Why great games need the right partnerships to succeed in China

• Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 29th is a direct, efficient gateway into the Chinese games industry.
• Initiate local connections, deals, and gain first-hand market insight from some of the world’s leading companies.
• Secure your entry by registering today.

The sheer size and scope of the Chinese games market and its major share of the global revenue can be hard to grasp. Domestic game development and innovation are moving at lightning speed. 

For Western game makers it can be challenging to know where to even begin to enter the sector and many companies feel locked out. But managing to navigate the world’s largest, most lucrative and still growing games market has a huge business upside. For that to happen, a good game alone won’t cut it. 

Reaching the Chinese market successfully is all about adopting a relationship-first, rather than product-first, strategy. 

From licensing and regulatory compliance to distribution, marketing, monetisation, localisation and cultural adaptation, foreign companies need to establish trust with local partnerships to operate on Chinese ground. You simply don’t navigate the regulatory maze alone. Just obtaining a publishing license requires a partnership with a Chinese partner company. 

Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai is where those relationships take shape, from initial contact to next steps and signed deals. It’s your efficient, most direct gateway to partnerships that are crucial for your entry into the Chinese games market.

Set in a focused environment designed for 1:1 meetings and structured networking, the conference is hosted in English, providing a smooth introduction to the local market and future partner companies.

Conveniently scheduled on July 29th, right ahead of ChinaJoy, means all of the local and regional games companies are present on the ground, giving you a strategic advantage.

Where ChinaJoy brings scale and visibility, Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai offers focused matchmaking, conversations and market insight essential to any business-maker that is curious about the Chinese games industry.

Why Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai

• A soft landing in China’s huge, complex games market.
• Curated, business-focused audience.
• Partnership conversations with Chinese publishers, distributors, investors and platform holders.
• Teams and decision-makers from the likes of Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo, Habby, Lilith, Supercell, Epic Games and many more.
• Pre-arranged meeting opportunities via MeetToMatch.
• Taking place ahead of ChinaJoy, enabling you to maximise multiple business opportunities within a single trip.
• First-hand market insights, including regulation, localisation, monetisation, marketing, and more.

Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2026 takes place on July 29th. Register your Super Early Bird ticket today, starting from just $240.