Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2025 unites East and West: First mainland China event marks new era for global games collaboration

• The debut one-day Shanghai summit united over 630 attendees from 315 companies representing 31 countries.
• Five focused bilingual tracks featured 37 high-calibre speakers providing 8 hours of content on a range of topics from the latest trends and monetisation to overseas export.
• Big name attendees represented top game-makers and platforms from West and East, connecting together for 500+ formal meetings and paving the way for new deals.

Pocket Gamer Connects etched a fresh chapter in its history this month by hosting an inaugural event in mainland China, just ahead of ChinaJoy.

Working in collaboration with publisher MyGamez, the occasion introduced a new one-day Summit format, providing the great content, networking and expo showcase for which PGC is famous in a more concentrated, high-impact gathering.

The event was held at the luxurious Pudong Shangri-La hotel, a venue famous for its modern amenities and breathtaking views of the Bund and city skyline.

Despite the typhoon weather warnings, this landmark gathering attracted 630 attendees from over 315 companies, representing 31 countries around the globe and every conceivable gaming format.

Notably, the demographic included over 71% game-makers and 62% senior decision-makers, creating an ideal environment for networking, collaboration, and the exchange of innovative ideas.

The PG Connects Summit Shanghai 2025 featured a carefully curated programme with 37 expert speakers across five key tracks, offering eight hours of content that provided practical insights into global trends, monetisation, user growth, and cross-border strategies.

From a worldwide industry overview to hands-on advice, the content was designed to share key information, spark discussion and empower attendees to scale sustainably.

Region-focused tracks East to West and West to East provided vital guidance for developers navigating China’s vast market or expanding abroad, reinforcing PG Connects’ mission to bridge the global games industry in both directions.

A word from the team

“This was a truly momentous day for both PGC, Steel Media and the wider games industry," said Steel Media CEO Chris James. "Working with our excellent partners at MyGamez, our superb sponsors and a brilliant crew on the ground, we definitely delivered on our mission to connect Eastern and Western games companies of all sizes, exchange ideas and stimulate new business opportunities.

"Whilst the weather outside may have been less hospitable (our first event with a Typhoon warning!), the tone inside the venue was warm, friendly and overwhelmingly positive. Indeed, I came away utterly invigorated by the vast potential that lies ahead for the games industry both in China, the wider Asia-Pacific region and on a global scale.

"This was our first significant return to the Asia events business for six years (since PGC Hong Kong in 2019), but it is most definitely just the first step of many in the region. We’ll be back with the PGC Korea Summit on October 31st, definitely returning to Shanghai next year, and have a few other destinations in mind too! 

"Our mission remains as always, to seek out new games markets and opportunities, celebrate the incredible companies and individuals and do whatever we can to support the growth of our industry through our events and media!”

MyGamez COO and co-founder Charles Chiang said: "At MyGamez, we act as a bridge - bringing top global games into China and connecting international developers through world-class events.

"As the co-organiser of the Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai, we were proud to help make the event a great success, fostering global exchange and industry growth.

"With strong government support and a massive player base, China presents an unmatched opportunity. To succeed, developers must truly understand local players. Those who wait risk missing out."

Connections that drive business

Networking was a cornerstone of the Shanghai Summit experience, with MeetToMatch facilitating over 500 scheduled meetings and countless more happening organically across the venue and in the networking drinks afterwards.

The Big Indie Zone buzzed with creative energy as emerging game developers showcased their groundbreaking projects. Set in a dynamic environment filled with cutting-edge technology and artistic flair, the event allowed these talented individuals to present their games directly to a diverse audience of developers, publishers, investors, tools and service providers.

This unique platform fostered invaluable connections and networking opportunities, enabling Chinese indie developers to gain essential feedback and explore potential partnerships that could propel their visions to new heights.

With high-profile attendees from major studios such as Tencent, Mattel163, NetEase, Neopets, platform holders, and leading game-tech firms present, the event opened doors for partnerships and deals at every corner.

This momentum will only continue to grow as the community transitions into ChinaJoy 2025, with entry provided with a ticket to Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on August 1st, where many of the conversations sparked at PGC are set to evolve into concrete collaborations.

A launchpad for the summit series

PG Connects Summit Shanghai was the first of a new series of targeted, high-impact Summits that are shorter, sharper, and built to mobilise regional engagement, either in their own right or as a gateway to a larger existing event (in this case, ChinaJoy). By focusing on local ecosystems while maintaining a global view, the Summit format brings the best of PG Connects to new audiences.

With Shanghai as the starting point, the Summit series allows Steel Media to set sights on new territories and new opportunities, such as the impending outing in South Korea, complementing the larger flagship PG Connects events in cities like London, Barcelona, Helsinki, Dubai and Aqaba.

What’s next?

If Shanghai is any indication, there’s a growing appetite for global dialogue, regional insight, and meaningful collaboration in games.

The Pocket Gamer Connects team is already planning its next Summit and the momentum continues with PGC Summit Korea 2025, on October 31st, offering another focused opportunity to connect with Asia’s games market.

Looking further ahead, the largest B2B event in the Nordics, Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025, returns this autumn (October 7th to 8th), bringing together thousands of global industry leaders in one of Europe’s key hubs.

After that we’re visiting the MENA market for PGC Aqaba in Jordan (November 7th to 8th), before we return to our flagship event PGC London in the New Year, (19th to 20th January 2026).