Walking the bustling corridors of Gamescom, you’ll quickly notice that the most impressive and elaborate 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 brand that most visitors probably haven’t heard of before: 4Divinity.
"By any measure, it’s massive," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the company’s Gamescom footprint. The publisher is presenting six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of which will appear in the associated trailer showcases, and four games will be displayed on the public floor across two separate stands.
The larger of those stands covers roughly 800 square metres. 4Divinity isn’t just betting on size; it’s also splurging on spectacle. "We’ve hired one of the best booth‑construction firms at Gamescom," Doust adds. "No corner has been cut." One of the most eye‑catching installations is for the 80s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*.
The set recreates the Hollywood Hills, re‑imagined as "Neo Yokohama Hills" in an alternate timeline where Japan governs the United States. "We built a seven‑metre‑tall Golden Gate Bridge adorned with Japanese lanterns," Doust explains. "There’s also a fully stocked diner that visitors can walk into to experience the game.
It’s all about immersion." When Doust says no expense has been spared, he means it. "I can’t disclose exact numbers – that would be crass – but we’re talking millions of dollars of investment," he says.
"Our sheer footprint alone shows the level of commitment. It reflects how seriously we’re taking the Western market, something not every Chinese‑owned company appreciates or knows how to do." That comment hints at why the name 4Divinity may be unfamiliar despite its lavish spending. The publisher is part of a larger Singapore‑based conglomerate called GCL Global Holdings, which also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery business among other ventures. GCL’s roots lie in a physical‑distribution operation run by a company named Epicsoft, a business that has been around for nearly two decades.
"Physical distribution is still a significant part of the group’s revenue, and we’ll keep it as long as Sony continues to manufacture discs," Doust says. "But we recognize that disc production is a declining market, so we need a stronger digital focus." Enter 4Divinity. Launched in 2022, the company originally acted as a co‑publisher for Western developers seeking entry into Southeast Asian markets. Doust notes that finding a Western title that resonates in China – especially mainland China – is extremely difficult.
The publisher succeeded with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, and later replicated that success with *Stalker 2*. However, those wins were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine. For a Nasdaq‑listed entity like GCL, a more scalable model was required. "From a growth perspective we needed a truly global publishing operation," Doust explains.
The strategy shifted to signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. This pivot began before Doust joined in late 2024; at that time the company already had a handful of titles, including a few indie projects and the ambitious *Showa American Story*. Since then the portfolio has ballooned to eight games slated for release over the next two years, marking a period of rapid expansion.
All of the titles share a common DNA: they are primarily single‑player experiences, lasting roughly 15‑20 hours, and priced in the mid‑tier range. This wasn’t a pre‑planned formula, but it has coalesced into a clear strategic focus on the so‑called “squeezed middle” of the market – a niche also being explored by US‑based studio ProbablyMonsters. "Players today don’t have the time or desire to sink 200 hours into a live‑service game," Doust says.
"The $80 blockbuster is reserved for a few flagship franchises, but there’s a strong appetite for $40‑$50 single‑player adventures." Developing a game in that price bracket typically costs between $5 million and $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West. Those budgets demand sales of roughly a million copies just to break even, a target that is increasingly hard to hit given the challenges of discoverability in today’s crowded marketplace. 4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its emphasis on new intellectual property. "Everything you’ll see from us at Gamescom is brand‑new IP," Doust points out.
Even in China, these titles are fresh; in the West, they are entirely unknown. Larger publishers are reluctant to gamble on multiple new IPs simultaneously, especially as development costs soar and AAA studios become risk‑averse, focusing instead on established franchises.
Only a few emerging Chinese studios appear willing to take that leap. The catalyst for 4Divinity’s global ambition, 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, allowing 4Divinity to step in from its Singapore hub. 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 formed console‑focused studios.
*Black Myth: Wukong* was among the first to break out, and an increasing number of similar projects are now emerging. With two offices in China, GCL enjoys direct access to this burgeoning talent pool. Financially, the game illustrates the cost advantage of Chinese development. A tax filing suggests a development budget of around 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million).
By June of this year, the title had sold roughly 30 million copies, delivering a staggering profit margin. "Development costs are far lower in China, and Chinese gamers are very price‑sensitive," Doust acknowledges. This reality shaped 4Divinity’s regional strategy and, Doust believes, makes it easier to test these games in other markets.
He argues that while many major publishers have retreated from mid‑budget single‑player projects for financial reasons, consumer demand for such experiences remains robust – creating a “massive drought of supply.” Doust’s mission, therefore, is to bridge Western demand for affordable, compelling experiences with the supply that Chinese developers can efficiently produce. "When I started working with Jacky Choo, the GCL chairman, my thesis was ‘what if we could find common themes between East and West?’ It’s not as hard as it sounds. Themes like loyalty, trust, defiance, revenge resonate everywhere. We market the same game with different messaging tailored to each region.
No one has done this effectively, in my view." Even without an aggressive cross‑border push, games will naturally find overseas audiences. Doust refers to this as the company’s “do‑nothing” business model: they market a game primarily in China, and a ripple effect generates modest sales abroad, typically an 80/20 split. *Wukong* followed that pattern, selling about 20 million copies in China and three to four million elsewhere. Doust notes that most Western publishers experience the reverse – 80% of sales in the West and 20% abroad, with Asia (especially China) accounting for a significant portion of that 20.
The goal for 4Divinity is to shift that balance to a 60/40 split, a modest but meaningful improvement in global reach. "If we could replicate Wukong’s success with a similar cost structure, we might end up with the best‑selling game of all time," he muses, highlighting the potential upside of a more balanced distribution.
The company envisions a two‑way cultural exchange – an “East‑to‑West, West‑to‑East Silk Road” for games. 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 campaign for that game began in China, where the publisher first showcased it at Bilibili World, Asia’s massive anime and pop‑culture convention in Shanghai. No Western publisher had ever launched a title there so early in its lifecycle.
The move generated enough buzz that China became the second‑largest wishlist market for the game, trailing only the United States. 4Divinity’s colossal Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market strategy.
Its titles will hit the Cologne floor shortly after appearing at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, ensuring simultaneous exposure in both regions. "Instead of waiting for a game to gain massive traction in China and then scrambling to catch up in the West, we launch in both markets at the same time," Doust explains.
Beyond promoting individual games, Gamescom serves as 4Divinity’s western debut party. "We could run separate campaigns for each title, and we do that to some extent, but Gamescom lets us consolidate everything into one big splash.
We haven’t done much in the West yet, so this is our chance to make some noise." Hence the scale of the effort: if the Gamescom showcase is a portfolio‑wide introduction to Western audiences, why not go all‑in? Doust concludes, "If we’re presenting the whole 4Divinity slate, why not make a big impression?"