player adventure." Developing such games is costly, with budgets typically between $5 million and $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West. To break even, a title often needs to sell around a million copies – a daunting target given today’s discoverability challenges.
4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its emphasis on new IP. Every game showcased at Gamescom is a brand‑new property, many of which are debut releases even in China. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, focusing on established franchises because development costs have ballooned. "AAA has become a franchise business; without an existing series you’re unlikely to get funded, except perhaps by some emerging Chinese studios," Doust observes.
The catalyst for the publisher’s global pivot, according to Doust, 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 Chinese, it lacked the infrastructure to manage global logistics, giving 4Divinity a foothold.
*Wukong* illustrated the untapped potential of Chinese developers now able to create console‑ready titles after the 2016 lifting of the console ban. Doust explains that many Chinese studios, having worked abroad, returned home and set up PC/console teams.
The game reportedly cost about 300 million yuan (≈ $44.6 million) to develop and sold 30 million copies, delivering a massive profit margin. Lower development costs and price‑sensitive Chinese gamers shape 4Divinity’s strategy. The publisher aims to match Western demand for fresh, affordable experiences with the supply of Chinese studios capable of delivering them at a fraction of Western budgets. "My thesis with GCL’s chairman Jacky Choo was to find common storytelling themes between East and West – loyalty, revenge, defiance – and market the same asset with different cultural lenses.
No one has done that effectively yet," Doust says. Doust describes a "do‑nothing" business model where the company primarily markets games in China, allowing a ripple effect to the West, typically resulting in an 80/20 sales split.
*Wukong* sold roughly 20 million copies in China and 3‑4 million elsewhere, exemplifying that ratio. The goal now is to shift toward a 60/40 split, which would dramatically increase unit sales and could potentially make a title one of the best‑selling games ever when measured against its modest development budget. The publisher is pursuing this two‑way flow – East‑to‑West and West‑to‑East – like a modern Silk Road. 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 push for that game began at Bilibili World in Shanghai, an early‑stage move no Western publisher typically makes. The early buzz has already placed China as the second‑largest wishlist market behind the United States. Thus, the massive Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market strategy.
The games will appear in Cologne shortly after a showcase at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, allowing simultaneous exposure rather than a staggered, China‑first rollout. Doust emphasizes that Gamescom serves as the Western debut party for 4Divinity, consolidating multiple campaigns into one high‑impact event.
"If we’re presenting an entire portfolio to the West, why not go big?" he concludes.