ChinaJoy 2024, Asia’s premier gaming expo opens on Friday, drawing industry leaders eager to tap into the Chinese market and forge international partnerships.
Over 600 exhibitors from around the world are showcasing their latest offerings at the Shanghai event.
Zhu Shenshen / SHINE
Sony is releasing new titles including “Loulan” (second from left) as part of its China Hero Project.
Japan-based Sony announced updates to its China Hero Project, which supports the development and global distribution of new PlayStation games created by Chinese developers.
Tatsuo Eguchi, chairman and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment (Shanghai) Co, said the company is always glad to bring Chinese games and culture to the global market.
Three new titles – “Unending Dawn,” “Brocade-Clad Guard” and “Kroraina (Loulan)” – were announced on Thursday to join the plan. Loulan was an ancient kingdom near an important oasis city along the Silk Road on the northeastern edge of the Lop Desert of Xinjiang, one of the most mysterious regions in China.
A 5G-advanced (5G-A) network, developed by Shanghai Telecom, ZTE and Qualcomm, will be available at ChinaJoy venues for high-speed Internet access and low latency connections, which helps provide seamless virtual-reality experiences.
Compared with current 5G, 5G-A advantages include up to 10 times faster downloads, enhanced experience on gaming and AR/VR and better interconnection for smart city construction, experts said.
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5G-A networks will be offered at ChinaJoy to provide a better VR experience.
Most smartphones and 22 computers now support the latest Snapdragon technologies with on-device artificial intelligence and ray-tracing, bringing players a better gaming experience, said Qualcomm, the world’s biggest mobile chip firm. It also announced deals and new releases with Chinese firms like NetEase, Tencent and OPPO.
Russia-based Yandex is attending ChinaJoy and the Russian market is considered a promising opportunity for Chinese game developers. The company reported a 45 percent increase in user engagement in the Russian mobile gaming market last year, with 40 percent of Chinese apps receiving strong interest from Russian users.
French gaming studio Ubisoft will have a corporate booth at ChinaJoy. Visitors will be able to play its newly released games, while shows and activities will take place on stage. The company has also set up an exhibition of licensed products including Division 2, Ubisoft’s AAA open-world shooter game that Tencent helped publish and operate.
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Blizzard posters are seen at the ChinaJoy venue.