Games Incubator · PlayWay group
20M+ views
It Works: one 20-second creator video passed 8 million views; the follow-ups took it past 18.5 million, and one creator alone brought 50,000+ wishlists.
Studios and games Huqiao has worked with
I founded Huqiao Games in 2021; its team in China has launched more than 90 games there, for Atari, Owlcat, Awaken Realms and the studios behind Factorio and Timberborn. With YLX, I work with your designers on in-game content made for Chinese players.
In-game content means game design: festival events, characters and skins, chapters and DLC. Designed with your team, built by your team, tried by Chinese players before launch.
Studios and games Huqiao has worked with
Huqiao is the China marketing and publishing team I founded. These are its results, on Chinese platforms, with Chinese players. Everything YLX designs is built on what worked there, and what didn't.
It Works: one 20-second creator video passed 8 million views; the follow-ups took it past 18.5 million, and one creator alone brought 50,000+ wishlists.
Soulstone Survivors: creator campaigns on Chinese platforms lifted the game's sales in China by 53%.
Timberborn: an Early Access hit re-energised in China for its 1.0 launch, with creators, community and physical packages.
X4 series: a Bilibili channel built from zero to 2,101 followers in four months, with localization.
Factorio: a DLC launch carried by long-term community building with Chinese players.
Medieval Dynasty, Sengoku Dynasty, Survive the Fall, Permafrost and more: a China foothold for a whole portfolio.
Results by Huqiao Games for its clients. All case studies at huqiaogames.com ↗
▶Chinese Gaming Market 101: a 10-minute introduction for game studios
Why you don't need a licence to reach Chinese players, where they find games, how creators work, and what to charge. New videos on China, game development and cross-border business every week.
Translation gets you on the shelf. Marketing gets you seen. Content made for them gets you talked about, and that's the part most Western studios have never tried.
A wingless loong, the right dynasty's armour, real characters on a scroll. Chinese players notice the details, and they screenshot the mistakes.
A China-inspired DLC or event gives Chinese creators a reason to cover your game again, months after release.
Good culturalization doesn't split your audience. Global players get a new ruler, map or myth they haven't seen a hundred times.
One strategy game added Taizong of Tang as a ruler whose abilities follow the historical record: fortifications first, then offensive weapons, Morale-scaling damage, Emperor's Wrath. Chinese players responded strongly because a foreign studio took their history seriously. That's the kind of DLC we design with studios.
Cancel with 30 days' notice. No revenue share. Your team builds; you own every decision.
We check what you ship. 1 game.
We design it with you. Up to 2 games.
For a whole catalogue. Up to 5 games.
Tell us your game and the plan; you get a short proposal with the price the same day. China marketing and publishing are handled by our partners at Huqiao Games.
A free weekly snapshot of Western games in China, and of Chinese games heading West, across Steam's China region, HeyBox and Bilibili: Chinese review share, prices and discounts, and video coverage with links. Free, with no sign-up. China Radar Weekly sends the highlights every Tuesday.
Not affiliated with Valve, HeyBox or Bilibili.
“HUQIAO didn't just open the Chinese market for us - they taught us how to understand it. They're true enthusiasts who really know their stuff.”
Alex MichalskaSenior Executive Producer, Pretty Soon“China is the biggest market, but we needed a partner to handle marketing on local platforms in a language we don't understand. HQHK delivered exactly that.”
Adam CosterFounder and CEO, Butterscotch Shenanigans“HUQIAO helps with influencer outreach, building a presence on Chinese social networks, and highlighting cultural traits we might miss on our own.”
Allan SmithFounder, Game SmithingTestimonials given to Huqiao Games, published at huqiaogames.com.
“The numbers are just mind boggling.”
“Those elements are not Chinese enough. And the players, they can see through that.”
“Chinese players are more into learning a different culture… They're open to a lot of stuff.”
YLX designs the content. Huqiao Games, the company I founded, takes it to Chinese players: a team of 15, with offices in Hong Kong and Warsaw.
John KavvourasManaging Director
Aleksander PtakKey Accounts
Frank B. GeorgiewCo-founder
Xiaohan ZhangAccount Strategy
Fangwei ShaoCommunity & Creators
Jinyun SunMarketing & Translation
Lucien ShaoBilingual Content
Yuhao LiBilingual Content
Joanne WongFinance & Admin你计划出海吗？
Are you a Chinese company going global?
YLX also advises Chinese companies launching in Europe and the West: games first, but not only games. Western store pages and positioning, creators and events, partner and publisher offers. Most of this work happens in Chinese, on our Chinese site.
My Chinese name means "strict, immediate, action": 严格、立刻、行动. I've spent 15 years going from 老外 (foreigner) to 老内 (insider): a year at a Chinese university, the Chinese Bridge competition on CCTV-4, the Bank of China, interpreting for government delegations and esports tournaments, and then co-founding Huqiao Games to help Western studios reach Chinese players.
Huqiao is the company. YLX is where I work with studios myself, on the part I know best after 90 launches: content that Chinese players recognise as made for them, and helping Chinese companies go the other way.
Need China marketing, community or publishing? We work alongside Huqiao Games. YLX designs the content; Huqiao takes it to Chinese players.
You get the price for the plan you pick and your game's China picture from the Radar. Yours to keep, whatever you decide.
business@yanlixing.com