Will you focus on indie games in the future? Thinking about ChinaJoy and the Chinese game market in 2024

It’s spring again this year, and we received an invitation from ChinaJoy to become a media partner.

ChinaJoy is one of the largest game exhibitions in China, held in Shanghai around the end of August every year.
I attend ChinaJoy every year, but last year it seemed a little lackluster. That’s what I think.
I think one of the main reasons for this is that real events are shrinking worldwide due to the refraining of real events during the coronavirus pandemic, but in the case of ChinaJoy, changes in the Chinese gaming market are also a factor. It’s possible.

The expansion of the Chinese game market in recent years has been remarkable, and it has now surpassed Japan and is the second largest market after the United States. In terms of game development, many large-scale, high-quality games, such as Genshin, have been released in China and are gaining fans around the world. Chinese games have grown dramatically both as a market and as an industry.

ChinaJoy has been held for 20 years, when the Chinese game market was still small, and it has made a significant contribution to its growth, and you could even say that it was a driving force behind it.
However, as the market has grown and matured, its position is gradually being required to change.

For example, for young game fans, events sponsored by BiliBili and TikTok are popular, and interest in ChinaJoy is relatively waning.
For exhibitors in the game industry, we can now access the market directly through online platforms without having to exhibit at an event, so it can be said that the appeal of ChinaJoy has diminished.

Almost everything related to the game industry has changed significantly between 20 years ago and now, including the size of the market, the way information is distributed, and the way the market is accessed.
As almost all major events around the world are undergoing changes, ChinaJoy is also required to adopt a new way of being.

Among them, there is information that ChinaJoy will focus on indie games starting this year. Indie games are games developed by individuals or small businesses, and I think ChinaJoy certainly didn’t place much emphasis on them.
Last year’s ChinaJoy also had an indie game corner, but for some reason it was set up in a BtoB venue, so there weren’t many people there, and it seemed quiet.

ChinaJoy, one of the largest game exhibitions in China, tends to be an event for large companies due to its large scale, and I thought it couldn’t be helped by considering China’s social culture. , will you be working on that in the future?

There is a popular indie game event in China called WePlay, but I’ve heard that recently it has become more commercial-oriented and is no longer the open-minded event it used to be.

With ChinaJoy turning its attention to indie games, the Chinese indie game world as a place for free creation may once again become popular.

For example, there is a precedent for this in Japan, where the Tokyo Game Show has an advance slot called “Selected Indie 80” where indie games can exhibit for free, and I think this has supported indie games to a certain extent. It may hold a position in the future.

Due to the economic downturn in China over the past few years and the government’s restrictions on Internet content, it seems that major companies are downsizing or withdrawing from the game business one after another. A significant number of small and medium-sized game studios have gone out of business, and we can tell you how hard they are struggling.
Under these circumstances, the Chinese game industry will find a way out by expanding overseas, including in Japan, but ChinaJoy, an international gaming event, will have a significant role to play.
The next few years will determine whether ChinaJoy will continue to be an important channel between the Chinese market and the international market, as it has been in the past, or whether online platforms will completely replace its role. I think it will be decided.

From my point of view, ChinaJoy is operated with a very sincere attitude, and they also treat SQOOL, a small Japanese media, with great care. Personally, I hope that they will continue to do their best and become more successful.

I look forward to seeing what ChinaJoy will be like in 10 years and would like to visit Shanghai again this summer.