China Game Developers Conference (CGDC) 2025: AI and Globalization Become Core Topics, Domestic Games Enter a New Technological Era

The 18th China Game Developers Conference (hereinafter referred to as “CGDC”) will be co-located with ChinaJoy at the Shanghai International Convention Center from August 1st to 3rd, 2025. Over the three-day period, the conference will feature a total of 8 thematic sessions and multiple enterprise-led sessions. As the most influential technical forum in China’s gaming industry, this year’s CGDC, themed “Intelligence Inspires the Future, Gaming Connects the World,” has attracted more than 2,000 industry professionals from leading domestic companies such as Tencent, NetEase, and MiHoYo, as well as international industry giants including Electronic Arts (EA), Ubisoft, and Sony. Participants will gather to explore the latest advancements in gaming technology and the future direction of the global gaming industry.AI Revolutionizes Game Development Paradigm
The focus of the first day’s main forum was on AI-driven content production:
– Tencent AI Lab released the “GameAI 3.0” engine, demonstrating the automatic generation of 3D scenes and NPC dialogue systems through natural language instructions, increasing development efficiency by over 60%.
– NetEase Fuxi showcased the “YaoTai 2.0” multi-agent system, enabling intelligent NPC social interactions for thousands of players on the same screen.
– Startup company Huanren Network won the “Innovation of the Year Award” with its “AI Dynamic Narrative” technology, which can adjust plot branches in real-time based on player emotions.
“By 2025, 83% of Chinese game companies will incorporate AI tools into their standard development processes,” revealed the secretary-general of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association’s Game Industry Committee in the “China Game Technology White Paper”. “However, balancing efficiency and creativity remains a challenge for the industry.”

Globalization Strategy Upgrade: From Cultural Export to Setting Technical Standards
– With the global sales of “Black Myth: Wukong” exceeding 20 million copies, the internationalization path of Chinese games has become a hot topic of discussion.
– The technical director of miHoYo shared the multi-platform engine optimization plan for “Genshin Impact”, revealing how it achieves console-level graphics on low-end devices.
– Tencent Level Infinite announced the “Overseas Partner Program 3.0”, offering comprehensive support from localization to cloud services for small and medium-sized teams.

A special session on the Middle East and Latin American markets was set up, inviting Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group to interpret the key points of compliance in emerging markets.

The technical sub-forum was full of highlights:
– Graphics technology: Perfect World showcased a real-time global illumination solution based on UE6.
– Audio design: Pico, a subsidiary of ByteDance, unveiled a new standard for VR spatial audio.
– Protection of minors: The Publishing Bureau of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee interpreted the technical specifications of the “Face Recognition 2.0” real-name system.
The Indie Galaxy exhibition area made a stunning debut. This year’s specially established Indie Galaxy exhibition area gathered independent teams from 32 countries:
– The domestic puzzle game “Box Mutation” won the “Most Commercial Potential Award”.
– The Malaysian team’s “Souls of Wind” attracted the attention of investors with its ink-wash style combat system.
– The first 3A-level studio in Africa showcased its open-world project “Sons of Savannah” for the first time.
Data perspective
According to the “2025 China Game Industry Technology Development Report” released by the conference:
– The overseas revenue of independently developed games in China reached $3.85 billion (up 22% year-on-year).
– The number of AI-related positions in the game industry increased by 470% compared to 2022.
– The scale of cloud game users exceeded 240 million, accounting for 43% of the global total.
CGDC 2025 will continue until August 4th. During this period, special activities such as the Unreal Engine Technology Marathon and the Game Music Symphony Concert will also be held. As the conference chairperson said, “When Chinese game developers start to define technical standards, what we write is not only code, but also a new paradigm of digital civilization.”