This year’s Spring Festival season in the gaming industry saw less intense competition among major publishers compared to previous years. The focus has shifted from simply launching new games and updates to a new phase that is more in tune with the festive spirit and emphasizes integration. The gaming industry and the Spring Festival Gala—once two completely unrelated spheres—have truly come together, marking the most notable industry phenomenon of this year’s Spring Festival.
Teahouse has thoroughly compiled the official list of sponsors, partner brands, and co-creation details for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, with a particular focus on gaming sponsors and collaboration specifics. It also highlights major events in the gaming industry during the Spring Festival period, providing a comprehensive overview of the synergy between the gaming industry and the Spring Festival Gala during the Year of the Horse, as well as the industry’s overall development trends.
I. Henan TV Spring Festival Gala: Two Game IPs Collaborate to Create a Traditional Chinese-Style Stage
This year’s Henan TV Spring Festival Gala featured in-depth sponsorship and content collaboration with two major gaming companies, Tencent and NetEase, which presented *The Long Night’s End*—a special segment created in partnership with *Dark Zone Breakthrough*—and *Flowers, Moon, and Spring*—a special segment created in partnership with *Sixteen Sounds of Yan Yun*.
1. *Dark Zone Breakthrough* × *The Long Night Ends*
"The Long Night Finally Ends" is a traditional Chinese-style stage production jointly created by "Dark Zone Breakthrough" and the 2026 Henan TV Spring Festival Gala, and it also serves as a landmark example of the deep integration between video games and mainstream gala events this year.The performance blends animation with live-action footage, seamlessly integrating armored battle dances, battlefield narratives, and the intangible cultural heritage of iron flower artistry. Through visually striking imagery, it brings the game’s spirit of protection and traditional cultural sentiments of patriotism to the Spring Festival Gala stage. It not only showcases the game’s unique hardcore aesthetic but also breathes new life into intangible cultural heritage in a modern context, marking a highlight of the fusion between gaming and culture that transcends traditional boundaries at this year’s gala.
Source: Henan TV Spring Festival Gala
2. *The Sixteen Sounds of Yan Yun* × *Flowers, Moon, and Spring*
Source: "Sixteen Sounds of Yan Yun" Official
"Flowers, Moon, and Spring" presents a different approach to fusion. Building on the Song Dynasty-inspired worldview of "Sixteen Sounds of Yan Yun," the show uses immersive stage visuals and wirework technology to beautifully recreate the "Fanlou Flying Apsaras" from the game. The light and ethereal dance contrasts delightfully with the solemn and rustic traditional Nuo dance,The first half recreates the prosperous dreamscape of Bianliang during the Northern Song Dynasty, while the second half features an array of crimson Nuo masks to perform the traditional ritual of warding off evil and inviting good fortune, achieving a dual presentation of digital scenes and traditional culture within an ethereal artistic atmosphere.
Source: Henan TV Spring Festival Gala
II. Major Events in the Gaming Industry During the 2026 Year of the Horse Lunar New Year
1. "Peace Elite": Over 90 million players joined the "Island New Year's Eve Banquet" on New Year's Eve
On New Year’s Eve 2026, *Peace Elite* set dual record highs with 90 million daily active users and 58 million daily active users for *Oasis: The Dawn*, solidifying its position as the undisputed premier online destination for family reunions.Unlike previous years, which focused solely on new skins and in-game rewards, this year’s Spring Festival update for "Peace Elite" centered on the "Silk Road Celebrates the New Year" version. By integrating Dunhuang aesthetics into the island map and making traditional Chinese elements the core highlight of the Spring Festival update, the game deeply intertwined the festive atmosphere with culture and cross-industry collaborations, breaking away from the old pattern of mere traffic competition.
2. "Honor of Kings" Super Topic Tops Both Weibo Charts, with Interactions Exceeding 18.45 Million
During the Spring Festival, driven by a variety of festive content—including the release of Year of the Horse limited-edition skins, the viral "Little Horse Cake Market" event, massive New Year’s Eve in-game currency giveaways, and offline lantern festival collaborations—the daily interaction volume on the game’s Weibo Super Topic surpassed 18.45 million.with a heat index of 18.46 million. It directly claimed the top spot on both Weibo’s overall gaming super-topics chart and its mobile gaming sub-chart, becoming the most representative social media phenomenon in the gaming industry throughout the Spring Festival holiday. *Honor of Kings*’s absolute dominance during the Spring Festival season continues, confirming that the game has deeply integrated into the daily traditions of family reunions and interactions with friends and relatives during the holiday, becoming an indispensable part of the New Year customs for today’s young people.
3. Genshin Impact’s Lantern Rite Goes Viral, Making an Offline Debut at Two Major High-Speed Rail Stations in Shanghai
During this year’s Spring Festival travel rush, Genshin Impact’s 6th Lantern Festival, themed “Soaring Through the Skies, Celebrating the Moon,” made its offline debut at Shanghai South Railway Station and Hongqiao Railway Station with the support of the Shanghai Municipal Office of Spiritual Civilization. The stations featured multiple photo spots created using light boxes, pillars, and themed murals.The waiting halls featured a giant poster of Zibai, the new Year of the Horse character, the White Horse Immortal, accompanied by a scroll depicting the "Ten Thousand Lights of Liyue" and New Year greetings such as "Horses Treading on Auspicious Clouds, Soaring to the Heavens." At Hongqiao Station, traditional handcrafted white horse sky lanterns stood tall, while characters like Yunjin and Xiangling were displayed throughout the station, conveying the festive spirit of reunion.Simultaneously, the “Galloping Through the Skies, Praising the Jade Wheel” themed event has launched online, featuring the traditional Chinese-style poetry collection *Langfeng: Zibai* and a wealth of rewards. Players can also unlock hidden in-game achievements and items by checking in offline to obtain redemption codes, offering a complete festive experience that seamlessly integrates online and offline activities.
4. *Valorant: Origin Operation*: Views for the "Year of the Horse, Hands Up, Not a Horse" topic surpass 300 million
During the Spring Festival, *Valorant: Source Energy Operation* successfully stood out with its playful slogan, “Year of the Horse: Hit the Roof, Not the Horse,” and its lightweight, highly social Lunar New Year update. This seemingly nonsensical slogan incorporated players’ self-deprecating slang for missed shots into the marketing campaign, spreading like wildfire among young people. The phrase could be seen everywhere—in gaming communities, on social media feeds, and in short video comment sections.The game also featured a special guest appearance by Tao Zhe, the godfather of Chinese R&B, who performed the catchy theme song “Horse Year: Shooting the Roof, Hands Not Horses.” Within the game’s Wa Show Hall, content tailored to Lunar New Year gatherings—such as cyber fortune-telling, fun mini-games, and limited-edition Spring Festival items—was introduced. These features encouraged social interaction between matches, further solidifying *Valorant* Mobile’s strong social appeal.
5. "Operation Delta" × Haidilao: A Benchmark for "Immersive Collaborations" in Physical Settings
From February 7 to March 7, 2026, Tencent’s first-person shooter *Operation Delta* partnered with Haidilao for a nationwide “Liao Da Hong” themed cross-promotion. Over 900 stores across the country participated, with themed pop-up stores opening in 12 cities.Players who purchased the “Liao Da Hong” two-person meal received a physical in-game card set and game CDKs; prices for these CDKs on the secondary market briefly surged to 70–80 yuan each. Additionally, Haidilao clams were added to the game’s map waters, and players could search for them to earn collaboration-themed avatars, sprays, and other rewards. The collaboration generated over 100 million impressions, with offline stores drawing massive crowds, effectively boosting both in-game user engagement and social media buzz.
6. "Egg Party" and RT-Mart Launch Lunar New Year Treasure Hunt
NetEase’s *Egg Party* has launched an in-depth cross-industry collaboration with the retail brand RT-Mart, introducing a “New Year’s Shopping Street Treasure Hunt” themed event—marking RT-Mart’s first-ever offline collaboration with a game IP.The event features an exclusive in-game map recreating a supermarket setting, allowing players to enjoy fun activities such as collecting New Year’s goods and completing treasure hunt challenges online. Additionally, RT-Mart stores in multiple major cities across the country have been transformed into immersive Egg Party-themed spaces, featuring interactive photo spots, co-branded desserts,and spend-and-get-gifts promotions, attracting large numbers of families and young consumers. By transforming New Year’s shopping into a family-friendly interactive game, the collaboration not only infused RT-Mart with youthful energy but also helped *Egg Party* reach a broader family audience, solidifying its position as the top casual game.
原创文章，作者：刘霖，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/195584
