Gamers get hands-on experience with Phantom Blade Zero. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

The 22nd China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, also known as ChinaJoy 2025, wrapped in Shanghai on Aug 4, featuring a rising wave of Chinese-developed games rooted in traditional culture and powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

Held under the theme "Gather What You Love", the four-day event brought together 743 exhibitors, including 237 from overseas, representing 37 countries and regions.

A standout trend this year was the growing presence of Chinese-developed games incorporating elements of traditional aesthetics and martial arts culture.

One of the most anticipated titles was Phantom Blade Zero, an action role-playing game developed by Beijing-based S-Game.

Drawing long queues at Sony's booth, the game impressed players with its blend of "Chinese punk" visuals, martial arts combat, and nods to traditional architecture, lion dances, and Peking opera.

The event also underscored the growing role of AI in game development. Chinese gaming giant Zhejiang Century Huatong Group demonstrated AI tools capable of generating dialogue, visuals, and debugging scripts.

The first "Digiloong Cup" Global AI Game and Application Innovation Competition held its award ceremony at the expo, spotlighting innovations in AI-powered gaming and digital applications.

Humanoid robots play soccer at a themed zone during ChinaJoy 2025. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

A new exhibition zone featured humanoid robots playing football alongside other AI-driven experiences. In the CreateAI zone, games like Heroes of Jin Yong, powered by Unreal Engine 5, integrated classical Chinese landscapes into open-world RPGs.

"ChinaJoy has served as a major platform for the gaming industry for over two decades, focusing on games while expanding into interactive entertainment and digital culture," said Wan Fangyu, general manager of the event's organizer.

Source: Jiefang Daily