Why an Unfamiliar Publisher Is Investing Millions in Its Gamescom Showcase

Walking through Gamescom, you’ll quickly notice that the most impressive booths 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 many attendees may not recognize: 4Divinity. "It’s massive by any standard," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK operation, 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 adjacent trailer showcases, and four will be displayed on the public floor across two separate stands.

The larger of those stands covers roughly 800 square metres. Doust emphasizes that the ambition extends beyond sheer size: "We’ve hired one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and spared no expense on the build." One of the showcase areas, dedicated to the 1980s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*, recreates a futuristic version of the Hollywood Hills—rebranded as Neo Yokohama Hills in the game’s alternate timeline where Japan governs the United States. "We built a seven‑metre‑high 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 explains.

When pressed about the cost, Doust declines to give an exact number, calling it "crass" to disclose specifics, but confirms that the investment runs into the millions of dollars. "The scale of our footprint alone shows we’re committing resources at that level. It reflects how seriously we’re taking the western market—something not every Chinese‑based company 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 business. GCL’s roots are in physical game distribution through a company called Epicsoft, a business that has operated for nearly two decades. While physical media remain a component of GCL’s revenue—"as long as Sony continues to produce discs, we’ll keep supporting that side"—Doust acknowledges the sector’s decline and the necessity of shifting toward digital‑first models.

4Divinity itself launched 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 challenging. The firm succeeded with *Atomic Heart*, which performed exceptionally well in the Chinese market, and later with *Stalker 2*.

However, those successes were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine for a Nasdaq‑listed group. "From a growth perspective we needed a truly global publishing model," Doust says.

Consequently, 4Divinity began signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the company had already secured a handful of titles, including a few indie projects and the ambitious *Showa American Story*. Since then the portfolio has expanded to eight games slated for launch over the next two years, marking a period of rapid expansion. All of the titles share common characteristics: they are primarily single‑player experiences lasting 15–20 hours, positioned in the mid‑tier price range.

This focus on the "squeezed middle" of the market mirrors strategies pursued by other independent publishers such as ProbablyMonsters. Doust believes this segment aligns with current player preferences: "People don’t have the time or desire to invest 200 hours in a live‑service game. An $80‑plus AAA title is reserved for a few blockbuster franchises, but many gamers are happy to spend $40‑50 on a well‑crafted single‑player adventure." Developing games in this AA bracket typically costs between $5 million and $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West.

Adding marketing, localisation, and distribution, a title often needs to sell roughly a million copies just to break even—a daunting target given today’s discoverability challenges. 4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its emphasis on new intellectual property.

"Everything you’ll see at Gamescom from us is brand‑new IP," Doust states. Even within China, these titles are fresh, and they are entirely new to western audiences as well. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, favouring established franchises over untested concepts because development costs have ballooned.

Only a few emerging Chinese studios are willing to take that gamble. The catalyst for the publisher’s global pivot, according to Doust, was the success of *Black Myth: Wukong*.

GCL managed 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 handle global logistics, creating an opportunity for GCL to step in from its Singapore hub.

*Wukong* demonstrated the untapped potential of Chinese developers now able to release console titles after the 2016 lifting of the console ban. Many Chinese studios that had been working abroad returned home, forming new console‑oriented teams. Doust notes that *Wukong* cost roughly 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million) to develop, yet it sold 30 million copies, delivering a spectacular profit margin. Lower development costs in China, combined with a price‑sensitive player base, shape 4Divinity’s strategy.

The publisher aims to bridge western demand for affordable, high‑quality experiences with the supply of cost‑effective Chinese productions. "My thesis when I started with Jacky Choo, GCL’s chairman, was to find common thematic ground between east and west—loyalty, revenge, defiance—and market the same game with different messaging for each region," Doust explains.

He believes few have executed this cross‑cultural localisation effectively. Doust describes the traditional model as a "do‑nothing" approach: a game is marketed primarily in China, creating 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 three‑to‑four million overseas.

4Divinity hopes to shift the ratio toward a 60/40 split, which would dramatically increase overall unit sales and could, in theory, make a title one of the best‑selling games of all time relative to its modest budget. The publisher is also experimenting with reverse promotion—bringing western titles to China early in their lifecycle.

Its sole non‑Chinese game, *Guns of Eschaton*, developed by Cyprus‑based Eschatology Entertainment, was first showcased at Bilibili World, China’s massive anime and pop‑culture expo in Shanghai. This early exposure generated enough buzz that China became the second‑largest wishlist market for the game after the United States. 4Divinity’s colossal Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market strategy. The company plans to roll out its games in Cologne shortly after debuting them at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, ensuring simultaneous visibility in both regions rather than waiting for a Chinese hit to trickle westward.

Doust sees Gamescom as the western "coming‑out party" for the publisher: "We could run individual campaigns for each title, but Gamescom lets us consolidate everything into one high‑impact event. Since we haven’t done much in the west yet, this is our chance to make a splash." In summary, 4Divinity is betting on a model that leverages low‑cost Chinese development, mid‑tier pricing, and fresh IP to satisfy western gamers seeking complete, affordable single‑player experiences.

By investing millions in a spectacular Gamescom showcase, the publisher signals its commitment to becoming a recognizable player on the global stage, hoping to turn its cross‑border strategy into a sustainable growth engine for years to come.