Chinese FMV Dating Sim is a Hit on Steam!
"Love is all Around" let's you choose your romantic story through a glamorous and often suggestive adventure...
"What kind of games are more likely to succeed in China?", I often get asked by developers interested in launching their games in the country.
Well, the best-selling Chinese game of October is a salacious FMV dating sim.
"Love is all Around" released on Steam on Oct 18 and already has more than 4000 positive reviews! "完蛋！我被美女包围了!" is the Chinese title.
Watch the trailer on YouTube to get a better idea…
Filmed and produced in Tianjin (China) during the pandemic with a tight budget, the developers (intiny) publicly shared some insightful details about the game and its production:
-To reach as many people as possible, the goal was always set to have a low-price tag. Currently the game is at US$9.99 on Steam, but the devs mention 42 Yuan in their posts.
-A mobile version is in development, but might take a while to release.
-All props seen in the game are there solely for the game’s purpose and its plot, and not due to product placement. According to the team, they reached out to different brands during production, but none was willing to cooperate.
-They continue to work on the English localization of the game, and have servers in Germany, Southeast Asia and USA.
Furthermore, it is explained that the game requires an always-online connection and Chinese players using "internet-accelerators" (popular services in China to bypass the Great Firewall for online gaming within China mainland) will be identified as foreign users. This, however, will not affect their experience.
It's worth noticing that the game does not have a publishing license in China, and it doesn't really need one to launch and profit from Chinese audiences on Steam.
Even though the game is not overtly sexual in any explicit way, it is certainly suggestive. Some might even say titillating. It goes as far as including visual themes clearly inspired by PornHub's logo...
These elements would probably make it difficult for the title to obtain a publishing license in the country without some "editing". But does it really matter? It's already a hit!
Going back to the initial question at the top of this article, the answer to what kind of games can succeed in China is the same as in any other country. Generally：
If you’re a developer, make the game you want to play! Make it good if you can. If you’re interested in releasing it in China (on PC/Steam), make sure it at least has Chinese language options, and hopefully it will find its audience. Don’t overthink it.