Game Marketing in China:
What We Do for Foreign IPs & Publishers
The Chinese video game market is a $53.2 billion industry that has long been lucrative for foreign IPs and publishers. There are over 685 million gamers in China, yet the fragmented nature of its digital landscape makes it harder for overseas teams to launch consistent, high-performing marketing strategies.
After launching campaigns for foreign game developers and companies, our team has found that success in the Chinese market requires a nuanced understanding of the local gaming community, platforms, and regulations.
This firsthand experience and expertise are what help us determine the right mix of channels, creators, communities, and content formats to reach and resonate with Chinese players.
Strategies We Execute for Game Marketing in China
Chinese players are known to browse across local social media feeds, gaming communities, livestream apps, and short-video platforms before deciding whether a title is worth their time.
That’s why we start every project by mapping this user journey. Our team builds channel-specific strategies that align with how gamers in China actually discover and evaluate new games, whether by social media, search engines, forums, or influencer content.
Social Media Marketing for Visibility and Community Building
Social media is central to China’s digital lifestyle, with 76% of its total population using these platforms. With such a huge percentage, integrating these apps into your marketing strategy is a no-brainer.
Below are the domestic social media platforms and strategies Sekkei Digital Group utilizes to help foreign companies enter China’s gaming market:
1. WeChat
WeChat is the primary channel for reaching gamers in China, especially for non-Chinese game companies seeking broader reach to educate and inform their target market about their brand and offerings.
We activate official WeChat accounts for game companies to publish native content that fits local user behavior and strengthens long-term credibility. Our work includes tailored campaigns that support awareness, community retention, and event-driven engagement.
How We Use WeChat for Game Marketing in China
WeChat is most effective in the mid-to-lower stages of the game marketing funnel. While it is not a discovery platform for most gaming genres in China, it excels at nurturing player communities, pushing new updates, and driving user participation in in-game events.
Our WeChat activations often include:
- Publishing localized long-form content like developer notes, event updates, patch breakdowns, and lore-driven posts to build familiarity.
- Running community activities such as sign-in events and item giveaways to convert passive followers into active user engagements.
- Using WeChat Search placements to capture high-intent queries around game updates or seasonal content.
- Integrating Mini Programs for event registration or reward redemption to keep user journeys inside the WeChat ecosystem.
- Building WeChat groups for superfans, which is effective for RPGs, fighting games, and strategy titles that rely on repeat engagement.
What We Avoid in WeChat Game Marketing Campaigns
When promoting in the Chinese video game market, we avoid publishing WeChat content with generic translations of global marketing assets because local players can instantly recognize non-localized material and disengage.
We also never rely on long editorial posts without localized visuals. Walls of text perform poorly on WeChat, particularly among Chinese audiences who prefer short game information with images or videos.
China Gaming Marketing
Case Example
Shadow Fight 3 was already among the popular mobile games in the Chinese market when they sought our help. The challenge was converting passive followers into an active community.
As part of our social media marketing strategy in China, we localized visual assets and structured ongoing content calendars tailored to Chinese audiences on WeChat.
Thanks to these efforts, we grew the brand’s WeChat following from 0 to ~13,000, and our published articles during the campaign averaged a 21.4% read rate, well above industry norms.
2. Weibo
Weibo is one of the fastest ways to put a game directly into public conversation. Thanks to its strong culture of trending topics and fan discussions, it remains the most reliable marketing channel for announcements, teasers, and live event coverage among urban gamers in China.
How We Use Weibo for Game Marketing in China
In our social media marketing campaigns, this platform serves as a top-funnel channel for visibility, rapid amplification, and attention during key brand moments such as big launches, updates, and event-related activities.
Trend-based discovery on Weibo is its biggest advantage. That’s why players often first encounter foreign titles via organic feeds, hashtags, KOL content, or short-form video teasers.
Our typical Weibo game marketing campaigns in the Chinese market include:
- Running high-frequency posting schedules during launch phases to trigger algorithmic boosts.
- Partnering with Chinese game experts or KOLs who can push gameplay snippets, event announcements, or character showcases.
- Using fan interactions, such as Q&A posts and giveaway activities, to strengthen community participation.
- Posting behind-the-scenes content and developer messages to humanize a foreign brand and build emotional affinity with gamers in China.
What We Avoid in Weibo Game Marketing Campaigns
So many Western companies consider Weibo as a simple press-release channel. We avoid that completely. We do not rely on one-off posts or static images, which are often ignored in already crowded feeds filled with esports memes and trending topics.
We also avoid launching extensive campaigns without clear coordination between organic and influencer content strategy, as success on Weibo often depends heavily on synchronized, algorithmic momentum.
3. Xiaohongshu
Xiaohongshu, or RED, is no longer just a lifestyle app. With more than 300 million monthly active users and strong search-driven behavior, it has become one of the primary places where younger users check whether a brand or game is worth their attention.
It’s also one of the strongest user-generated content communities in China, which means social proof comes before any official brand claims.
How We Use Xiaohongshu for Game Marketing in China
For our gaming clients, we position Xiaohongshu as the platform that shapes perception before and after a launch. We use it to build a credible presence for foreign titles, test localized narratives, and control how the game appears in search results around key genres and themes.
Our team designs content that makes the game feel integrated into Chinese players’ lifestyles, aesthetics, and daily routines.
This strategy involves:
- Seeding content with micro KOLs and KOCs who can frame the game as part of daily life, not just a product to install.
- Optimizing Notes to rank for search terms related to game genres, characters, and in-game events.
- Designing campaigns where paid ad traffic lands on well-built note clusters and KOL content, not on empty brand profiles with no community signal.
- Coordinating UGC-style guides, including character build recommendations or event walkthroughs.
What We Avoid in Xiaohongshu Game Marketing Campaigns
On Xiaohongshu, we avoid anything that feels like a traditional display ad. Users come for recommendations and social proof, not generic brand claims.
We also avoid running paid campaigns without organic seeded notes. When there are no authentic voices around a foreign title, even well-targeted ads from popular game companies struggle to convert attention into app installs or long-term interest.
Influencer Collaborations for Brand Credibility
In China’s gaming market, influencer marketing is often how foreign titles quickly earn legitimacy, especially when players are already overwhelmed by domestic releases.
We run Chinese influencer collaborations to build credibility within platforms and gaming communities that drive installs, retention, and long-term fandom. This is also where we control the brand narrative.
Without creator validation, even strong paid media campaigns struggle to convert because Chinese players prioritize social proof before spending on premium games.
Sourcing and Vetting Game Content Creators in China
When we build an influencer roster for video games, we start from the title and its audience, not from a random list of big names. We analyze genre fit, platform behavior, and the type of player decision each creator can influence. In China, niche authority often outperforms mass reach, especially for competitive, strategy, or RPG genres.
Our creator sourcing framework for game marketing in China includes:
- Genre Alignment: We match creators based on gameplay specialization. A MOBA KOL cannot effectively promote a cozy farming simulator. Audience expectations are strict, and genre loyalty is strong.
- KOC vs. KOL Strategy: We use KOCs for authenticity and review-style content, while activating mid-tier KOLs and livestream hosts when scale and momentum are required in a game marketing campaign.
- Audience Quality: We analyze comment depth, replay views, and discussion velocity when sourcing influencers for game marketing in China. Always remember that passive follower bases do not drive installs.
- Content Direction and Localization: We do not allow generic content in which influencers simply play games to entertain their audiences. We guide creators on which mechanics to highlight, which character builds resonate locally, and which event cycles to synchronize with.
- Compliance Awareness: For titles entering China formally, we ensure messaging aligns with local licensing and content-sensitivity requirements.
- Performance Monitoring and Optimization: We track not just views, but saves, comments, repost chains, and community spillover into forums.
Case Example
Gentler Streak is a fitness and wellness app built around personalized training and sustainable habit building. To grow its presence in the Chinese market, Sekkei Digital Group designed an influencer program on Xiaohongshu that followed the same logic we apply to mobile games and tech-related apps.
We sourced and enrolled 22 fitness, tech, and lifestyle KOCs whose content aesthetics and posting habits matched Gentler Streak’s vision. Posts from these creators garnered more than 1 million total views and over 10,000 total engagements.
Short-Video Marketing and Live-streaming for User Engagements
We use short videos and live streaming to shorten the evaluation cycle for gamers in China. Instead of asking players to trust ads or store listings, we let them watch real mechanics, real reactions, and real performance signals.
This matters because 4 in 10 Chinese players in China (43.9%) watch video games/esports livestreams, with Douyin as a major viewing platform.
1. Douyin
Douyin is a massive market with 766 million daily active users who browse videos and livestreams. As important as this audience reach is, it’s worth noting that your competitors are, for the most part, already promoting their titles on the platform.
Around 72% of gamers in China say that they discover new game titles through short-form videos. Given that this is Douyin’s primary content format, the platform undoubtedly holds influence in launching effective game marketing campaigns in the domestic market.
How We Use Douyin for Game Marketing in China
Douyin works best when you treat it like a performance media environment, even for organic content. The algorithm rewards watch time, replays, comment velocity, and conversion behaviors such as profile clicks and shares.
That means your creative must communicate gameplay clarity instantly, then keep users watching long enough to trigger distribution.
Some of the Douyin marketing strategies we execute for game companies are:
- High-impact short-video creatives that showcase gameplay mechanics.
- Split-screen reaction videos with KOLs explaining gameplay strategies while screen-recording their session.
- Event-driven videos during soft launches or seasonal drops to sync with content interest cycles.
- Douyin Store integration (when applicable) for direct install journeys and retargeting through Douyin’s ad ecosystem.
How We Use Douyin for Game Marketing in China
We never repurpose horizontal trailers or global ads for Douyin. They simply do not convert. Chinese users expect fast-cut mobile-native content that entertains before it informs.
As much as possible, we also avoid dumping content all at once. The platform’s algorithm punishes irregular uploads and rewards sustained engagement.
2. Bilibili
This video-sharing platform primarily focuses on themes such as youth culture, anime, comics, and gaming. As a result, Bilibili has become the most popular marketing channel for online games and tech-related brands.
This platform earns its power from content depth. Bilibili is where we show full mechanics, explain why a game is worth time, and build credibility through creators who can actually teach through gameplay, without sounding like an ad.
How We Use Bilibili for Game Marketing in China
We use Bilibili to establish credibility with core gamers, create durable, searchable content, and activate creator communities that sustain discussion beyond the launch window.
Our Bilibili activations for foreign game companies in China include:
- KOC and Mid-Tier Creator Streams: We engage creators who play in similar genres and understand how to engage Chinese audiences.
- Mechanics Tutorials & Meta Analysis: Long-form videos showcasing how progression works, monetization feels, and gameplay balance plays out.
- Platform-Custom Thumbnails & Tags: We optimize for Bilibili’s internal discovery system by using customized captions, titles, and cover images that resonate with fandoms.
- Campaign Reporting & Community Feedback Analysis: We monitor comments and viewer sentiment in real time and adjust creator scripts accordingly for multi-phase campaigns.
What We Avoid in Bilibili Game Marketing Campaigns
We do not post generic launch trailers with no commentary. Bilibili users expect depth, and promotional-only content is viewed as lazy or inauthentic.
Other than that, we avoid working with non-gaming creators simply to “reach a wider base” because it undermines audience perception. Their audience may watch, but they don’t install.
Case Study Example
Riftstorm is a co-op shooter with top-down mechanics and stylized visuals. To build traction during its pre-alpha phase, we launched a Bilibili livestream campaign to build trust with creators and showcase actual gameplay.
We enrolled three gaming KOCs on Bilibili and managed the full campaign lifecycle, from creator sourcing and briefing to live session support and post-stream reporting. As a result, the livestreams generated over 40,000+ total views and 47,000+ engagements.
3. SEO and SEM for Brand Authority
Beyond social media, it’s also important for non-Chinese companies to maintain an active presence in China’s search engines.
Baidu prioritizes hosted content within its ecosystem, including Baidu Baike, Zhidao, Tieba, and more. It also rewards localized domains, simplified Chinese content, and consistent update frequency.
A foreign studio relying on an overseas website without an ICP license or Baidu indexing will struggle to build trust in this environment.
How We Execute SEO and SEM for Game Marketing in China
For video games, Baidu visibility is driven by trust signals, brand control, and search-intent capture, which map to how Chinese players actually decide what to try next. That means we build organic credibility first, then use SEM to scale demand once we see which queries and communities are converting.
Our integrated SEO and SEM strategy in China includes:
- Developing fully localized Chinese landing pages hosted on compliant infrastructure to ensure indexing and load speed reliability.
- Creating and managing Baidu Baike entries to formalize brand identity and increase structured authority signals.
- Participating in Baidu Zhidao and Tieba discussions to influence early narrative framing and community perception.
- Bidding on branded keywords, genre-based searches, and competitor comparison queries.
- Continuously refining keyword clusters based on actual search query data from Baidu Analytics.
4. Digital Advertising Campaigns for Brand Awareness and Conversion
When promoting video games in China, digital ads must align with player discovery patterns. That means short-video ads for top-of-funnel awareness, search ads for high-intent capture, and livestream amplification for mid-funnel engagement.
We do not treat digital advertising as isolated placements. It needs to integrate influencer content, search visibility, and community management to maximize effectiveness.
How We Execute Digital Advertising for Games in China
We use digital advertising to do two things: scale awareness fast and convert demand efficiently. The key is to select platforms based on genre, audience, and funnel stage, then pair paid media with creator content and community signals.
Here are the digital advertising strategies we execute for foreign game developers and publishers in China:
- In-feed video ads built from gameplay images and clips, such as short loops, win moments, character reveals, or challenges.
- Search ads that capture high-intent queries when users look up new games, specific mechanics, or branded terms after seeing creator content.
- Live traffic ads to push users into livestreams where real-time demonstration and interaction drive stronger conversion and retention.
- Retargeting based on video engagement moves viewers who watched or interacted with a video into a second wave with deeper proof, such as reviews, events, or rewards.
What Makes Game Marketing in China Different for Foreign IPs
1. Marketing Restrictions for Online Games in China
Every title distributed in mainland China must obtain an ISBN approval from the National Press and Publication Administration.Without it, formal launch and paid acquisition become severely restricted.
The regulatory environment influences how and when you can promote. Content involving violence, politics, religion, or excessive monetization mechanics may be subject to additional scrutiny.
Given its massive audience and high player spending, the Chinese government has also imposed strict regulations and laws on the promotion of video games to its younger population. Publishers must implement mandatory real-name registration, enforce spending limits based on age, and remove inappropriate content to comply with NPPA requirements.
2. Competitive Saturation
The Chinese video game market is already dominated by major local publishers and strong domestic titles that already understand Chinese preferences.
This saturation creates two realities. First, acquisition costs rise quickly when the creative lacks differentiation. Second, players compare aggressively. They analyze mechanics, fairness of monetization, update frequency, and community health before committing.
What works is clear positioning and strong community proof. What fails is assuming global brand recognition will carry over. In China, game recognition must be rebuilt locally.
3. Distinct Local Gaming Behaviors
China’s game user base is enormous and diverse, spanning mobile, PC, and console players. The local gaming community is socially embedded. Many players spend time following livestreams, watching long-form playthroughs, and engaging with content creators before committing to a title.
Another unique behavior is high sensitivity to monetization and fairness. Players in China often judge a game by whether it feels rewarding without being exploitative.
Despite these challenges, a significant portion of gamers spend more time per week on gaming than on other forms of entertainment. Among other factors driving this is esports engagement, a major driver of fandom loyalty and community identity for foreign games in China.
Our China Game Marketing Framework for Foreign Publishers
Entering China without a structured framework is where most foreign publishers lose time and budget. The market is too competitive and too regulated for guesswork.
Our role as a game marketing agency in China is to assess readiness, shape demand before launch, assign a clear function to each platform in the funnel, and continuously optimize based on real campaign feedback.
1. Determining Market Readiness
Before we activate any platform, we assess whether there is measurable demand from China. If organic signals already exist, we amplify them. If not, we test carefully before scaling.
Market readiness is not a subjective feeling. It is visible in the data. For PC and cross-platform titles, we examine STEAM CHINA activity, wishlist growth, Chinese language reviews, and forum discussions.
What we evaluate before moving forward:
- Steam wishlist traction and Simplified Chinese engagement.
- Forum discussions and organic UGC volume.
- Demand from grey markets or unofficial distribution.
- Genre performance benchmarks inside China’s gaming ecosystem.
- Compliance feasibility, including the ISBN pathway and publishing partner viability.
2. Developing a Pre-Launch Campaign (Optional)
For new games that have not officially launched in China, we often run a controlled pre-launch activation to gauge public perception. This stage is optional but highly strategic. It allows us to test messaging, creator alignment, and gameplay resonance without committing to full-scale paid media.
Our Riftstorm campaign is a strong example. At the pre-alpha stage, we activated three Bilibili KOCs to livestream gameplay and generate real-time feedback.
What a pre-launch test helps us measure:
- Viewer sentiment during livestreams.
- Questions raised by Chinese players about mechanics.
- Engagement depth rather than vanity views.
- Creator audience fit for future scale.
3. Campaign and Funnel Strategy Development
China’s game discovery funnel is not linear. Users see content in short-video feeds, validate through search and forums, then return to creators or livestreams before downloading. Our job is to design a funnel that aligns with this behavior.
We map each platform to a specific role in awareness, validation, engagement, or conversion. This prevents wasted spend and ensures your game shows up at the right moment during the evaluation process.
Once platforms are selected, we design content formats that mirror how Chinese players consume information. Our media mix usually includes livestreams hosted by KOLs or KOCs, short-form videos, long-form articles with visuals, and targeted ad campaigns.
4. Content and Creative Localization
China does not reward recycled global assets. Chinese gamers expect localized language and aesthetic choices that match their cultural references and genre expectations.
We redesign marketing content to communicate the game’s value in a way Chinese players intuitively understand.
Our content and creative localization process includes:
- Rewriting claims to match platform review standards and gamer vocabulary.
- Designing creatives in vertical or platform-native ratios.
- Adapting headlines to match how Chinese players search and discuss genres.
- Integrating QR codes and in-platform CTAs when appropriate.
5. Testing, Monitoring, and Optimization
Game marketing in China requires constant oversight. Platforms can restrict delivery, re-review creatives, or shift algorithmic priorities without notice. We monitor campaigns daily and adjust content performance, budget distribution, and creator direction in real time.
Optimization is also not optional. It is what keeps campaigns stable and cost-efficient inside China’s rapidly shifting platform ecosystems.
Successful Game Marketing Campaigns We Launched in China
Rail Route
Rail Route partnered with our team to introduce its strategic railway simulation gameplay to Chinese audiences through Bilibili. The objective was to build awareness among niche PC gamers and drive engagement through credible creator-led content.
Solutions We Executed
We launched a focused KOC campaign on Bilibili, selecting three gaming creators aligned with strategy and simulation genres. The campaign included livestream sessions and gameplay walkthroughs, supported by structured messaging and real-time interaction to maximize engagement.
Campaign Outcomes
The campaign delivered strong traction among Bilibili’s gaming community, successfully positioning Rail Route within its target niche.
970,000+
total views on Bilibili
41,000+
total interactions
2,500+
comments generated
Sennheiser
Sennheiser approached our team to increase brand awareness and grow community engagement in China through integrated activations across major platforms where Chinese consumers discover and validate international brands.
Solutions We Executed
For this campaign, we combined WeChat activations, Weibo campaigns, and targeted KOL collaborations. This included interactive booths at offline events, creator partnerships highlighting product use, and social content that encouraged photo uploads, follows, and shares, all supported by ongoing community management.
Campaign Outcomes
The campaign series generated sustained visibility and measurable engagement growth across Sennheiser’s China social media presence.
+199.45
WeChat and Weibo followers over a year
600,000+
total campaign views
5,500+
total campaign engagements
Plan Your Next China Game Marketing Strategy with SDG
China’s gaming market can look overwhelming from the outside. Multiple platforms, licensing requirements, community-driven content discovery, and strict review standards all shape how a title succeeds or fails.
At Sekkei Digital Group, we design game marketing strategies grounded in real campaign data, regulatory awareness, and hands-on execution across China’s major platforms. Get in touch and let’s talk about how we can help your next campaign reach the right audiences.
LEAVE A MESSAGE OR
ADD US ON WECOM:
