Co-Publishing vs Self-Publishing in China: How to Decide

01

What each option really involves

This guide compares the first two. The third is a different project; the licence guide covers it.

02

Start with the capability gap

Write down what is missing from your current plan, item by item: a Simplified Chinese translation tested in the build, a Chinese title and subtitles on the page, a Heybox developer account (which needs a mainland phone number), creator outreach in Chinese, someone reading and answering Chinese reviews in launch week, a QQ group, enforcement when a clone appears on Douyin.

Then ask, for each gap, whether it needs a long-term partner, a specialist supplier or a change inside the studio. A translation is a finite job you can buy. A Chinese-speaking community manager for launch month can be hired at roughly ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 a month, and a PR agency retainer runs $2,000 to $3,000 a month by one trade estimate. If that covers the gap, a supplier is easier to justify than a share of China revenue for the life of the game.

What a supplier cannot give you is standing: relationships with Chinese editors and creators built over years, a Bilibili account people already follow, and the ability to get a Douyin clone taken down in days rather than months because the complaint is filed by a Chinese entity with standing. That is what you are buying from a good co-publisher, and it is why you should ask to see it before signing.

03

What a partner’s half actually buys

Developers who have published their numbers give a consistent picture of the deal shape and of what China is worth.

Two things follow. First, China is volume more than revenue: a lower price per copy, higher refunds and a partner share compound. A 50% share of a low-price region needs a real marketing commitment behind it to be worth signing. Second, the spread between games is enormous, and genre fit and existing Chinese interest explain more of it than the quality of the localisation. Measure the demand you already have before you decide anything.

04

Compare like-for-like scopes

Self-publishing retains responsibility as well as control. Put your own time, supplier fees, keys, campaign spend and ongoing support into the plan at real prices. For the partnership, include the share, what it is calculated on, every recoupable cost, any minimum commitment, and EightSix’s advisory fee if we are involved.

Keep both options on the same storefront and territory. Then model three outcomes, weak, expected and strong, and show the cash your studio receives under each, both while costs are being recovered and after. If the partner contributes a budget, check whether it is a firm commitment or a spend ceiling it may never use. Our revenue-share worked example shows why the calculation order changes the answer even when the headline split stays the same.

05

Make control an operating detail

“You keep your IP” should be backed by precise rights, approvals and exit terms. Define the territory (mainland China, with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan named), the platforms, the content, the term and the permitted use of your assets. Specify who approves pricing, the discount schedule, localisation, campaign claims and any changes to the game. The China price in particular should be set once, with you, before launch.

Steamworks has separate permissions for different tasks (Steamworks user management). Agree access that matches the work; never hand over the studio login or transfer the app. Settle who owns and moderates the Chinese community channels, and in whose name: one Japanese developer’s open letter about its publisher vanished from a forum that publisher still moderated. And decide who keeps the localisation files, community assets and reporting history if the relationship ends. A reversion right is only useful if the practical handover has been arranged.

06

Choose the smallest justified commitment

Continue alone when you have a credible delivery plan and a partner would not close a meaningful gap. Hire a supplier when the gap is finite. Move to co-publisher discussions when candidates can show relevant work in your genre, explain what they would do for this particular game in the first month after launch, and commit to it in writing.

Waiting is also a decision. A weak partner can tie up your China rights for years, and a better-prepared approach in six months often costs less than that. EightSix helps define the brief, compare candidates on the same basis and support the negotiation; the publisher performs the local work; your studio decides whether the deal is worth signing, and a good assessment is willing to conclude that no deal is needed yet. Start with how to choose a China publishing partner.