Sony keeps investing in Chinese games, but locals ask: Where’s Tencent?

Gamers lament that Sony, not Tencent or NetEase, is keeping China’s console market alive

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Convallaria is a new sci-fi shooter in the second batch of games chosen for Sony’s China Hero Project. (Picture: Sony)

Published: 7:27pm, 8 Mar 2019Updated: 8:58am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

In China, one of the biggest investors in homegrown console games isn’t domestic giants Tencent or NetEase -- it’s Sony.

The Japanese titan just announced seven new titles under its China Hero Project, a program that invests in and promotes console games made by Chinese developers. The first of six games announced in the first batch last year has already been shipped.

Although Sony has yet to deliver a hit from the young project, many Chinese gamers are cheering the investment while taking the chance to criticize China’s gaming companies for not doing enough to promote domestic titles.

A popular comment from a gaming forum said, “This should have been done by Tencent. But instead, it uses all the profit to develop payment systems, mobile games and buying up foreign companies. Such a company is cancer to our country.”

Another comment said, “What the heck! A Japanese company is incubating Chinese games? Where the hell are all the Chinese gaming companies?”

One widespread perception is that Tencent has been delivering mostly cash-grabbing, pay-to-win mobile games, despite being the world’s biggest gaming company by revenue.