The November WN Conference took place in Xiamen with over 400 attendees
From November 21 to 22, a conference for game developers and publishers, WN Conference, took place in the southeast of China. Participants discussed and shared experiences on how local Chinese studios can establish themselves in the international market.
The conference brought together over 400 gaming industry professionals. Forty-six percent of them were business development and sales managers, while around forty-four percent identified as top managers and company owners.
Distribution of guests by specialty
Among the participants were specialists from well-known Chinese gaming companies such as Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo (also known as HoYoverse), and BiliBili. Additionally, international visitors from AppsFlyer, AppMagic, MY.GAMES, KRAFTON, Reforged Studios, Outfit7 Limited, and many other companies attended the event.
In total, 290 businesses related to the gaming industry were represented. The top three specializations of participating companies were game developers (12%), advertising agencies (8%), and service providers (6%).
Distribution of participating companies by specialization (one company may have multiple specializations)
The event was held under the patronage of the local municipal government.
The event's sponsors included the financial service provider Unlimit and the gaming accelerator Meridian Play. The conference was also supported by gaming organizations — the China Indie Game Alliance (CIGA) and the International Game Developers Association's Incubation SIG.
The traditional showcase featured indie projects from emerging studios like WhisperGames, Stray Fawn Studio, Dercetech, Mistold Games, The Nameless Epic, Spoonful of Wonder, Mee Games, Milk Empire, Clay Game Studio, CreSpirit, and others.
Stands of G-EIGHT and CreSpirit
Stands of Ginvo Studio and Clay Game Studio
Also, as part of the WN Conference in Xiamen, the official award ceremony of the international animation contest, the Golden Dolphin Award, took place. A separate category was dedicated to the best games. Nearly 400 developer teams from 26 countries submitted entries for this category.
Two games from the Shanghai studio Spiral Up Games secured positions among the top three winners: Back to the Dawn won gold, and Cyber Manhunt 2: New World — The Hacking Simulator won bronze.
Back to the Dawn
Cyber Manhunt 2: New World — The Hacking Simulator
The next major WN Conference will take place on February 11-12, 2025, in the capital of the United Arab Emirates — Abu Dhabi.
Below are several photos from the event.
