Strolling through Gamescom, you’ll quickly notice that the most expansive and 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 will be dominated by a company most visitors probably haven’t heard of: 4Divinity.
"It’s massive by any standard," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the publisher’s Gamescom footprint. The firm will present six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of those in the accompanying trailer showcases, and four on the public showfloor across two separate stands, the larger of which covers roughly 800 square metres. The ambition isn’t limited to size; Doust stresses that the company has also spared no expense on the visual spectacle.
"We’ve hired one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and left nothing to chance," he explains. One of the highlighted experiences is the ‘80s pop‑culture RPG Showa American Story, which features a meticulously reconstructed version of the Hollywood Hills – re‑imagined as Neo Yokohama Hills in an 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," Doust adds, emphasizing the immersive, hands‑on approach. When pressed about the cost, Doust refuses to give an exact number, calling it "crass," but confirms that the investment runs into the millions.
"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‑origin company is prepared to do." The reason many have never heard of 4Divinity lies in its corporate lineage.
It is one of several gaming entities owned by Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a conglomerate that also dabbles in an imitation‑diamond jewellery business. GCL’s roots trace back to a physical‑distribution operation called Epicsoft, a business that has been running for nearly two decades. While physical distribution remains a component of the group’s revenue, Doust acknowledges the sector’s decline, especially after recent announcements from Sony regarding disc production. "We’ll keep supporting disc distribution as long as Sony permits it, but we recognize it’s a shrinking market and we need a stronger digital focus," he says.
Enter 4Divinity, launched in 2022 as a co‑publisher to help Western developers bring games to Southeast Asia. Doust points out that finding a Western title that resonates in China is exceptionally challenging. The company succeeded with Atomic Heart – a title that 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 parent like GCL, modest regional successes weren’t enough.
"From a growth standpoint we needed a truly global publishing model," Doust explains. Consequently, 4Divinity began acquiring Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release. By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the portfolio already included a handful of indie titles and the ambitious Showa American Story.
Since then the lineup has expanded to eight games slated for launch over 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 on the “squeezed middle” of the market mirrors strategies employed by companies such as the US‑based ProbablyMonsters.
Doust believes this segment captures what many gamers currently crave. "Players don’t want to invest 200 hours into a live‑service game, nor can they afford $80 AAA titles. They’re willing to spend $40‑$50 for a polished, story‑driven single‑player adventure," he says.
Developing games in this bracket typically costs between $5 million and $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West. With such budgets, a title must 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 IP.
"Everything you’ll see from us at Gamescom is brand‑new IP, both in China and in the West," Doust notes. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, preferring to lean on established franchises because development costs have skyrocketed. Only a few emerging Chinese studios are willing to gamble on fresh concepts. The turning point for 4Divinity’s global ambitions, 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 developers who had been working abroad returned home and formed console‑ready studios.
Wukong’s development cost is estimated at around 300 million yuan (approximately $44.6 million), yet it sold 30 million copies, delivering a substantial profit margin. Doust points out that production costs in China are significantly lower than in the West, and Chinese gamers are highly price‑sensitive. This economic reality shapes 4Divinity’s strategy: acquire affordable, high‑quality Chinese titles and introduce them to Western audiences hungry for fresh experiences at reasonable prices.
Doust’s overarching thesis is to find thematic bridges between East and West – universal concepts like loyalty, revenge, or defiance – and market the same game with nuanced messaging tailored to each region. He believes few have executed this cross‑cultural approach effectively. In practice, the company often employs a “do‑nothing” model: it markets a game primarily in China, allowing a ripple effect to generate modest sales abroad.
Wukong exemplified this, with roughly 20 million units sold in China and 3‑4 million elsewhere, an 80/20 split. Doust aims to improve that ratio to 60/40, which would dramatically increase total unit sales and could potentially elevate a title to best‑selling status relative to its development budget. The publisher is also experimenting with reverse promotion – launching Western games in China first. Their sole non‑Chinese title, Guns Of Eschaton, was introduced at Bilibili World in Shanghai, an early‑stage move rarely seen from Western studios.
The campaign generated enough buzz that China became the second‑largest wishlist market for the game after the United States. Thus, the colossal Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market strategy.
By unveiling its portfolio in Cologne shortly after a ChinaJoy showcase in Shanghai, 4Divinity seeks to generate simultaneous momentum in both regions rather than chasing a delayed Western surge after Chinese success. For 4Divinity, Gamescom is more than a trade show; it is a Western coming‑out party. While the company continues to run individual game campaigns, the event offers a consolidated platform to announce the entire slate, generate media attention, and signal its seriousness to a market where it has previously been a relative unknown.
As Doust puts it, "If we’re using Gamescom as a portfolio launch, why not go big?"