I wrote a little something for @GIBiz . About Chinese F2P games and how they have been changing the landscape of the industry, to some degrees. I tried to provide some insight into "work culture" in Chinese companies, as I feel that's something still very rarely touched upon.

This is Hakuoki: Reimeiroku, for the PS2. A visual novel released in 2010, very late in the console's lifecycle. That was 5 years after the launch of the Xbox 360. In Japan in particular, a lot of games in this genre kept being released for the PS2 way past its prime.

Places in Guangzhou...

Phantom Blade Zero big-screen ads in Chengdu. The game is getting a proper official launch in Mainland China, which "allows" it to have even more visible marketing than most other games. PlayStation China is advertising the game throughout the country. (not my vid)

58 MILLION DAILY ACTIVE USERS! Delta Force has reached 58M DAU this October in China alone!! I cannot emphasize this enough: the "real" gaming market nowadays extends far beyond your favorite AAA titles celebrated for selling 2–3 million copies. The data accounts for both mobile and PC users of Tencent's mega-hit.

PlayStation China is promoting Phantom Blade Zero with a demo event in Xian for 11/11. The October 31 event will feature actress and gaming fan Zhao Yihuan, and popular gaming KOL China BOY. 11/11 promos will last until November 11. PS China is also organizing other events throughout the country to promote its PS5 and Phantom Blade Zero in particular during this period.

Uncharted 2, Japanese edition. Always liked this cover. Fun fact: Uncharted sequels in Japan dropped the numbers, and changed the subtitle. "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is known as "Uncharted: Golden Blade and the Vanished Fleet" (loose direct translation).

SEGA Will bring "Crazy Taxi: World Tour" and other of its games to WePlay. WePlay takes place in Shanghai, November 21-22. Many international and local gaming studios and publishers will attend, from small indies to major ones.

Lines today at the "Showa American Story" booth at G-Fusion Game Fest in Beijing. As almost always, expect zero English-speaking media coverage from this gaming expo where tons of games are being shown by studios from all over the world. (not my pics, I'm not attending)

Phantom Blade Zero, 5 days countdown art. Chinese version. (I feel dirty sharing this lol. not doing it for the following days. Feels like shameless engagement farming)

There's this DIY brand selling custom-made emulation machines like this Gundam model. Because why not. That's why. It's essentially a PC that runs games all the way up to the PS4 (potentially more). Approx US$220 (2TB). Look it up if you care. I'm not sharing links.

"Showa American Story" will be present at G-Fusion Game Fest in Beijing this weekend (24-25). This will be the first time a playable demo of the game will be available at a Chinese event.

300,000+ people have downloaded the "Worst Class Ever" demo on Steam. 20,600+ peak concurrent players. Developed by Chinese Funcore Games, it's an asymmetric multiplayer game that pits a class of students against their teacher. Physical violence is allowed, lol. Full release set for later this year. This is yet another example of a successful Chinese indie game that escapes the stereotypical stigma that "all Chinese games are soulslikes and gacha". Chinese games are growing exponentially on Steam in particular, within a wide variety of genres.