More than 200 Chinese games applied for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) China Hero Project during its latest round. After the huge success of games like Black Myth: Wukong, this is clearly not a surprise.
Speaking at an event in Shanghai on July 31, Bao Bo, director of the China Hero Project confirmed the overwhelming numbers Sony’s China Hero Project is seeing.
“More than 200 games submitted applications in the third phase alone,” Bao said. “Some of these developers have even used their involvement in the project as leverage to attract additional investment.”
The China Hero Project, much like the company’s India Hero Project, is PlayStation’s long-term initiative to support promising game developers out of China with funding, training, promotion, and access to global partners and markets.
Selected projects receive a service package valued at over 1 million yuan (approximately $140,000), along with mentorship from veterans of AAA studios and introductions to investors and publishers.
Bao confirmed that Sony Shanghai also makes direct investments is some projects it deems promising, although not all teams receive funding from PlayStation. “If a game is fun and high quality, that’s enough for us,” Bao explained.
The third phase of Sony’s China Hero Project has selected 9 to 10 games so far, and they’re preparing to launch phase 4 soon. With 19 total games selected across the first three phases, 10 already released and 9 in development, the program is now entering its fourth phase with even stronger industry attention.
As China’s game development scene matures, Sony seems to be taking a keen interest in the market. With Xbox pretty much out of the picture at this point, it is the perfect time for Sony to invest heavily in the Chinese market as well. The large number of applications highlight the hunger and potential of Chinese Studios looking to reach a global audience through PlayStation.
China Hero Project seems poised to remain a key player in shaping the future of China’s console game development scene.
