"The China market is like bootcamp for how to be a winning global player"

The Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai takes place on July 30th.

In the build up to the event, we've been reaching out to speakers and local companies to get their views on China's games industry.

We caught up with Joymaker Joymaker VP of business development Tom van Dam to discuss what the company is up to, how China's games industrry is finding increasing global success, and the role of AI in the future of the sector

You can download our full region report on China's games industry for free right here.

PocketGamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about your company and what you do?

I am the vice president of business development for Joymaker, based here in Shanghai. We are primarily a MMO publisher/developer with around a 1,000 staff.

Perhaps our most known product being focused on the Ragnarok Online universe, which is a classic IP with a very dedicated global following. We also have other exciting IP titles in the pipeline due next year.

My role involves applying my background in publishing and business development from my time at companies like NetEase and ByteDance to our current projects. Joymaker already makes most of its revenue from the markets outside of China and we want to continue that direction.

Essentially, my team is tasked with both deepening our presence here in the domestic Chinese market as well as Asia, and leading our strategic expansion into North America, Europe, and other international territories.

How would you assess China’s games scene at the moment and what makes it unique?

I think it is important to understand that China’s games scene is not just a different market, but it is a distinct ecosystem that has evolved along its own unique trajectory.

While Western markets were largely built around the console in the living room or maybe the desktop in the office, China’s industry was built from the ground up mostly around the smartphone.

This has led to a different consumer behaviour, where gaming is often integrated into daily life in short bursts, like a social utility rather than a specific relax or entertainment moment.

The integration of mini-games within super-apps like WeChat is a good example of this. It has brought gaming to a massive audience that might not otherwise engage with traditional platforms.

What opportunities do you see in China’s games industry?

The opportunities are significant and diverse, as in China there is still substantial room for growth, particularly in reaching audiences outside of the major cities. Mini-games have proven to be a very effective approach for this.

At the same time, the go-global/chuhai movement is entering a more mature phase. The focus is expanding beyond the historically popular markets in Southeast Asia to a truly global ambition, being listed in the top 10 charts across the world. This is also my key focus at Joymaker, you could say it feels like a shared “The China Dream” between all local companies.

Finally, I believe we are seeing an important inflection point with the rise of premium, triple-A development. A title with the profile of Black Myth: Wukong represents more than just a single product. It signals a new level of ambition for the industry to create globally impactful games that are breaking old boundaries or cultural divides.

What challenges does China’s games industry face?

In many ways, the industry's greatest challenge is a direct result of its own success.

Having achieved such a high level of expertise in the free-to-play mobile space, there has been less focus on developing the skill set for other models, such as premium, or narrative-driven console games. There is a technology and design gap that the industry is now actively working to close.

Another key challenge is the transition from a model of iteration to one of innovation. Commercially, it has often been a very successful strategy to adapt existing, successful IPs. However, I think the long-term goal for the ecosystem must be the creation of its own original, globally recognised franchises.

Developers and publishers in China are gaining global success across platforms and in the triple-A space. What’s driving this and what can companies outside of China learn from this?

From my perspective, the recent global success is driven by two key factors. First, the enormous intensity of competition in the domestic Chinese market creates incredibly capable and commercially adept companies at scale. The China market is like bootcamp for how to be a winning global player.

Second is a highly sophisticated approach to data and live operations. There is a willingness to launch and then iterate relentlessly based on real-time player data, treating a game’s release as the start, not the end, of the development process.

 The launch of a game is often simply referred to as the Open Beta Test, with no actual “1.0 launch milestone” planned beyond.

What is your outlook for the sector? If we speak again in five years, where do you think China’s games market will be?

Looking ahead five years, I think the industry here will be fundamentally different. The integration of AI in development will be a major driver of this change. This is not just for production efficiencies, but also for enabling new forms of interactive entertainment.

I expect Chinese companies to be at the forefront of this, given the pace of AI development here and the lack of an opposing movement against AI like you see in some other markets.

Furthermore, I think the distinction between "Chinese games" and "Western games" will become increasingly blurred as we see more global co-productions and integrated teams.

The most significant shift, however, will likely be China's journey as a major exporter of original IP. We are seeing the beginning of this now, but in five years I expect to see multiple Chinese-developed universes that have expanded into global brands across all forms of media.