Tim’s fingers tightened on his PS5 controller as the Chinese word for “death”, or “game over”, appeared again and again on the screen. The black-clad hero he was guiding carried the aura of Chinese martial arts fantasy, drawing one of the longest queues at Gamescom 2025, held from August 20 to 24 in the German city of Cologne.
“The art style is really cool, and even the boss fight I just cleared looked great,” said the young gamer from Germany’s Harz after a one-hour demo. Titled Phantom Blade Zero, the upcoming action role-playing game has already notched up 6 million views for its latest gameplay video on YouTube.
More than halfway through the five-day event, a record 50 Chinese exhibitors made their presence impossible to miss, their booths among the busiest at the world’s largest games fair.
On Gamescom’s Opening Night Live showcase on August 19, Chinese studio Game Science closed the event with a flourish, unveiling its latest title, Black Myth: Zhong Kui. Introduced by the host as “the last surprise before saying goodnight”, the two-minute trailer was met with thunderous cheers in Cologne and on the global livestream.
The studio had released Black Myth: Wukong exactly a year earlier, China’s first AAA game inspired by the classic novel Journey to the West, now a global hit. Its new title, Zhong Kui, draws on Chinese folklore, bringing to life the legendary ghost catcher with fierce eyes and a thick beard.
Grace Pan, senior project manager at Cologne Exhibition Center (Koelnmesse), co-organiser of Gamescom alongside the German Games Industry Association, said Chinese game developers in recent years have emerged as “true content creators” and “peers of leading European, US and Japanese studios”.
“Chinese developers are bringing a wide variety of new titles, advanced production techniques, and distinctive elements such as Chinese martial arts and mythology,” Pan told Xinhua. Their original works, she added, stand out with strong visuals, storytelling and gameplay.
A report released ahead of the fair by the German Games Industry Association showed the rising popularity of Chinese mobile titles in Germany. Four Chinese-developed products ranked among Germany’s 10 most downloaded mobile games in 2024.
