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 occupied by a company most attendees probably haven’t heard of: 4Divinity.
"It’s huge by any standard," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the publisher’s Gamescom footprint. The firm is showcasing six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of which will also appear in the associated trailer showcases, and four will be presented on the public floor across two separate stands, the larger of which covers roughly 800 square metres. The investment isn’t limited to space; Doust adds, "We’re working with one of the best booth builders at Gamescom and haven’t held back on any expense." One of the most striking displays is for the 1980s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*.
The set recreates a version of the Hollywood Hills that, in the game’s alternate timeline, has been renamed Neo Yokohama Hills under a Japan‑ruled United States. "We built a seven‑metre‑high Golden Gate Bridge with Japanese lanterns, a fully realised diner that visitors can walk into to try the game – it’s all very experiential," Doust explains. When pressed about the cost, Doust refuses to give an exact figure, calling it "crass," but confirms that the outlay runs into the millions.
"The sheer size of our footprint shows we’re investing at that level. It reflects how seriously we’re taking the Western market – something not every Chinese‑based company can or will do." The reason many have never heard of 4Divinity is that it is a subsidiary of Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a conglomerate that also owns an imitation‑diamond jewellery line. GCL’s core business originated from Epicsoft, a physical‑distribution operation that has been running for nearly two decades.
While physical distribution remains a part of the group’s revenue – and will continue as long as Sony produces discs – Doust acknowledges that the model is in decline and that the company needs a stronger digital focus. Enter 4Divinity, launched in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring games to Southeast Asia.
Doust cites the success of *Atomic Heart* – which performed strongly in China – and *Stalker 2* as early proof points, but notes those titles were exceptions rather than a sustainable growth engine. As a Nasdaq‑listed entity, GCL required a scalable, global publishing strategy, prompting 4Divinity to begin signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the pipeline already included a handful of smaller indie projects and the ambitious *Showa American Story*.
Since then the portfolio has expanded to eight titles slated for launch over the next two years, marking a rapid growth phase. All of the games share common traits: they are primarily single‑player experiences lasting 15‑20 hours, priced in the mid‑tier range. This focus on the “squeezed middle” of the market mirrors the approach of US‑based ProbablyMonsters and targets players who want a complete, story‑driven adventure without committing to a 200‑hour live‑service grind.
"People are willing to spend $40‑$50 on a solid single‑player title," Doust says, noting that developing such games typically costs between $5 million and $20 million. To break even, a title needs to sell roughly a million copies – a challenging target given today’s discoverability hurdles.
4Divinity’s strategy also diverges in its emphasis on new IP. Every title displayed at Gamescom is a fresh property, many of which are brand‑new to both Chinese and Western audiences. Larger publishers tend to shy away from betting on multiple new IPs because the rising cost of development has turned AAA into a franchise‑centric business, leaving room for agile players like 4Divinity.
The turning point for the publisher, according to Doust, was the distribution of *Black Myth: Wukong*. GCL handled the game’s physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as the publisher in Taiwan, leveraging its Singapore base to bridge the gap for the Chinese developer Game Science.
The success of *Wukong* highlighted a broader opportunity: since China lifted its console ban in 2016, many Chinese studios have returned home to develop console and PC games. These studios can produce high‑quality titles at a fraction of Western development costs – *Wukong* reportedly cost around 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million) and has sold 30 million copies, delivering a massive profit margin. Doust points out that Chinese gamers are extremely price‑sensitive, which shapes 4Divinity’s pricing and marketing tactics.
The company aims to match Western demand for affordable, narrative‑driven experiences with the supply of cost‑efficient Chinese development talent. "My thesis with GCL’s chairman Jacky Choo was to find common themes between East and West – loyalty, revenge, defiance – and market the same game with different cultural lenses," Doust explains. He believes few have executed this cross‑cultural approach effectively.
In practice, 4Divinity often adopts a "do‑nothing" model: it markets a game primarily in China, allowing a ripple effect to generate modest sales abroad. *Wukong* sold 20 million copies in China and roughly three‑to‑four million elsewhere, an 80/20 split. Doust hopes to improve that ratio to 60/40 through coordinated launches in both markets, which could dramatically increase total unit sales. The publisher is also experimenting with reverse promotion – taking Western titles to Chinese audiences early.
After announcing *Guns Of Eschaton*, a game developed by Cyprus‑based Eschatology Entertainment, 4Divinity debuted it at Bilibili World in Shanghai, a move no Western studio has made at such an early stage. The campaign generated enough buzz that China became the second‑largest wishlist market for the title, behind the United States.
The massive Gamescom presence therefore serves as a Western “coming‑out party” for 4Divinity. By aligning the Cologne showcase with a recent appearance at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, the company aims to launch games simultaneously in both regions rather than letting one market lead and the other chase.
Doust says, "Gamescom lets us bundle all our campaigns into one high‑impact event, giving us noise in the West that we haven’t had before. If we’re presenting a portfolio, why not go big?"