Why an Unfamiliar Publisher Is Investing Millions in Its Gamescom Exhibit

Strolling 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 brand most attendees probably haven’t heard of: 4Divinity.

"It’s huge by any measure," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the publisher’s Gamescom footprint. The company is showcasing six titles in the closed‑door B2B zone, five of them featured in trailer showcases, and four titles on the public floor across two separate stands, the larger of which covers an impressive 800 square metres. The ambition isn’t limited to space; Doust emphasizes the visual spectacle as well. "We’ve hired one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and spared no expense on the design," he notes.

One of the most striking installations belongs to the 80s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*. The booth recreates a stylised version of the Hollywood Hills—rebranded as the Neo‑Yokohama Hills in the game’s alternate timeline where Japan rules the United States. "We built a seven‑metre‑high Golden Gate Bridge adorned with Japanese lanterns, and a fully‑fledged diner that visitors can walk into to try the game. It’s all about creating an immersive experience," Doust explains.

When pressed about the cost, Doust refuses to quote an exact figure, calling it "crass," but confirms that the investment runs into the millions. "The sheer scale of our presence shows how seriously we’re taking the Western market, something not every Chinese‑owned company is prepared to do," he says. The reason many have never heard of 4Divinity is that it operates under the umbrella of Singapore‑based GCL Global Holdings, a conglomerate that also owns a jewellery business that mimics diamonds. GCL’s roots lie in a physical‑distribution operation called Epicsoft, which has been around for nearly two decades.

While physical distribution remains a part of the group’s revenue—"as long as Sony keeps making discs, we’ll keep producing them"—Doust acknowledges the sector is in decline and that the company must pivot toward digital. 4Divinity was launched in 2022 as a co‑publisher helping Western developers bring games to Southeast Asia. Doust points out that finding a Western title that resonates in China is exceptionally difficult.

Their first success came with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, followed by a similar breakout with *Stalker 2*. However, those titles were outliers rather than a sustainable growth engine.

As a Nasdaq‑listed entity, GCL needed a scalable growth model, and Doust says the answer was global publishing. 4Divinity began signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release even before he joined in late 2024. At that point 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 release 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 a strategy pursued by US‑based ProbablyMonsters.

Doust believes this segment captures current player sentiment. "People don’t have time for 200‑hour live‑service games, and they’re not willing to spend $80 on a single‑player title. A $40‑$50 price point for a solid, self‑contained experience is much more appealing," he says.

Developing such games is still a major financial undertaking—costs typically range from $5 million to $20 million, regardless of whether the studio is in China or the West. Doust notes that a game 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 brand‑new IP. "Everything you’ll see at Gamescom is fresh IP. Even in China, these are new games, and in the West they’re completely unknown," Doust explains. Larger publishers are increasingly risk‑averse, preferring to invest in established franchises rather than gamble on multiple new properties.

The turning point for the publisher, according to Doust, was the handling of *Black Myth: Wukong*. GCL managed the game’s physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as publisher in Taiwan. Because the developer, Game Science, is a Chinese studio, it lacked the infrastructure to handle global logistics, giving 4Divinity a unique entry point.

*Wukong*’s success highlighted a broader opportunity. Since China lifted its console ban in 2016, many Chinese developers who had been working abroad returned home and set up console‑focused studios. Doust estimates the development budget for *Wukong* at over 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million), yet the title sold 30 million copies, delivering a substantial profit margin.

Lower production costs and price‑sensitive Chinese gamers shape 4Divinity’s strategy. Doust argues that while many major publishers have retreated from funding mid‑budget single‑player games, consumer appetite for them remains strong, creating a “massive drought of supply.” His mission is to bridge Western demand for affordable, novel experiences with the output of Chinese developers. He elaborates on his cross‑cultural thesis: "What if we can find universal themes—loyalty, trust, revenge—and market the same game with different messaging tailored to each region? No one has done this effectively yet." Even without aggressive marketing, games tend to cross borders.

Doust calls this the "do‑nothing" model: the publisher focuses on Chinese marketing, which then creates a ripple effect abroad, typically resulting in an 80/20 sales split (80 % in China, 20 % elsewhere). *Wukong* followed this pattern, selling 20 million copies in China and roughly three to four million internationally.

4Divinity aims to shift that balance toward a 60/40 split, which would dramatically increase total unit sales. Doust muses that if *Wukong* had been marketed in this bidirectional way from the start, it might have become the best‑selling game of all time, given its modest development budget compared with traditional AAA titles. The company is already testing the reverse flow.

Its sole non‑Chinese title, *Guns Of Eschaton*, was developed by Eschatology Entertainment, a Cyprus‑based studio founded by a former Wargaming employee. After announcing the game, 4Divinity took it to Bilibili World, a massive anime and pop‑culture expo in Shanghai—something few Western publishers would attempt so early in a campaign. The move generated enough buzz that China became the second‑largest wish‑list market for the game, trailing only the United States.

The massive Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market strategy. 4Divinity’s titles will appear in Cologne shortly after a showcase at ChinaJoy in Shanghai, allowing the publisher to generate simultaneous momentum in both regions rather than chasing a post‑China success. Beyond individual game promotion, Gamescom serves as 4Divinity’s western debut party.

Doust acknowledges that while the company can run separate campaigns for each title, the trade show offers a chance to consolidate its brand and make a loud statement. "If we’re using Gamescom to introduce our portfolio and ourselves to the West, why not go big?"