Delisted, on the Brink of Collapse, Then Revived: A Domestic Developer Backed by Foreign Investment Created a Game with 11 Million in Revenue

I rarely use the phrase “making a comeback” to describe a Chinese game, but *Ink Realm*, which officially launched in May, has indeed gone through a year-plus of events that perfectly illustrate what “absurd” really means.

In September 2024, *Ink Realm* launched in Early Access, and I was looking forward to a bright future where I would reach the pinnacle of success. Unexpectedly, less than half a year later, in January 2025, the game was suddenly removed from Steam without any warning.

After a series of unsuccessful appeals, the development team was ready to take the script for *Rebirth: Making Games in XXX* and create a new game. But three months later, Steam pulled the same trick again: it restored *Ink Realm*’s store page and cleared the team’s name.

Akuan, the team leader, told me, “When the game was first taken down, everyone was completely stunned. Even three months later, I was still looking for an affordable office space for the team. One morning at 4 a.m., I was still asleep in a small hotel when a player suddenly called me via QQ Voice and told me, ‘Your game is back online.’ It felt like a dream at that moment.”

Fortunately, there’s always a way out. At a critical juncture—when the game’s very survival was at stake—the development team behind *Ink Realm* secured overseas investment from Singapore-based GCL, successfully keeping the project alive.Subsequently, thanks to a steady stream of updates and grassroots efforts within China, the game’s official version was finally released in May of this year. Total sales exceeded 200,000 copies, and given the Early Access price of 55 yuan, total revenue is estimated to have surpassed 11 million yuan.

In addition, a demo of the team’s new game, *Taigu: The Otherworldly Ordeal*, made a surprise debut at the recent Steam New Releases Festival. Building on the IP and world-building of *Taigu: The Scroll*, the game’s innovative blend of “Vampire Survivors” and “loot-grinding hack-and-slash” gameplay adds a lot to the experience.

We took this opportunity to speak with Akuan, the head of the “Ink Realm” studio, to gain his perspective on how “Ink Realm” managed to win the revival competition, attract investment from overseas companies, and collaborate closely with them to “strengthen and expand” the game.

01

With the foreign investment, they managed to stay afloat.

Teahouse: Now that *Ink Realm* has announced sales of 200,000 copies, it seems to have won its comeback match. What do you think was the most important factor?

Akuan: The most important thing is "people."

Teahouse: Players or Teams?

Akuan: Both are important. Players trust us because we maintain frequent communication and provide regular updates, and they’ve also been helping us identify issues.At its peak, our group had 8,000 members. They often pointed out issues with the game in the group, and we listened carefully to every single comment. It’s not that every change is made exactly as players want, but we can sense what players are looking for, and then break down those feelings to inform our design decisions.

As for our team, I truly believe Mo Jing is an excellent team.Here’s an example: We went through a long slump—such as the period when the game was taken down from the store. The game was gone, and the wishlists we’d worked so hard to build up were wiped clean. Players who didn’t know the full story lashed out at us, and even though we were labeled as “scammers,” not a single team member quit.

I think the most important thing is that we’re all able to make games together, which creates a particularly strong sense of unity and cohesion. I’m truly grateful to everyone on the team.

Teahouse: I know you’ve received investment from GCL, and there are very few cases in China where independent game developers have secured overseas investment. Did it feel like you’d been given a second chance back then?

Akuan: Actually, this company had already taken an interest in us when our EA launch took place. But at that time, we had already signed with a domestic publisher, so we could only politely thank them.

But as luck would have it, our game was later removed from the store, and we terminated our contract with our previous publisher. That’s when 4D, a publisher under GCL, took notice. They said: “We believe in your team’s cohesion and your ability to develop games, and we’re willing to work with you to create a new one.” It wasn’t “wait for you to make a comeback,” but rather “work with you to create a new one.”

That was during the period when the game was taken offline—a time when the studio’s very survival was at stake. For us, it was a lifeline, and we’ve always been deeply grateful. Throughout the production process, 4D didn’t micromanage or interfere excessively,They fully understood who cared most about the game’s quality. During the subsequent marketing and promotion phase, 4D worked closely with our development team to devise a promotional plan. They recognized that we were the ones who knew the game best and placed great trust and support in the promotional ideas we proposed.

Under this model, we’re not only able to leverage our understanding of games to recommend more suitable content creators to publishers, but we’ve also taken on the role of community management, which has significantly strengthened our connection with players and allowed us to better understand their feelings and concerns.

Some games published by 4Divinity

Teahouse: So here's the question: Did you reach out to them, or did they come to you?

Akuan: We reached out to them proactively. The news about the removal wasn’t widely publicized; it was only when we reconnected with all the publishers that they became aware of the situation.

Teahouse: What do you think they value most about you?

Akuan: I value a team’s tenacity and perseverance. The core of game development is the team—if you can make the first game, you can make the second. We see some teams that originated from major studios like Sony or Capcom; their ability to secure investment and funding is largely due to the strength of their teams.

02

At 4 a.m., the game suddenly "came to life."

Teahouse: Last January, the Steam page for *Ink Realm* was suddenly taken down. What happened? What was your first reaction?

Akuan: We were completely caught off guard the day it was taken down. We hadn’t done anything wrong—we were just focused on development, releasing active updates every month. Player engagement and feedback were both great, the version updates were rolling out very quickly, and everyone was full of energy—and then, all of a sudden, it was taken down.

On the morning of the first day, we didn’t think it was a big deal; we assumed Steam had banned us by mistake or made an error. After all, our business was thriving—what could possibly be wrong? It wasn’t until later that we learned there might have been some issues with our former publisher. Since our account was managed by the publisher, we ended up being held accountable as a result.

As for how it was blocked and what the exact reason was, there is still no definitive explanation, and most of what’s circulating online consists of speculation.

Teahouse: But since it went on for three months, it must have had some impact along the way, right?

Akuan: That's right. After a day or two, we realized there was a problem. We consulted with many senior colleagues and industry insiders, and they told us that once a Steam page is taken down, there’s no precedent for it being restored. At the time, our first reaction was that it felt like “the sky had fallen.”

However, we quickly held internal discussions and issued three consecutive announcements stating that we had no intention of running away—after all, we really hadn’t done anything wrong. Later on, we considered whether to change the name and relist the game, but we were afraid Steam would come after us.

In the end, we had no choice but to take a different approach: completely revamp the artwork, expand the content, and relaunch it with a fresh new look to save the game.

Teahouse: So you guys never went through with that in the end. Why not?

Akuan: Actually, we’ve already gotten started. After finalizing the plan in January, we made preparations to rebuild the game from scratch, since we didn’t know whether it would be reinstated on the app store. Our thinking at the time was simple: it’s better to keep working than to just sit around waiting for the worst to happen, so we had no choice but to move forward while filing our appeal.

By the time the game was relaunched, we had already been working on it for about two months—covering everything from copywriting and the storyline to the scenes—and we had even finished Chapter 1 and completed the initial design for Chapter 2.

But just at that point, *Ink Realm* suddenly returned to the app store. By then, we were already in a situation where it was too late to turn back—if we stopped now, all our work over the past two months would have been for nothing.So we made a last-minute decision: we would continue developing the new content and integrate it with the older version, effectively doubling the original scope of *Ink Realm*.

Some concept designs created during the hiatus

Teahouse: Has the removal of the app from the store affected your team's morale? Has it caused anyone to feel anxious?

Akuan: To be honest, after what happened, we weren’t as pessimistic as we might have imagined. Everyone was still pretty motivated because we felt that since the game had already launched, it proved we had the capability to make games—so making another one wouldn’t be a big deal. The only issue we might need to address was funding for development.Looking back now, I still think our team had a strong sense of unity and was truly passionate about making games.

Teahouse: What really stuck with me at the time was that you immediately issued a statement saying, “We will never run away.”

Akuan: It’s mainly because EA’s previous exit has become a source of PTSD for Chinese gamers. When we were making the game, we were absolutely appalled by that kind of behavior; we felt it would be a stain on our lives that could never be erased.The pledge to “never walk away” was something we blurted out without even thinking—we were more focused on how to make game development a long-term endeavor.

In fact, back in 2023, when we were attending an in-person event, Adai and I were chatting in our hotel room and discussed a similar issue: If one day the team really couldn’t hold on anymore and found itself on the brink of collapse, what would we do then?We both agreed that, if it came down to it, the core creative team would simply forgo our salaries and support ourselves by taking on freelance projects—but no matter what, we would keep creating until the game was finished and released.

Teahouse: On the day it went back on sale, did you know about it in advance, or did it just suddenly come back?

Akuan: I found out out of the blue. There was no warning, no sign of it coming.

Our office costs used to be pretty high, but now we’ve moved to the outskirts of the suburbs, right next to Hebei Province. I remember it very clearly—back when we were looking for an office space for the studio, we really just went wherever it was cheapest.I was staying at a small hotel in Tongzhou, and around 4 a.m., a player suddenly called me via QQ Voice, saying, “Your game is back online.”

I was a little dazed at the time—I thought I was dreaming. I stood there stunned for quite a while before I turned on the light and pulled out my computer, and sure enough, the store page was back.

Teahouse: What was the internal reaction at the time? Were people overjoyed?

Akuan: Almost everyone immediately asked, “Is he really alive?” Then we started discussing what to do next.

Since we’ve been working on the new content for two months now, splitting it off into a separate package would definitely be a huge undertaking and take a long time.After discussing it for about a day, we quickly made a decision: we’d split the completed content into several smaller chunks and update the original version with them, continuing this process until the official release. During the Early Access period, all players are considered “founding members”—we figured everyone should enjoy the new content first.

Teahouse: You guys don't dare to make a fuss about this, do you?

Akuan: This did indeed lead to a problem—after the game’s relaunch, we faced nearly two months of “public criticism” right up until the May update. There were a lot of skeptical voices asking, “It’s been so long since the relaunch—why haven’t you updated yet? Did you just run off?” We didn’t dare say anything; we could only keep a low profile.Until we actually delivered the content, anything we said would just sound like empty promises.

We’d like to tell all our teammates: Don’t worry about what’s happening online; just focus wholeheartedly on creating great content and let your work speak for itself.

Teahouse: But you ended up delaying the release after all—it didn’t officially launch last December. What have you been working on during this time, or were there any issues that came up?

Akuan: Back in December of last year, we had already pushed the full release content to the EA branch ahead of schedule, which essentially allowed players to experience the final content early. In addition to the full release, we’re also preparing for a cross-platform launch, so work on the console versions is set to begin as well.

But the problem is, since the release had already been delayed for so long, we couldn’t possibly launch the game without adding some new content. As it happened, the studio head of BlazBlue: Chaos Effect stepped in to help us, which led to the creation of Orido’s collaboration form, as well as the addition of the “Disintegration” mode and the return of gameplay features like “Vast Empty Realm,” which had previously been removed.We could have actually released the game officially back in December, but since so many players have stuck with us for so long, we wanted to make the game even better as a way to thank everyone. This includes our first DLC, which will be available for free to all players.

03

Turning a Game into a Glass of “Iced Beer”

Teahouse: *Ink Realm* finally launched its official version in May. Have you been busy lately?

Akuan: We’ve definitely been pretty busy. In addition to wrapping up some final tasks and continuing to release updates, our new game, *Taiwu: A Strange World’s Ordeal*, will also be featured in the June Steam New Releases event.

Teahouse: Is this new product being developed at the same time?

Akuan: That's right. As of last December, the official version of *Ink Realm* had already been updated to Early Access. Between then and its official release in May, our focus was primarily on bug fixes and planning for future updates—such as new characters for the collaboration between the official version and *BlazBlue:Chaos Effect, including a swimsuit skin set we plan to release during this year’s summer sale. The development workload hasn’t been too heavy.

So, at the end of last year, we partnered with *The Scroll of Taiwu* and developed *Taiwu: The Calamity of Another World* through an IP licensing agreement. In about half a year, we had a basic demo ready. It’s essentially a two-pronged development effort, and the studio is currently swamped.

Teahouse: I gave *Taiwu: A Strange World* a try and found it to be a hack-and-slash game that combines elements of *Vampire Survivors* and loot-grinding—it’s actually pretty fun.

Akuan: This game is relatively small in scope and falls into the "casual game" category. Of course, we’ll continue to update *Ink Realm*—we’re planning for long-term operation. In the future, we’ll introduce many new game modes and character designs, and we’re currently researching the possibility of launching a Creative Workshop, as requested by many players.

Teahouse: I’m a little curious—the Early Access version of *Ink Realm* has launched, but sales haven’t been very promising. Do you think it met your expectations? Where do you think the problem lies?

Akuan: Sales figures did indeed fall short of expectations. But looking back now, there were signs of this coming—the initial design didn’t include enough “hooks,” or standout features, and the overall look was rather bland.

Fortunately, as EA, we have room to make adjustments. Players said the game “wasn’t fun enough,” and since we have a proven track record of creating fun games, we decided to really drive home the concept of “fun,” making it our biggest marketing hook and the key takeaway. For the past year or so—maybe even two years—EA has been making adjustments centered around this direction.

We have a philosophy: Don’t fixate on sales figures and profits. If we make great games and provide excellent service to our players, sales will naturally follow. Chasing numbers, on the other hand, can easily lead us astray from our original mission.

Teahouse: So what adjustments have you made?

Akuan: It wasn't a deliberate change; rather, it was based on our own gaming experiences and player feedback.

To give a simple example, when we were working on *Ink Realm*, *Warm Snow* had just been released for PC. Back then, I’d play a round of *Warm Snow* every night before bed; once I got into the groove, I’d get sleepy and just go straight to sleep—it was a great feeling. As a gamer myself, I have a good sense of what “fun” feels like.

Also, the members of our team just couldn’t get into *Hades*, challenging games, or *Souls-like* games at all. With the heavy pressure from work and school, it would be really tough to be tormented by a game. We thought right then and there that we absolutely couldn’t make something that even we didn’t like.

Later, we discovered that many players were in the same situation as us. In the announcement marking the sale of 200,000 copies, we wrote: “Many of our players are exhausted from work and school, and we hope that *Ink Realm* will be like a cold beer—something that helps you unwind after a busy day.”

Teahouse: It’s essentially condensing positive feedback into a short period of time. The pace of life these days is indeed too fast, and many players simply can’t experience the sense of satisfaction that comes from building up strength over time in high-difficulty games.

Akuan: Right, we condense that positive feedback into just a few dozen minutes to instantly relax the brain and give the cerebral cortex a massage. Plus, to ensure players “keep having fun—and experience that fun in fresh, new ways,” we’ve put a lot of effort into enriching the game’s content, rather than relying on increased difficulty to make the game unbeatable.

Tea House: What are your future plans and intentions?

Akuan: Our top priority is definitely fixing bugs. Then, we’ll release a swimsuit skin set for the summer sale, and later we’ll explore the Creative Workshop to create some character crossovers. “Ink Realm” is a very long-term update—it’s not like we’ll stop adding content once the official version is released. The first free DLC is already in the works, and we may introduce new modes, new combat systems, and new environments in the future.

Teahouse: The concept of "2A" games has been quite popular these past two years. Will you consider developing larger-scale titles in the future?

Akuan: Anything is possible. But it depends heavily on our current capabilities and funding. Selling 200,000 units is a good result, but our costs are around 10 million, so we do have quite a lot of debt to repay. As for development funding for a Grade 2A project, that’s definitely out of the question right now.

Still, who doesn’t want to do better? As our skills and perspective improve, we naturally want to aim higher. We’ve dreamed of making a 2A title with our next project, but upon further reflection, we decided to keep our feet on the ground, focus on doing a good job with what’s at hand, and build up our experience gradually.