As digital content continues to go global, games have become a powerful vehicle for sharing Chinese culture. Backed by the Xiamen Free Trade Zone's National Cultural Export Base, a growing number of Xiamen studios are winning overseas audiences by putting cultural understanding at the heart of game design.
In China's latest national cultural export list for 2025–2026, 14 Xiamen game companies and three projects were recognized.
Many studios develop for the domestic market first, then translate for overseas players later. Xiamen's Mechanist Games takes the opposite approach, treating international players as core users from day one.
That global mindset shapes how games are built. Mechanist Games set up a dedicated cultural creative unit that brings international market research into the content creation stage. The team includes both foreign staff and Chinese employees who have lived or worked abroad, so every design choice is reviewed from an overseas player's perspective.
In Sultan's Game, Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor over the centuries, has won fans overseas. She appears as a compelling historical figure rather than a token Chinese element.
Chinese festivals are woven in too: during Spring Festival, scenes feature lanterns, lion dances, and fireworks. The goal is not to lecture players about Chinese culture, but to plant cultural memories through immersive play.
Going global brings practical challenges as well, from payment settlement to intellectual property protection. In 2024, the Xiamen Free Trade Zone and the city's commerce bureau partnered with Sinosure to launch an insurance platform for game exports, covering overseas receivables.