93% of studios are confident they can crack China alone.
Nearly half say that's impossible
We asked 300 developers and publishers across the UK and US what they really believe about launching PC games in China. Their answers contradict each other and that gap is exactly where the opportunity lives.
93%
Are confident they can reach China without a local partner
45%
Say a local partner is mandatory to distribute there at all
China ranks third for now
Where studios say they'd launch next. The world's largest PC audience sits just behind the home markets and the gap is closing.
34%
31%
China
26%
Asia (excl. China)
5%
MENA
1%
LATAM
1%
CIS & Eastern Europe
1%
UK & Western Europe
North America
7 findings that separate the myths from the market
Here's where 300 studios agree, disagree and quietly guess.
Confidence
Confidence outruns consensus
93%
feel confident they can reach China directly, with no local partner l
45%
say a local partner is mandatory to distribute there at all
Roadmap
The market is already on the roadmap
49%
have launched a title in China in the last five years
31%
plan to launch in China
Licensing
Licensing is a guessing game
55%
believe an ISBN license is required to sell any PC game in China
32%
think it only applies to paid games or in-app purchases
Upside
The opportunity is clear
Studios point to bigger unit sales in the world's largest PC audience.
Friction
The hesitations are just as clear
The biggest barriers cited cluster tightly together.
93%
partnerships
45%
regulation
45%
localization
45%
IP / piracy
WeGame
WeGame is widely misunderstood
49%
think WeGame is China's local Steam
27%
have launchbelieve it's a publisher
Marketing
Marketing looks nothing like the West
Top-ranked channels start with local Chinese gaming forums.
Plan your China strategy on data, not assumptions
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300 studios surveyed across the UK and US
Independent, MRS-certified research by Atomik
The myths, the market, and where they diverge
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