On September 22 at 10:00, the industry documentary "Ideal Archive," produced by TapTap and made by GSENSE, will officially launch on TapTap, Xinhua Net, Youku, iQIYI, Tencent Video, Bilibili, and Douyin.
The film invites over 30 industry representatives, including core creators of Genshin Impact, Zhang Zhaogong (Head of Game Design at Communication University of China), the producer of Phantom Blade Zero, the founder of XD Inc. & TapTap and CEO of TapTap, producers of works such as Miracle Nikki and Muse Dash, as well as overseas game practitioners, content creators, and industry observers. Starting from various aspects including R&D, game production, content creation, platform operations, media observation, academic research, talent cultivation, and international publishing, they jointly review the development journey of China's game industry from 2016 to 2026.
From the development of mobile games to going global, China's game industry has walked throughA Critical Decade
Over the past decade, the global technological revolution and industrial transformation have continued to advance, and China's digital cultural industry has undergone rapid growth and deep transformation. With the普及 of smartphones, the development of mobile internet, and changes in platform ecosystems, China's game industry has welcomed new development opportunities. A large number of developers and game teams entered the industry during this period, beginning to explore new product forms and creative directions.
Building on the rapid development of mobile games, China's game industry has gradually entered a stage of premiumization, industrialization, and globalization. Game teams have begun to place greater emphasis on R&D, project management, content production, long-term operations, and international publishing. Industry competition has also shifted from mere scale growth to a comprehensive test of product quality, originality, and long-term competitiveness.
At the same time, more and more Chinese game titles have entered overseas markets, gaining attention from global players. China's game industry has also evolved from initially learning from and catching up with excellent international works to participating in global competition through its own technical capabilities, content creation, and cultural expression.
"Ideal Archive" unfolds against this industry backdrop. Instead of relying solely on industrial data or macro narratives to summarize a decade of Chinese gaming, the film focuses on the individuals who participated in it. Through their personal experiences, specific works, and industry choices, it presents the changes, challenges, and growth experienced by China's game industry during this period.
Starting from the firsthand experiences of game practitioners, recording the specific choices behind industry changes
Through the accounts of more than 30 interviewees, the documentary showcases the experiences of different participants in China's game industry over the past decade.
Core creators of Genshin Impact reviewed the controversies and pressures faced during the game's early development stages, and how the team responded to doubts from players and the market through product quality, core experience, and content building;
TapTap founder Huang Yimeng and CEO Dai Yunjie shared the original intentions behind the platform's establishment and development, and how TapTap explored a product path different from traditional app stores, starting from player needs and recommending good games during the rapid development phase of mobile game channels.
The producer of Miracle Nikki discussed the market perception faced by female-oriented games in their early development stages, and how the team gradually explored product methods for female-oriented games based on female players' needs for aesthetics, emotional companionship, self-expression, and identity projection.
The producer of Muse Dash reviewed the team's early startup and project development process, telling the story of how a work initially not favored by outsiders gradually grew into a game with a broad player base; the producer of Phantom Blade Zero shared the limitations faced in R&D resources and capabilities during the project's early stages, as well as the process of returning to the development track after a pause, presenting the adjustments, trial and error, and persistence experienced by domestic single-player game teams during R&D.
The film also addresses talent cultivation, educational research, and international exchange within China's game industry, presenting observations from overseas game practitioners on the development of the Chinese game sector. The experiences of different interviewees collectively form multiple facets of China's game industry over the past decade: some entered the industry during its rapid growth phase, others adjusted their direction under market pressure, and still others continuously reinterpreted players, technology, and game expression through long-term creation.
The development of China's game industry is not only a change in product and market scale but also the process of a generation of game practitioners growing from players into developers, producers, content creators, and industry professionals. Over the past decade, the connections between R&D, publishing, platforms, content, education, and international cooperation have deepened, and China's game industry has gradually formed a more complete and complex industry chain.
To leave a阶段性 record for China's game industry and look forward to the next decade
As an important part of China's digital cultural industry, the development of the game industry involves not only products and markets but also technological innovation, cultural expression, talent cultivation, industrial organization, and international communication. However, corresponding to the industry's rapid development and increasing influence is the fact that systematic records of China's game industry remain relatively limited.
"Ideal Archive" records the development process, industry changes, and practitioner status of China's game industry over the past decade through firsthand accounts from industry participants. The film focuses not only on the birth and success of representative game products but also on the development teams, creators, and digital culture workers behind these achievements, as well as the choices they made amidst technological changes, market competition, and globalization.
While reviewing the past, the film also casts its gaze toward the future of China's game industry.
The end of the documentary showcases several domestic game projects still in development, covering various genres, themes, and production directions. These projects represent only a portion of new domestic games, yet they demonstrate the continuous creative vitality and development potential of China's game industry.
For today's Chinese game industry, the experiences of the past decade are not an endpoint but the foundation for entering the next stage of development. In the future, China's game industry will continue to explore technological innovation, content creation, cultural expression, industrialized production, and global communication.
For the industry, this archive is not only a look back at the path traveled but also leaves a footnote for the future, encouraging more game practitioners to continue moving forward and creating the next work worthy of being discovered by players.
Finally, attached is the list of interviewees in the film:
I. TapTap
1. Founder of XD Inc. / TapTap | Huang Yimeng
2. TapTap Co-founder / XD Inc. Partner, Head of Publishing Business | Da Huang
3. General Manager of TapTap | Dai Yunjie
II. Game Production / Core Creators
1. Genshin Impact Combat Designer | Ji Ge
2. Producer of Phantom Blade Zero | Liang Qiwei
3. Producer of Miracle Nikki | Da Miao
4. Producer of Return to Tang / General Manager of Lei Huo Studio | Hu Zhipeng
5. VALORANT China Publisher Producer / CEO of Tencent Esports | Jin Yibo (Bobby)
6. Producer of The Invisible Guardian and Shengshi Tianxia | Demi
7. Producer of F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch | Zhang Tao
8. Producer of Dyson Sphere Program | kat
9. Producer of Pascal's Warrant | Yang Yang (Lao Yang)
10. Producer of Mystery of the River | Chen Zhen
11. Core Creators of Changsha Chaoshen's Novelist Simulator and Gacha Prison | Da Fei & A Gui
12. Producer of Lost Castle | He Bin
13. Producer of the Muse Dash series | Haoqi
14. Producer of Hero's Adventure: Road to Passion | Ban Ping Shen Xian Cu
15. Producer of the To the Moon series | Kan Gao
16. Producer of Dave the Diver | Jaeho Hwang
17. CEO / Creative Director of Light & Shadow: Expedition 33 | Guillaume Broche
18. Producer of Sky: Children of the Light | Chen Xinghan
III. Content Creators / Streamers
1. Content Creator / BLEAP Studio | Chinese BOY
2. Content Creator / BLEAP Studio | Xiao Ke'er
3. Content Creator / Streamer | Nvliu
IV. Media / Research / Industry Observation
1. Organizer / Founder of WePlay | Simon
2. Founder of GameCore | Zhao Xia
3. Founder of Game Research Society / Director of the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association Game Museum | Chu Yunfan
4. Former Editor-in-Chief of IGN China | Xue Cha
5. Professor at Communication University of China | Zhang Zhaogong
6. General Manager of Epic Games China | Tiff