On December 15, the 2023 China Game Industry Annual Conference, organized by the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA), successfully concluded in Guangzhou. With the theme “Inheriting Cultural Legacy and Creating Quality Masterpieces”, the conference comprehensively summarized the overall landscape of China’s gaming industry over the past year and aimed to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the industry. Lin Wenbin, Party Branch Secretary and Vice President of ZX Inc. (Tanwan Game), attended the conference and delivered a keynote speech titled “Games, IP, and Culture: Exploring the Integrated Development of Digital Technology.”
As the gaming industry enters the era of a stock-based market, many enterprises are actively exploring how to identify more efficient and higher-quality development paths. In response, Lin Wenbin shared ZX’s experience: from a game publisher to a publicly listed company, ZX Inc. has forged a unique path based on the accumulation of digital technologies to drive the integrated development of games, IP, and culture.
Technology as the Foundation: Building Core Digital Capabilities
Eight years ago, ZX Inc. started with the spirit of “play”, launching the Tanwan Game brand. By leveraging precision marketing and deep operations, it maximized the lifecycle value of game products to ensure their longevity.
Taking All People’s Jianghu as an example, ZX Inc. (Tanwan Game) adopted a “teaser followed by explosion” launch strategy that propelled the title to the top of the iOS free chart on its release day. Subsequently, the company maintained momentum by collaborating with martial arts influencers on Douyin for creative videos and live streams, while also releasing high-quality official TVCs. Thanks to its superior gameplay quality and precise marketing, All People’s Jianghu won industry-wide recognition and was nominated for the “Top 10 Excellent Mobile Games of 2023” Award at this year’s China Game Industry Annual Conference.
While deeply cultivating the gaming sector, ZX Inc. has taken technology as the root of its growth. It has transformed years of technical expertise into the Xu Liang Xing Hai technology platform and three core capabilities, laying a solid technical foundation for embarking on new growth trajectories. “This has given us the confidence to step beyond the domain of ‘play,’ create new IPs, and explore other industries,” said Lin Wenbin. He emphasized that expanding the second growth curve is a necessary path for enterprise development. Leveraging its technology platform and three core capabilities, Zhongxu Future successfully launched the instant food brand “ZAZA GRAY” and the designer toy brand “Bro Kooli”, achieving breakthroughs from “play” to “food” and “entertainment,” and establishing a sustainable second growth curve.
Innovation Empowerment: Driving Integrated Industry Development
In the digital era, games have become an exceptional medium for promoting traditional culture. Many gaming enterprises have proactively integrated elements of China’s rich cultural heritage into their product development and operations, and ZX Inc. is among them. When properly managed, the integration of games and traditional culture results in a win-win outcome. On the one hand, profound traditional culture can empower game products and derivative IPs. On the other hand, traditional culture can gain renewed contemporary relevance through games.
ZX Inc. has incorporated Henan Province’s intangible cultural heritage craft “Gold-Inlaid Jade” and Guangdong Province’s intangible cultural heritage craft “Xiguan Copper Forging” into its titles such as Legend of Origin and Blooded Attack by creating classic in-game items and immersive scenes. This innovative approach enables players to experience and appreciate intangible cultural heritage within gameplay. Notably, ZX Inc. has also drawn inspiration from Chinese culinary culture, leveraging the “ZAZA GRAY” IP to explore regional delicacies, promote food culture, and simultaneously advance public welfare initiatives in agricultural support and rural revitalization. This stands as a vivid demonstration of ZX Inc.’s exploration into the integrated development of games, IP, and culture through digital technology.
“We are confident in the development path that integrates games, IP, and culture, driven by digital technology.” said Lin Wenbin. He emphasized that ZX Inc. will continue to deeply cultivate the gaming sector while also expanding its business landscape to explore broader possibilities. With the power of digital technology, ZX Inc. aspires to continuously create culturally rich products with social impact and value, offering users diversified entertainment experiences and contributing to the prosperity and advancement of the industry.