To be honest, it’s nothing new for Chinese gamers to worship top-tier international titles, but I never expected overseas gamers to go on and on about a Chinese game like this.
On November 7, the mobile game *Jade Dynasty*, dubbed "NetEase's Black Sheep," officially launched its international server and quickly climbed to the top of the free app charts in many countries around the world, winning over a legion of overseas fans.
They were deeply fascinated by the game’s portrayal of traditional Chinese culture, its architectural settings rooted in Chinese aesthetics, its powerful character customization system, and the diverse array of outfits that exude a distinctly Chinese aesthetic throughout. Their wide-eyed wonder evoked a sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of the first time we encountered major overseas titles over a decade ago.
In fact, signs of this backlash against Tian Gang had already begun to emerge during the closed beta testing of the international version of the *Ni Shui Han* mobile game, with many overseas streamers giving extensive coverage to this controversial title from NetEase.
Minsleif, a YouTuber with 390,000 subscribers, has praised the martial arts combat in the *Jade Dynasty* mobile game, noting that its combat style is built around traditional Chinese martial arts schools and fully captures the essence of the wuxia genre. Each school in the game has its own unique characteristics and distinct style.
Another streamer, GamingAtMax, is captivated by the idyllic landscapes of *Jade Dynasty Mobile*, which are imbued with a distinctively Eastern aesthetic; their breathtaking beauty makes them seem like a vivid, lifelike painting. He then offered a “sharp critique” of the game’s AI NPCs, arguing that this highly innovative system fully unleashes the charm of open-world gaming, thereby bringing the entire martial arts world of the game to life.
Overseas players have also been sharing their thoughts in the comments section. Some believe that solid gameplay is the most crucial factor, noting that the interactivity of the open world in *Jade Dynasty Mobile* is astonishing and that the future of wuxia games looks bright.Others, however, questioned the authenticity of the gameplay footage shown in the video, arguing that such visuals would be difficult to achieve on a mobile platform. Surprisingly, a veteran player stepped forward as an unofficial advocate, stating that most of what was shown was “100% real.” They noted that with every update, both the graphics and skill effects have visibly improved, and that the new mechanics, cutscenes, and raid dungeons are truly worth investing in. They invited other players to join the official forum to help debunk the skeptics online.
Even many state-run media outlets have weighed in, with People’s Daily Online touting the game’s “Song Dynasty-inspired aesthetic” as having broken through global boundaries, and noting that *Jade Dynasty* is writing a new chapter in the digitization of Chinese culture. Japan’s Asahi Shimbun also covered the story, stating that the AI-powered photo-based character customization feature in the *Jade Dynasty* mobile game showcased at this year’s Tokyo Game Show was truly astonishing.
All signs point to this Chinese-developed game garnering enthusiastic reception and attention in overseas markets. Interestingly, for a long time, the global expansion of Chinese mobile games was viewed merely as a means to “cash in” on users in new markets. However, judging by the response in these overseas markets, the global launch of *Niushuihan* seems more like a continuation of its original slogan—“Making MMOs Great Again”—truly marking its journey from China to the world.
Why is that?For one thing, "Jade Dynasty" has consistently ranked among the top titles on domestic bestseller lists. Beyond its in-game revenue, the secondary economy driven by its IP influence is staggering. For instance, during today’s live-streamed sales event on Douyin, "Jade Dynasty" raked in 10 million yuan in just one hour, with the live stream maintaining a steady viewership of over 50,000. This clearly demonstrates that the game has achieved both significant revenue and strong player engagement in the domestic market.
On the other hand, when it comes to expanding into international markets, cultural appeal is key. The fact that the total number of players who pre-registered for the international server has already surpassed 10 million is clear evidence of the strong reception this Chinese game has received from overseas players.
As can be seen, with a solid domestic foundation, the mobile game *Niushuihan*, which leverages the global expansion of Chinese culture, seeks not only commercial success in overseas markets but also aims to serve as a cultural calling card for China’s cultural influence on the international stage, building a bridge for communication with players worldwide.
01
Connecting the World Through Aesthetics and Good Taste
Over the past few years, it has become an indisputable fact that competition in the domestic mobile gaming market has been fierce. As the market has rapidly shifted from one driven by new users to one focused on existing users, domestic developers have been forced to turn their attention overseas in search of new markets. Consequently, for quite some time, expanding into overseas markets has been widely regarded by many developers as the solution to their current challenges.
However, at that time, traditional Chinese culture had not yet established a strong presence on the global stage. Due to numerous differences in culture and customs, the path for domestic games to go global was fraught with obstacles, and many titles ultimately found themselves stuck in a cycle of exporting only to be re-imported for domestic sales. Meanwhile, other titles, in an effort to cater to overseas markets, placed greater emphasis on popular foreign themes and cultural elements, falling far short of the cultural expansion that many players had hoped for.
Therefore, in the past, I had serious doubts about whether *Jade Dynasty* Mobile would succeed overseas—not because the game lacked quality, but because a title centered on traditional culture and wuxia themes clearly didn’t have an advantage in the overseas market.
However, if you look closely, you’ll notice that from the very beginning, *Jade Dynasty* Mobile has centered its content around traditional Chinese culture, investing significant effort into architectural scenes inspired by Chinese aesthetics, character costumes reflecting traditional Chinese style, and martial arts storylines steeped in uniquely Chinese romance.During its operation, while many players criticized it as the ultimate “monster of fusion,” it must be acknowledged that the abundance of “fused” gameplay elements prevented the open-world experience and interactions from feeling overly monotonous, greatly expanding the game’s playability and broadening its appeal to a diverse player base. Furthermore, with domestic games continuing to make a splash in the global market over the past two years, it’s evident that *Jade Dynasty* is also attempting to tackle the challenge of cultural adaptation for Chinese games going global in its own way.
On the one hand, cultural outreach must be grounded in a sufficiently high standard of taste, because gamers everywhere share common aesthetic preferences and sensibilities. This means that any traditional culture that is truly excellent and beautiful can transcend cultural and linguistic barriers to foster a shared sense of connection and experience.
In contrast, *Ni Shui Han* builds this aesthetic and sensibility rooted in traditional culture upon visual appeal and immersive experience. Earlier, the beauty of Song Dynasty charm—evoked by picturesque bridges and flowing streams, as well as the Su-style gardens—had already captivated audiences, fully showcasing the allure of Chinese-style wuxia. The recently launched “Yue Guan Shan” update further dazzles with breathtakingly beautiful Chinese-style scenes, such as “red grasslands sweeping like raging flames and the Yellow River surging like a silver ribbon.”The Guan-Shan region is not only a strategic corridor linking the Central Plains to the frontier and the essential route to the vast Silk Road, but also a place that has witnessed the rise of countless heroes. This fusion of tragic grandeur and the poetic imagery of vast, desolate landscapes unfolds a sensory feast for all players, where epic martial arts and Eastern aesthetics intertwine.
When it comes to mainstream character outfits, the mobile game *Jade Dynasty* has long been dedicated to the goal of “bringing traditional culture to life through players’ attire.” Not only has it introduced character outfits inspired by the Four Great Classical Novels—*Dream of the Red Chamber*,the ancient classic *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, but has also drawn upon China’s 5,000-year history, using mainstream clothing from various dynasties as inspiration to create the “Twenty-Four Histories” themed Warring States Robe, which has been widely acclaimed and highly praised by players.
Not to mention, they invited Luo Jiyi, a master of traditional Chinese music, to compose the soundtrack using traditional instruments such as the xiao and the huqin, and had Luo Zhenyu, a lecturer on traditional Chinese culture, step into the role of a storyteller from Bianjing to recount the unique way of life along the Song-Xia border during the Song Dynasty. From this perspective, exporting high-quality cultural content and aesthetic sensibilities is undoubtedly the best approach to breaking into international markets.
On the other hand, in overseas markets, most players adhere to one fundamental truth: gameplay is what really matters. As I mentioned earlier, given the long-standing integration of various gameplay elements in *Jade Dynasty Mobile*, the game’s overall content ecosystem has evolved from its original open-world wuxia setting into a hybrid that blends numerous gameplay styles.
As the saying goes, you can’t please everyone, but having a wide variety of gameplay content means we can best cater to the tastes of different players and help them find the fun that suits them best.At the same time, the mobile version of "Jade Dynasty" continues to align with international standards in terms of gameplay, constantly introducing fresh features. For example, the recently launched "Jade Dynasty Chess" mode deeply integrates the rules of auto-battler games with the game’s unique universe. Players will encounter both close friends and arch-rivals on the chessboard, reliving the ups and downs of their adventures in the martial arts world.
The recently launched "Treasure Hunt in the Vast Sea" blends traditional Chinese aesthetics and martial arts themes with the currently popular loot-based gameplay. Its low barrier to entry and the thrill of opening loot boxes have players hooked. In particular, the game caters to different player preferences by offering three distinct modes: PVE, PVP, and pure quest-solving and puzzle-solving. It really makes you wonder, "Can a game be this much fun?"
Of course, the above pertains solely to content. When it comes to features that domestic players have long taken for granted—such as the game’s evolving graphics, the incredibly detailed character customization, and the AI-enhanced martial arts world—the reaction from overseas players has been far more enthusiastic. Thus, creating a platform for cultural exchange between China and international players through high-quality cultural content and a rich variety of gameplay systems may well be the unique strategy for *Jade Dynasty Mobile* to succeed in the global market.
02
Paying is no longer a simple choice
As the old saying goes, “Before you can secure the outside, you must first stabilize the inside.” The fact that *Jade Dynasty* Mobile can expand overseas with such confidence is undoubtedly due to its solid and stable domestic user base. In my view, one of the keys to its success may lie in its consistent efforts to address the common challenges of long-term MMO operations.
Simply put, the two main problems plaguing long-running MMOs are a lack of players and a lack of revenue.While content is king in MMOs, the constant stream of content updates and feature additions can easily create a high barrier to entry, making it difficult for new players to get started. Meanwhile, a steady decline in quality leads to a continuous exodus of veteran players, inevitably resulting in a shrinking active player base. Whether it’s a subscription-based game or a free-to-play title, revenue is typically directly tied to player numbers and activity levels. A single revenue model combined with a shrinking player base naturally leads to a steady decline in revenue.
However, looking at the data from the past two years of *Jade Dynasty*’s mobile game operations, both player engagement and revenue figures have been exceptionally strong. The key factors behind this success are the game’s diversified revenue model and its ability to cater to the spending habits of younger audiences.
First, as early as 2023, *Jade Dynasty* Mobile established a new revenue model based on high-volume, low-price sales by selling over 100 million 6-yuan cosmetic items, creating a miracle in the MMO market. Over the past two years, *Jade Dynasty* Mobile has been exploring more diversified revenue models in hopes of identifying new sources of revenue growth.
The most striking example came this past September, when the official *Jade Dynasty* mobile game account launched its first live-streamed sales event on Douyin. In just four hours, it raked in a staggering 25 million yuan. A chisel priced at 10.8 yuan sold 330,000 units in a single hour, while the 9.9-yuan jade carving box sold 73,000 units.and numerous related merchandise items were completely sold out shortly after going on sale. Ultimately, the event generated over 30 million yuan in revenue, earning the game the title of "Douyin’s E-commerce King."
In addition to becoming a top influencer in the e-commerce space, *Jade Dynasty Mobile* has been pursuing its own strategic goals across platforms—such as launching on Steam and releasing a PC desktop version—and even expanding overseas to build new revenue streams, enabling it to continuously attract new users across multiple platforms.
In particular, for the PC platform—where users place a greater emphasis on quality and experience—the game has not only incorporated the latest full-scene ray tracing technology but also adopted a PC-game-style UI design, meeting the standards of top-tier PC titles. This has enhanced its competitive edge in terms of quality and, as a result, generated significant revenue.
In addition, the ongoing cultivation of a younger consumer base has also injected new vitality into the overall monetization model.To give a simple example, Douyin’s live-streaming e-commerce is designed to cater to the spending habits of younger users. These new payment channels not only increase visibility among younger audiences but also further unlock their spending power. Whether it’s IP merchandise or virtual items, the logic behind these purchases boils down to “paying for what you love.” Consequently, the true test lies in users’ loyalty to the product and their identification with their player identity. As evidenced by the top spot on Douyin’s live-streaming sales rankings, it’s clear that younger users place immense value on this.
Today, most young gamers adopt a pragmatic approach to spending, prioritizing simplicity and aesthetics. Whether we look at the commercial strategy of *Jade Dynasty Mobile* or the product strategies employed in Douyin’s e-commerce campaigns, it’s clear that their philosophies align perfectly. A monetization model that directly appeals to the spending preferences of young gamers is naturally more likely to be accepted and embraced.
Conclusion
The overseas performance of the *Jade Dynasty* mobile game demonstrates an approach that goes beyond mere commercial exploitation. By deeply exploring Chinese aesthetics and wuxia culture, and leveraging a rich gameplay system as its foundation, it has successfully sparked organic interest and discussion in overseas markets.
This demonstrates that when domestic games achieve a sufficiently high level of cultural depth and quality, they can transcend cultural differences and gain recognition from players worldwide. Their proven diversified revenue models in the domestic market also open up more possibilities for long-term growth overseas. This expansion into international markets is more akin to a cultural exchange and exploration grounded in product excellence.
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/194630
