Why are successful games in China do not get popular in the West?

In my last post I mentioned that games from China rarely succeed in Western markets, even if they were successful in their homeland. I received several letters from those interested in this topic, so I will try to tell you more about it in this article.

China is by far the largest gaming market in the world . The huge market generates a lot of games developed in the country and creates significant internal profits. But so far I have not seen a single successful game made in China, which would become popular in the West.

A few years ago, in discussions about transferring games from one market to another, we talked about game transfers. Now a deeper understanding has emerged that what is really needed is not a simple translation of game content into another language, but full localization. Of course, the translation of the text makes up most of the localization. However, localizing the game also includes changing the visual style, game design, monetization, and more.

Visual style

Graphics is the first thing to work on when moving to a new market. The visual style of the East is very different from the western, including the use of colors, proportions of characters, hairstyles and style of clothes, the shape of persons, accessories, etc. Although these factors may not be the most critical in the whole process of game development, however if they are not worked out properly, they become the main “weak point” when the game enters a new market.
')
That is why many Chinese companies are going to complete the reskinning of their games, so that they become more visually acceptable to the West. However, the style refers not only to 2D or 3D-graphics, but also to the appearance of the user interface. Asian games, unlike Western games, usually have a more complex UI. As I said in my previous articles , the most popular game genre in China is the MMORPG. Although not all Chinese games belong to this genre, their gameplay is traditionally quite complicated, so the user interface looks overloaded. If we look at the top lines in the ratings of Western app stores, we will see that users prefer a simpler interface. Another big problem with localizing UI is the different length of text in different languages.


Popular among Chinese players visual style

Game world background

In China, games that are set in the era of the Three Kingdoms or during the Journey to the West can become very popular. However, for Western players, such an entourage will say little. The European Middle Ages are a historical analogue of the era of the Three Kingdoms for the West. We also need to carefully monitor the cultural context of the game’s content so as not to “offend” the new market. For example, some female characters in Chinese games are exposed to too large areas of the body, which can be offensive to players of both sexes in the West.


Casual game in the entourage of the era of the Three Kingdoms

Pace of the game

Usually, Chinese players consume content very quickly. Over the same time period, Western audiences achieve less progress in the game. Therefore, to match the pace of the game to different target audiences, developers need to adjust the balance of the game mechanic, including skills, attributes, timings, rewards, etc. Outwardly, everything is simple, but in fact it is very difficult to “gut” a high-quality game balance in order to create another one. In my opinion, it is much easier to do everything from scratch.

Monetization strategy

The free-to-play monetization model has gained popularity in Asia, it is widespread in China, and Chinese players are used to it. The pay-to-win approach is often used in China and users accept it, however, despite this, it is not recommended: pay-to-win is not the best monetization strategy even in China. Compared to Western players who prefer to pay for unlocking levels or content, players in China usually pay for passing the game: defeating a boss, skipping a difficult level, etc.

Mentality

In addition to the other aspects listed above, several times before my eyes, the main reason for the failure of the localization project was the difference in mentalities. Let's say your game is very successful in China, and you want to release it in the West. You hire western game designers and product managers. When your western employees give you a list of changes that must be made by developers in order to enter the game into a new market, the development team that created the initial successful project refuses to make changes and work on the project in general. Let's put ourselves in their place. If you have a successful game on the domestic market, why do you need to create something new from it for an unknown market? When you work on a game that makes millions or billions a month, why would you listen to someone whose market is smaller than yours? You get a big bonus for your current job, so why not put more effort into it and not increase the bonus instead of being distracted by something with incomprehensible prospects? Obviously, why localization in such conditions is not very smooth. The only way for top management to cope with this is to state that entering the western market is the most important strategy for the entire company. Make it clear that this goal has the highest priority for the company and set up a bonus system accordingly.

Conclusion

I tried to explain the differences in taste, culture, attitudes towards monetization and development between East and West. Now you can understand why I answer negatively when they ask me whether it is worthwhile to adapt successful Chinese games for the West.

Of course, if you cope with all the above aspects before launching in the western market, you will increase your chances that your game will get the same success in the West as in the East. If you decide to go this way, then I believe that the best strategy will be partnership with a prestigious western publisher with experience in successfully launching Eastern games in the Western market. He will be able to go with you the whole process of adaptation and ensure that the game matches the new target audience. I also suggest that you evaluate the costs and effectiveness of creating a completely new game for the Western market in order to compare and decide which strategy suits your company more.

As I mentioned in the previous article , the western market is huge, and there is high competition in the Chinese market. Entering the Western market is a good way to get a new source of income, and feedback from users of other cultures can inspire you to innovate in new products. As the Chinese mobile gaming market is becoming more competitive, now is the best time for developers to look at the western market. Of course, expansion to a new market is never easy, but it can pay for itself many times over. Chinese companies need a good strategy, including investing in a talented western team to create original games and enter the western market with them. My thoughts on this can be read here .

PS from the translator: this article begins a cycle of translations of 4-5 articles about the features of the Asian video game market. Find the rest will be on the tag "Asian Games".