Chinese developers wowed Gamescom 2025 with hits like Phantom Blade Zero and Black Myth: Zhong Kui, highlighting China's growing power in gaming.

COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- 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.

"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 Tuesday, 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 good night," 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-organizer of Gamescom (styled as "gamescom" by the organizers) alongside the German Games Industry Association, said Chinese game developers in recent years have emerged as "true content creators" and "peers of leading European, U.S. 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.

In Germany, home to 37.5 million players and Europe's largest gaming market, smartphones remain the top platform, used by more than half of all gamers, with consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox close behind, the report noted.

That trend was also mirrored at this year's Gamescom, where three Chinese titles were nominated among the five contenders for Best Mobile Game. The award went to "Love and Deepspace" on Friday, a romantic sci-fi title developed by Shanghai-based Infold Games.

The growing footprint of Chinese developers, coupled with the rise of China's gaming ecosystem, is also opening doors for partnerships in Europe.

In a written interview with Xinhua, Felix Falk, managing director of the German Games Industry Association, said collaborations between Chinese studios and their counterparts in Germany and the wider Europe are becoming more frequent, enabling both sides to better understand and access each other's markets.

Tencent, China's gaming giant, offers a snapshot of that approach. The company brought more than 10 new titles to Gamescom, including projects built on international IPs or in partnerships with renowned European studios, such as yet-to-be-released "Dune: Awakening" and "Dying Light: The Beast." Tencent also unveiled an AI-powered tool for game art production, positioned as a way to foster collaboration at the technical level.

"As the global games industry becomes increasingly interconnected, we will likely see even more cooperation in the future," Falk said.