Why an Unfamiliar Publisher Is Investing Millions in Its Gamescom Showcase

Walking the bustling corridors of Gamescom, you’ll quickly notice that the most 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 is occupied by a company most attendees probably haven’t heard of: 4Divinity. "It’s massive by any measure," says Philip Doust, director of 4Divinity’s UK arm, describing the publisher’s Gamescom footprint.

The firm is presenting six titles in the private B2B zone, five of those in the accompanying trailer showcases, and four on the public show‑floor across two separate stands, the larger of which spans roughly 800 square metres. But the extravagance isn’t limited to square footage; Doust adds, "We’re working with one of the top booth builders at Gamescom and have spared no expense." One of the most striking displays belongs to the 1980s‑inspired RPG *Showa American Story*. The set recreates 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 stocked diner that visitors can walk into to try the game.

It’s an immersive, experiential showcase," Doust explains. When pressed about the cost, Doust is vague but emphatic: "I can’t quote exact numbers—it would be crass—but we’re talking millions of dollars of investment. The sheer scale of the footprint tells you how seriously we’re taking the Western market, something not every Chinese‑owned company is willing or able to do." So why might this publisher be unfamiliar to many? 4Divinity is one of several entities under the Singapore‑based conglomerate GCL Global Holdings, which also owns a jewellery‑making business that mimics diamonds.

GCL’s origins lie in a physical‑distribution operation called Epicsoft, a business that has been running for almost two decades. "Physical distribution is still a part of our group’s revenue, and we’ll keep it as long as Sony continues to produce discs," Doust says, acknowledging the sector’s decline while noting the need to diversify into digital.

4Divinity itself 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 a tall order. The company succeeded with *Atomic Heart*, which performed strongly in the Chinese market, and later with *Stalker 2*. However, those successes were outliers rather than a sustainable growth model.

As a Nasdaq‑listed company, GCL needed a more scalable revenue engine. "From a growth perspective we had to become a global publisher," Doust says. The shift involved signing Chinese‑developed games for worldwide release.

By the time Doust joined in late 2024, the roster already included a few indie titles and the ambitious *Showa American Story*. Since then the portfolio has swelled to eight games slated for launch over the next two years, marking a period of rapid expansion. All of the titles share common traits: they are primarily single‑player experiences, run 15‑20 hours, and sit in the mid‑tier price bracket.

This wasn’t a pre‑planned formula but rather an emerging strategy aimed at the “squeezed middle” of the market—a segment also pursued by US‑based ProbablyMonsters. "Players today don’t want to invest 200 hours into a live‑service game, nor can they justify spending $80 on a single‑player title. A $40‑$50 price point for a solid, story‑driven experience hits the sweet spot," Doust observes.

Developing such games is costly, typically requiring $5‑$20 million in production budgets, whether in China or the West. "You need to sell about a million copies just to break even, and that’s a tough target given discoverability challenges," he notes.

4Divinity’s approach also diverges in its focus on brand‑new intellectual property. "Everything you’ll see from us at Gamescom is fresh IP, both in China and in the West. Larger publishers rarely gamble on a brand‑new IP, let alone six at once," Doust explains. The risk‑averse nature of AAA development has turned many studios into franchise factories, leaving little room for newcomers unless they are already established.

The turning point for 4Divinity was the handling of *Black Myth: Wukong*. GCL managed the game’s physical PS5 distribution worldwide and acted as 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 set up console and PC teams, creating a pipeline of high‑quality, cost‑effective games.

Financially, *Wukong* was a revelation. A Chinese tax filing suggests development costs of roughly 300 million yuan (about $44.6 million), yet the title sold 30 million copies, delivering a substantial profit margin. "Development costs are far lower in China, and Chinese gamers are very price‑sensitive," Doust says, underscoring why the publisher’s strategy leans heavily on Chinese talent.

Doust’s mission is to match Western demand for fresh, affordable experiences with the supply of Chinese developers capable of delivering them. "My thesis when I started with Jacky Choo, GCL’s chairman, was to find common themes between East and West—loyalty, revenge, defiance—then market the same game with different messaging for each region.

No one has done this effectively yet," he asserts. In practice, this often results in a natural “do‑nothing” approach: market the game in China, let a ripple effect reach the West, and end up with an 80/20 sales split (80 % in China, 20 % elsewhere).

*Wukong* followed that pattern, selling 20 million copies in China and roughly three‑four million abroad. Doust hopes to shift the ratio to 60/40 through more aggressive cross‑border promotion, which could dramatically increase unit sales and potentially produce a best‑selling title relative to its modest development budget. The publisher is also experimenting with reverse promotion—introducing Western‑developed games to Chinese audiences early.

Their first non‑Chinese title, *Guns of Eschaton*, was launched by a Cyprus‑based studio founded by a former Wargaming employee. After the announcement, 4Divinity took the game to Bilibili World, a massive anime and pop‑culture expo in Shanghai, a move no Western publisher typically makes at such an early stage.

The strategy paid off: China quickly became the second‑largest wishlist market for the game after the United States. The massive Gamescom presence mirrors this dual‑market strategy. By showcasing the portfolio in Cologne just weeks after a ChinaJoy debut in Shanghai, 4Divinity aims to generate simultaneous buzz in both regions rather than waiting for a Chinese hit to trickle westward.

Doust explains that Gamescom serves as a “Western coming‑out party” for the company, allowing them to consolidate multiple game campaigns into a single, high‑impact event. "If this is a 4Divinity portfolio play, why not go big?" he concludes.