Sun Yihan: The "Madman" of Mecha Battles and His Dream of VR Gaming

The moment the VR headset covers my eyes and the light-blocking visor completely cuts off the light of the real world, I hear the hum of the device powering up—not just ordinary electronic static, but more like the low-frequency tremor of a spatial rift opening, as if an invisible door were slowly sliding open.

In an instant, players feel as if they’re standing on the deck of a starship floating among nebulae. Indigo-blue cosmic dust flows through their fingertips. As they engage in fierce combat with mechanical armor, players completely forget the real world.The piercing screech of laser beams grazing the cockpit and the vibration feedback from overloaded engines send adrenaline surging to its peak. The moment the mech unleashes its “Rocket Fist,” the blinding light of the explosion pierces through the eyelids, transforming into dazzling specks of light.

In that moment, all traditional games seemed to pale in comparison—neither the flickering pixels on the screen nor the faint vibrations from the controller could hold a candle to this all-encompassing, awe-inspiring experience.It is a sensory marvel that traditional games cannot match; only at this moment can one truly understand the meaning of “immersion” and the ecstasy of being completely drawn into another world.

This is a story about a “daydream” coming true.

In 2025, a Chinese-developed VR game called *Fantasy Mech Fighter* burst onto the scene and quickly garnered global attention. This highly acclaimed and innovative title was created by Sun Yihan, an entrepreneur born in the 1990s, and his company, Mingkun Technology.

This young mecha enthusiast, driven by the dream of “creating a new-generation mecha combat game that would capture the attention of players worldwide,” has been making his mark in the gaming industry for nearly a decade.When he realized that traditional games had reached the limits of their interactivity, he decisively chose VR—a field that few developers had ventured into at the time—and, through extreme immersion, opened up a whole new dimension for games: a “virtual world that makes players forget reality.”

—Judging by the timeline from the game’s initial planning to its official launch, this has been a truly sci-fi-like entrepreneurial journey.

Science fiction is, by definition, the use of technology-driven imagination to break through the limits of players’ perceptions.In the history of gaming, VR is the most natural and direct form of interaction—and also the most challenging technical and experiential frontier to conquer. What Sun Yihan has achieved is precisely the realization of true interaction between players and games, just like the scenes in the sci-fi movie *Ready Player One*.

01

The seed has been planted

Sun Yihan, sporting her signature ear-length, center-parted, choppy haircut, walked into Mingkun Technology’s office in Binjiang, Hangzhou, with a big smile on her face.

If you want to strike up a conversation with a child, it’s best to bring some candy; to catch Sun Yihan’s attention, just mention mecha. When he saw the reporter flipping through the mecha posters on the table, he enthusiastically explained: “‘These are all original illustrations from *Sky Fantasy Mecha Fighters* and other domestic and international mecha anime IPs. Each one was drawn by a big name in the industry—isn’t that really cool?’”

That’s right—whenever the topic turns to mecha battles, this young founder always has a never-ending stream of stories to share.The profound impact that mecha anime like *Mazinger Z* and *Macross* had on him as a child; the excitement that made him jump for joy the first time he played a mecha game on the Wii; the nickname “Robo Mania” (Mecha Maniac) given to him by friends during his early years studying in Japan…Whenever he talks about these things, he can’t help but light up and speak at a rapid-fire pace.

So when Sun Yihan entered the gaming industry and, in just five years, created what is perhaps the Mecha game by a Chinese developer most highly regarded by players in Japan, Europe, and the United States, those who knew him considered it only natural.

In fact, this decision, which seemed inevitable, actually stemmed from a stroke of luck.

According to Sun Yihan’s original life plan, he was supposed to return to China after graduation, use his degree in finance to find a job at a bank or financial institution, and spend his days commuting back and forth between home and work. As he grew older, mecha and video games would become mere pastimes outside of work.

However, the course of my life was completely changed during an internship.

It was 2016. While interning in Japan, 19-year-old Sun Yihan unexpectedly met the investor behind the original *Dragon Quest*. Upon learning that he loved video games—especially classic mecha-battle titles—the investor asked him in puzzlement, “Why don’t you pursue your dream and try working at a game company?”

For Sun Yihan, playing video games used to be just a hobby; even though he had once thought about “creating a mecha battle game that would capture the world’s attention,” it was nothing more than the “daydream” of a teenager going through a phase. But after receiving this suggestion, a seed was planted in his young heart.

That night, Sun Yihan lay awake all night; as he lay in bed, he decided for the first time to make gaming his future career.

A year later, upon returning to China, Sun Yihan held positions at several well-known game companies, including Xindong Network and NetEase Games, where he participated in the entire process—from planning to development and production—of numerous popular mobile games and cutting-edge VR game projects. While gaining extensive hands-on experience, he also laid a solid foundation for his future career development.

When he first broke free from the constraints of a mouse, keyboard, or smartphone screen and became completely immersed in a VR game, Sun Yihan was deeply moved by this unprecedented experience: “So this is how you can actually play a game!”As a die-hard gamer who had watched *Ready Player One* dozens of times, in that moment, he felt as if he had found his very own “Oasis.”

“Whether in terms of immersion or gameplay, it’s an experience in a completely different league from traditional games.” Recalling that moment, Sun Yihan is still deeply impressed: “You’re not just playing a game—you’re part of the game, you’re the protagonist!”

This endeavor opened a world of possibilities for Sun Yihan—he had spent countless hours envisioning ways to bring players more fun and excitement in games, but had been at a loss because he couldn’t find a platform to realize his dreams, which even kept him from finding the courage to strike out on his own.

Now, VR—a model that could be called “perfect”—has finally emerged.

02

Either fight to the end or be eliminated

In 2021, Sun Yihan, along with a group of friends, rented an office of over 70 square meters in Binjiang, Hangzhou, and officially embarked on his journey into the world of VR.

This may have been a decision that rewrites the history of VR gaming in China. At the time, although several domestic teams were already active in this field, most were operating as lone wolves on a small scale, and tangible results were slow to materialize.Meanwhile, international game developers such as Valve and Capcom had successively released titles like *Half-Life: Alyx* and *Resident Evil 4 VR*, setting their sights on the Chinese gaming market.

Amid such circumstances, the fledgling Sun Yihan and Mingkun Technology were like a seed brimming with vitality. “Back then, we wanted to create a VR game that would amaze players around the world and let them experience the charm of Chinese culture.”

After entering the industry, Sun Yihan almost immediately focused on his favorite genre: mecha combat. Although most VR games on the market center on first-person shooters, fitness, and rhythm games, he firmly believes that mecha combat is the most suitable choice.Whether it’s the sleek, metallic look of the mechs, the vast starry skies of the battle settings, or the tension and excitement of missile exchanges, all of these elements can be perfectly brought to life in VR games.

However, dreams are just dreams; the path to game development must be forged one step at a time.

Developing VR games was difficult—that was practically the consensus in the gaming industry at the time.At that time, the industry hadn’t yet developed a comprehensive methodology, and knowledge of game development and programming presented significant challenges for Sun Yihan and his team. More crucially, he also had to grapple with innovative design questions such as “how to precisely target players’ sense of thrill” and “how to provide players with a more immersive first-person experience.”

Are there a lot of problems? Yes. If you do it right, will you succeed? You’ll definitely succeed. So all those problems become the game’s moat.

Keeping players immersed for long periods is a challenge.Sun Yihan persistently experimented with a near-obsessive dedication. For example, he repeatedly refined numerous design iterations before finally adopting a cockpit perspective suited for VR games, allowing players to control mechs via a psychic link—much like in *Neon Genesis Evangelion*—and enjoy the thrill of piloting.Another example: to allow players to build unique mechs based on their preferences and combat needs, the team created over a thousand design sketches for mech components alone. The material textures and joint movement angles of every part were meticulously refined, and they even commissioned professional sound designers to create custom sound effects for the combination of different components.

To enhance the thrill of combat, the team also designed more than 10 different weapons. Among them, the one Sun Yihan raves about the most is his favorite, the “Rocket Flying Fist.” “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been looking forward to an action game where I could fire a Rocket Flying Fist—and now that I’ve developed it myself, I’m really thrilled!”

That summer was unusually hot. More than ten young people were crammed into the office, working day and night in the stifling heat. “We pulled all-nighters almost every day, but we didn’t dare slack off even for a moment. It was either succeed at all costs or be eliminated.”

A few months later, a demo version of this mecha combat VR game, titled *Mecha Force*, was released on the Sidequest platform. The moment players log in and hear the rousing metal music, while watching metal mechas appear before their eyes, their inner fascination and passion for mechas are completely ignited.

Seeing so many players giving the game thumbs-up, promoting it spontaneously on social media, and even adopting the in-game line “Qilin is invincible” as a catchphrase, Sun Yihan pumped his fist excitedly: “We did it!”

03

Breaking into the Market of the “Birthplace of Mecha Combat”

After the game launched, the next challenge facing Sun Yihan was how to break into the market.

Sun Yihan initially planned to launch the game simultaneously in both domestic and international markets, but he soon discovered that at the time, most domestic players were focused on PC and mobile games and had very little exposure to VR games; moreover, the promotional videos the company posted on social media generated almost no buzz. This forced him to adjust his marketing strategy and devote all his energy to the overseas market.

He chose Japan as the first stop on his promotional tour—not only because Japanese gamers are more receptive to VR than those in the domestic market, but also because he was eager to gain recognition in a place that anime and gaming fans call the “birthplace of mecha battles.”

Before long, Sun Yihan began making frequent appearances in the interview rooms of various Japanese gaming media outlets and at anime and gaming conventions. He engaged in lively conversations with reporters about mecha, anime, and video games, and also interacted with local gamers on social media. Through online exchanges and giveaways of merchandise, he helped bridge the gap between them.

During that period, Japanese gamers would frequently see this Chinese game developer featured in gaming media. His in-depth knowledge of the history of mecha development quickly caught the attention of local gamers. On one occasion, after speaking with him, a veteran Japanese MechWarrior fan remarked in admiration, “I can’t believe a Chinese person is working on this genre—and doing it so authentically.”

Communication isn't just about promotion. When communicating, Sun Yihan often asks the other person one question: "What other aspects of the game do you think could be improved?"

From the rhythm of the UI animations to the finer details of mech combat—Sun Yihan carefully noted down each of these scattered yet precise suggestions and, upon returning to China, immediately worked with his team to implement iterative improvements.He gradually came to realize that true localization is not merely about language translation; it is about enabling players from different cultural backgrounds to experience the same level of immersion and connection within the same game mechanics.

At the same time, Sun Yihan took a step that none of his domestic peers had ever attempted: he launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Campfire platform to secure additional funding for the game.

In fact, many Japanese game developers typically launch crowdfunding campaigns after releasing a demo version, but this model has previously been used mainly for games backed by well-known producers or spiritual sequels to classic IPs—such as “*Hundred Heroes*, developed by Yoshitaka Murayama, the “father of *Fantasy Water Margin*,” and *Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night*, developed by renowned game producer Koji Igarashi, both raised millions of dollars in development funds through similar models.

However, the decision by *Fantasy Mecha Fighters*—which was still a relative unknown in the industry at the time—came as a real surprise to its peers.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure at the time,” Sun Yihan recalled years later, reflecting on this bold move. He admitted that robot-themed projects relying purely on nostalgia had rarely succeeded in crowdfunding in Japan—let alone those led by a foreign team. He, too, had questioned the decision many times: Would this really work?

Sun Yihan clearly underestimated the impact that mecha games would have on Japanese players—especially at a time when mecha games are scarce. A high-quality game like this is a favorite among virtually all players, and no one wants to see it cut short due to a lack of funding.Soon, the crowdfunding campaign reached 140% of its goal, making it the first purely domestically developed VR game to successfully crowdfund in Japan.

Following this campaign, *Utopia Fighter* not only made a name for itself in the Japanese market, but also won over many players in Europe and the United States with this VR game from China. The success of the crowdfunding campaign not only secured funding but also attracted a group of “early adopters” who have high expectations for the game and feel a strong emotional connection to it.Their suggestions for the game hit the nail on the head, while also providing authentic user feedback and improvement insights for the game’s further refinement, giving the team full confidence in the upcoming official release.

During that time, the lights in Mingkun Technology’s office often stayed on until the early hours of the morning, with the sound of keyboard clicks mingling with the buzz of discussion—yet everyone’s face radiated focus and anticipation. They knew they were one step closer to achieving a goal that would amaze gamers around the world.

04

The “Danger and Opportunity” of the “One Road to Mount Hua”

The game’s initial success was a major boost to the team’s morale, but beneath the optimism lay a subtle sense of unease. Sun Yihan has always firmly believed that VR represents the future of gaming, but no one can say for certain when that future will arrive.

The cutthroat nature of the VR gaming industry is plain for all to see. The industry has joked that VR has seen countless “years one,” yet it always quickly returns to calm after a brief surge of excitement.

Sun Yihan feels this particularly keenly. Every time he searches for information related to VR games, he inevitably discovers that some of his peers have quietly exited the field. For a long time, this left him shrouded in an inexplicable sense of anxiety.Earlier, at his suggestion, the startup team had turned down opportunities at major tech companies and easily attainable high salaries to work tirelessly alongside him. Shareholders had also invested real money and placed high hopes in the venture—all with the goal of achieving results that seemed just around the corner.

Although the results are now in, they still fall short of the initial expectations by a considerable margin. According to Sun Yihan’s plan, even as a demo version, the game’s impact should not stop here. After all, a highly acclaimed title like this should generate a snowball effect in terms of revenue, but the current results clearly fail to satisfy him.

Sun Yihan was having trouble sleeping again. He turned on his computer and pored over the game’s data. User retention rates, payment conversion rates… he was extremely sensitive to every fluctuation in the numbers. When he opened the player forum, the praise-filled posts were still there, but countless questions had also surfaced: “When will the full version be released?” “Could the art design be improved a bit more?”

Player expectations serve as both motivation and pressure. The success of the demo is merely the first step on a long journey; the real challenges lie ahead. How to turn this initial recognition into lasting competitiveness, and how to gain a foothold and achieve a breakthrough amid the VR industry’s downturn, are all challenges Sun Yihan must confront.

On one occasion, Sun Yihan specifically took the team to the shores of West Lake in Hangzhou for a meeting to discuss the future direction of the game.After a lively discussion, everyone reached a consensus: VR games are the company’s foundation. Even though the VR market is currently in a slump and funds are running low, they must persevere. Only by doing so will all competitors realize, when the VR market finally takes off, that it will be difficult for them to match Mingkun Technology’s technical capabilities in the short term.

Since ancient times, there has been only one path to Mount Hua. But to continue down this path, support from strategic investors is essential. In June 2023, several well-known companies successively acquired stakes in Mingkun Technology, injecting capital and industry resources into this brightest spark in China’s VR gaming sector.

The support provided by investors in terms of capital, resources, and expertise has propelled Mingkun Technology onto the fast track to commercialization. And Sun Yihan’s team has lived up to the shareholders’ expectations.

They quickly invested their funds in technology R&D and content optimization. The project team reorganized the development process and formulated a more detailed R&D plan. The technical department focused on VR device compatibility and smooth performance, ensuring—through countless rounds of debugging and optimization—that more players with mid-range VR devices could also enjoy a smooth experience.

During that time, everyone on the team seemed to be driven by a shared determination—not only to live up to the trust placed in us by our investors and players, but also to uphold our belief in the future of VR gaming.

Thanks to these efforts, the game’s Early Access version was released on the Quest platform in December 2024 and quickly sparked widespread discussion among players due to its extreme immersion, innovative interactive design, and continuously optimized content.

In the second month after the beta version launched, Sun Yihan, who was on a business trip at the time, received a message: Not only had the game seen steady growth in reviews and improved metrics, but the average playtime had also reached over an hour. It’s important to note that the average playtime for most VR social games is typically around 20 minutes. This means that players are not only willing to pay for the game but are also willing to immerse themselves in it for extended periods.

It's time to take the next step.

05

"T"-shaped Strategic Deployment Positions

When the official version of *Fantasy Mecha Fighter*, which Sun Yihan had poured his heart and soul into creating, was released in 2025, the moment he had been waiting for finally arrived.

According to publicly available data, the global VR gaming market has moved from the early technology validation stage to the stage of large-scale commercialization. In 2024, the global VR gaming market reached $36.69 billion.From 2024 to 2029, the global VR gaming market will continue to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.5%, and the market size is projected to exceed $50 billion by 2027.

Another set of data also confirms that VR gaming is entering a golden age of growth. Sales of Meta’s Meta Quest 2 have surpassed 20 million units; Chris Pruett, head of Meta’s gaming division, also revealed at an event that usage on the Quest platform reached an all-time high in 2025, driving annual revenue for more than 100 games to exceed $1 million.

Ambition once again ignited within Sun Yihan. He planned to transform Mingkun Technology’s game portfolio into a “T”-shaped structure: *Fantasy Mech Fighter* would serve as the core “vertical line,” with ongoing content updates and new gameplay systems to deepen engagement with the core player base;Meanwhile, the team would leverage the “horizontal line” to adopt a “cast a wide net” strategy, attracting a broader base of VR players to achieve the dual goals of profitability and enhancing the company’s IP. Once breakthroughs are achieved across multiple fronts, the two approaches would “converge.”

Sun Yihan had long had plans for the “Horizontal Line” content. He discovered that the “Alpha Generation”—those born after 2010—had become the mainstay of VR users, and they were more accustomed to a “free-to-play with in-app purchases” business model. The rise of this demographic has also fueled the frequent emergence of hit free-to-play (F2P) titles in the VR gaming sector.

Take the popular free-to-play VR game *Gorilla Tag* as an example: after its launch, the game quickly gained recognition among players. To date, it has surpassed 10 million players, with monthly active users and daily active users reaching 3 million and 1 million, respectively, and its revenue has exceeded the $100 million mark.

Although his colleagues were concerned that getting distracted by other games would affect the later stages of development for *Fantasy Mech Fighter*, he remained resolute: The second half of the industry’s future will inevitably belong to teams that can establish their own IPs and game ecosystems and truly understand what a “product” is. If they don’t lay the groundwork early, they’re likely to fall behind their peers.

In 2025, Mingkun Technology launched a casual free-to-play (F2P) VR game to test the market. Its relaxed interaction pace and strong social features quickly sparked heated discussion within the community, and within the first month of launch, user engagement and payment rates far exceeded the industry average for similar products.More importantly, it successfully demonstrated the viability of the “low barrier to entry + high replayability + organic spread” model in the casual VR segment, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent development of an IP portfolio.

This wasn’t Sun Yihan’s only concern. The setbacks faced by *Fantasy Machine Fighter* in the domestic market had always been a thorn in his side. Although the project was initially put on hold due to the immaturity of the domestic VR ecosystem, he never gave up.Now, with the widespread adoption of VR hardware and growing awareness among players in China, he has keenly sensed that the timing for the domestic market is gradually ripening. He has begun directing his team to prepare for the adaptation of the domestic version, including setting up servers, integrating payment channels, and refining localized content.

This time, he is no longer rushing things; instead, he has chosen to wait patiently for the right moment, hoping to return to the domestic market with a more mature and polished product so that Chinese players can also experience this VR mecha game—the culmination of the team’s hard work. This is not only an expansion of distribution channels but also a complement to the “T” strategy.

06

The journey continues

Sun Yihan's strategy for mecha combat games is not limited to the VR sector alone.

To allow more players to experience this nearly perfect VR action mecha game, he is planning to port *Sky Fantasy Mecha Fighter* to more platforms, including PC and consoles.

In 2025, the team spent more than half a year developing a brand-new interaction system tailored specifically for PCs and consoles to accommodate the unique combat system—which involves wielding both melee and ranged weapons with both hands—and virtually redesigned the entire user interface.

This brand-new interactive system not only preserves the core mech combat experience from the VR version but has also been deeply optimized for keyboard, mouse, and controller inputs.For example, when it comes to melee weapon controls, players can perform actions such as slashing, thrusting, and blocking through precise button mappings and joystick combinations. Combined with the controller’s haptic feedback, it feels as if you’re actually wielding heavy alloy weapons in battle;Meanwhile, ranged weapons feature a convenient aiming assist system that reduces the difficulty of operation without sacrificing the strategic depth and precision of shooting.

In fact, when developing the VR version back then, the team had to make trade-offs regarding many skill effects due to hardware limitations—particularly because VR couldn’t render semi-transparent effects like shockwaves, which resulted in many weapons lacking a satisfying sense of impact. This shortcoming has been significantly improved with the team’s remake of the PC version.

“We didn’t just reset the version—we rebuilt an ‘entirely new’ game.”Sun Yihan knows full well that the current PC version of *Fantasy Mech Fighter* is not merely a perfect recreation of the VR version’s gameplay experience—it aims to prove its worth within the roguelike genre. After all, the VR version was based on a concept developed five years ago and no longer fully meets today’s players’ expectations for roguelike action games.

To keep up with current gaming trends, the team has added a large number of upgrades to the game’s design for PC and console platforms. For example, they’ve reworked the pacing and flow of the game’s levels to innovatively address issues such as high frustration levels and slow progression in the roguelike experience.

In early 2026, after witnessing several players invited to test the game give positive feedback following their experience with the PC version and urge for its release as soon as possible, Sun Yihan finally let out a sigh of relief.What boosted his confidence even more was that, less than two months after the PC version’s trailer was released on Steam, it had already garnered nearly 8,000 wishlist entries. Given the game’s popularity in Japan, Europe, and the U.S., with the right marketing, the wishlist count could easily reach tens of thousands.This meant the game had gotten off to a flying start even before its release, and it was bound to achieve impressive results in the future.

“Ever since I entered the industry, I’ve dreamed of creating an action game where I could pilot a super robot with my own hands.I wanted to take a chance and create the ultimate mecha IP through a video game. It’s not just a game—it’s a cultural icon that transcends media and embodies the mecha dreams of several generations. Players aren’t just participants in the game; they’re active contributors to and witnesses of this grand mecha universe,” said Sun Yihan.

—It’s just like an inspirational movie in which a young person overcomes countless obstacles to finally realize a long-held “daydream.” The difference is that Sun Yihan’s journey to break through in the VR industry—and indeed the entire gaming sector—is far from over.Just as “Maggie,” the protagonist of *Fantasy Mech Fighter*, continues to take on all kinds of bosses in the vast expanse of space, the farther she goes, the more captivating the scenery becomes.