Here's everything you need to know about the third phase of Sony's China Hero Project
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) November 29, 2022
PlayStation will provide greater funding and resources to bring games from Chinese developers to the global market over the next few yearshttps://t.co/yE2Gl0lsYM pic.twitter.com/FVwebZr2eK
Quote
Sony will not limit applications to certain genres, studio sizes or non-competitive platforms such as PC, with the aim to incubate a diverse group of games that will increase its portfolio size and the appeal of its PlayStation brand both in China and globally.
The first two phases delivered mixed results with 3 titles cancelled and several titles delayed. There are titles from the first phase, such as Project Boundary and Lost Soul Aside, that have yet to release. A lack of direct publishing support from Sony and development support from PlayStation Studios were two missing factors that are now being integrated into phase 3.
Quote
As China's large game companies have looked to expand to console, PC, and the global games market, they have identified key China Hero Project developers as investment targets. Tencent has invested in Surgical Scalpels Studio (Project Boundary) and TiGames, while Rocketpunch Games has received investment from G-Bits and Bilibili.
The China Hero Project also fits into Sony's global gaming strategy to offer a robust portfolio of titles on PlayStation through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
Quote
Sony has been working towards the launch of phase 3 for some time now. It is continuing to work with key partners such as Epic Games China, CRIware and Digital Hearts to ensure developers in the project can obtain the right resources and training to create higher quality games. Two new Shanghai based audio production teams will also join the list of partners to provide support to games in the project. Sony announced that it had established a China Software Business Department on June 1, 2022, to be led by Sean Kelly who has over 30 years of development and publishing experience. The company announced that Sean Kelly would also lead a China Game Production team to oversee operations in China and bring Chinese games to the global market. Sony Interactive Entertainment Shanghai as a whole has grown to nearly 100 employees since its establishment in 2014.