On Monday, the four-day 22nd China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference (ChinaJoy) wrapped up at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The annual event, held under the theme “Gather What You Love,” brought together hundreds of gaming and tech companies from around the world.
Lilith Games took center stage with its upcoming sci-fi shooter Farlight 84, designing its booth around the title and showcasing a five-meter-tall mech model that quickly became a popular photo spot for visitors. Farlight 84 is set to launch globally on August 7. To energize the crowd, Lilith also invited professional e-sports players for live showmatches.
The crossover between BYD and Black Myth: Wukong stood out as one of the event’s highlights. This creative blend of gaming culture and automotive design brought fresh energy to the show floor. The custom vehicle, finished in black with striking gold accents, paid tribute to the game’s iconic Monkey King. At the booth, visitors could get a close-up look at the car and join in the fun by interacting with cosplayers who were dressed as the Monkey King.
The Oppo booth transformed into an anime-themed world, drawing in young fans with its Haikyu partnership. Haikyu is a popular Japanese anime and manga series about a high school volleyball team striving to become the best in Japan. The booth recreated iconic scenes from the anime and offered visitors interactive games such as the volleyball spike challenge and a character trivia quiz.
The special Haikyu edition of Oppo Reno14 series, launched in May, was showcased in the product experience zone. The four color variants of the Haikyu edition phones were inspired by the anime’s signature themes.
The booth for Dave the Diver recreated the game’s iconic Blue Hole Ocean scene. Developed by Mintrocket, a subsidiary of Korea’s Nexon, this indie game has captivated players worldwide since its 2023 release, thanks to its unique gameplay of daytime diving exploration and nighttime sushi shop management, combined with a pixel-art style.
Riot Games brought the shooter game VALORANT to life with a futuristic, agent-themed headquarters setup. The booth combined weapon models with dynamic lighting walls to create a tech-forward atmosphere. Players had the chance to go hands-on with the latest version of the game. Professional teams made surprise appearances for live showmatches, drawing cheers from the crowd.
SNK hosted the Shanghai stop of the SCS (SNK Championship Series) 2025 offline tournament at the ChinaJoy venue, featuring The King of Fighters XV as the main title. The competition served as a qualifier for the championship finals. SNK showcased a fighting game-themed interactive zone, where visitors could immerse themselves in the world of combat through activities such as giant arcade battles and boxing challenges.
Huawei Game Center showcased a range of HarmonyOS titles in collaboration with popular games such as Honor of Kings and Light and Night. With the number of HarmonyOS 5 devices surpassing 10 million, more and more games are joining the expanding HarmonyOS gaming ecosystem, according to the company.
Growing demand for ACG content in China
Although the atmosphere was energetic and vibrant, the crowd was somewhat overwhelming and the venue felt crowded. According to official data, the total number of visitors over the four days reached around 410,000.
Recently, several anime and gaming conventions in China such as bilibili world 2025 and the COMICUP 31 have been packed to capacity, indicating that ACG (animation, comics, and games) content remains in high demand with strong consumer interest.
