Hollow Knight: Silksong off to a strong start in China, but localization is poorly received

Oct 16, 2025

Launched in 2017, Hollow Knight has sold over 15M copies worldwide. Building on this acclaimed IP, the long-awaited sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong released on Sept 4 this year, debuting at #22 on our September China Games & Livestreaming Tracker. The series from the Australian indie studio Team Cherry drew 25.8M views on Chinese game livestreaming during the month of September. However, the game received significant criticism from Chinese players over the Simplified Chinese localization.

The above is an extract from our China Games & Livestreaming Tracker September 2025 summary. Learn more about the platform here.

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“Some game companies continue to be afraid of the Chinese market” - Niko Partners chats with The Game Business

Lisa Cosmas Hanson (President and CEO of Niko Partners) and Daniel Ahmad (Director of Research and Insights at Niko Partners) were featured on The Game Business this week, speaking to Chris Dring about the state of the games industry and the Chinese video games market. You can watch the whole conversation here.

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Leapfrogging the Old Guard: How Southeast Asia’s Third-Party App Market Took Off – Niko Knowledge Brief gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025 Edition

Southeast Asia’s mobile-first culture has reshaped how people play, pay, and connect. This paves the way for digital wallets and third-party app stores to thrive in the region. Our research found that the out-of-app monetization is on the rise in this one fastest-growing video games market in the world.

As the Knowledge Partner of Thailand Game Show 2025, we bring you a special Knowledge Brief to explore the evolving landscape of third-party app stores in Southeast Asia and the latest regulatory developments around it.

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Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS) launched

Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) of Indonesia has officially launched Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS), with the system to come into force in January 2026. IGRS is a national age classification system, claimed to be the first one in Southeast Asia. The launch was conducted during Indonesia Game Developer Exchange (IGDX) 2025.

Why this matters: Game publishers operating in Indonesia will be required to list player age categories ranging from 3+, 7+, 13+, 15+, to 18+. The IGRS is claimed to both protect the domestic games industry as well as a response to various concerns about the impacts and risks of gaming towards children. It is unclear about how strict the government would sanction game companies that do not follow the new system. However, based on the previous PSE regulation debacle in 2022, there are possibilities that the government might ban games that do not follow IGRS.

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Level Up KL 2025 concluded on October 8

Level Up KL 2025, Malaysia’s biggest games industry conference, was held from October 6 to October 8 in Kuala Lumpur. The event’s 11th edition recorded a new attendance milestone, attracting over 2,500 participants from more than 20 countries.The event featured a diverse program designed to foster industry growth and cross-border collaboration including 70 global exhibitors, 40 games from Southeast Asian studios, and the SEA Games Awards.

Why this matters: The event brought together developers, publishers, investors, and technology companies. This year’s edition also celebrated the global achievements of Malaysian studios, highlighting their growing influence and success in the international gaming landscape. Niko’s Edward Tien attended the event.

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Crusader Kings III DLC targets China, Japan and Southeast Asia

Paradox Interactive has announced All Under Heaven, the largest-ever expansion for its grand strategy title Crusader Kings III, set to release on October 28, 2025, for $29.99. The DLC brings East and Southeast Asia into the game for the first time, adding vast new playable regions spanning China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, alongside major new governance and cultural systems.

Why this matters: Since its original release in September 2020, Crusader Kings III has primarily centered on medieval Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. The introduction of East Asia comes amid growing positive sentiment for the game in the region, which accounts for approximately 20% of unit sales since launch. The reviews written in Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Japanese have a positivity rate above 85% on Steam.

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Chinese esports team Vivi Gaming returns to Dota 2

Chinese esports organization Vici Gaming has officially announced its return to Dota 2 with a new roster and coaching lineup, set to debut at FISSURE Playground 2 from October 23 to November 2, 2025. The announcement, made via the team’s official Weibo account, marks Vici’s re-entry into competitive play after a year-long absence. Its latest comeback reflects a renewed push to reclaim status in China’s evolving Dota 2 ecosystem.

Why this matters: Founded in 2012, Vici Gaming remains one of China’s most recognizable Dota 2 orgs, having achieved international acclaim after finishing second at The International 2014 and securing major titles between 2018 and 2019. However, the organization’s fortunes declined with the restructuring of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), leading to missed qualifications for The International 2022 and eventual relegation from the top tier of China’s regional league in 2023.

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Sony and AMD confirm next generation PlayStation console in the works

Sony’s next-generation console, widely expected to be the PlayStation 6, is officially in early development and will arrive “in a few years’ time,” according to Mark Cerny, lead architect for both the PS5 and PS5 Pro. In a joint technical presentation with AMD, Cerny confirmed that Sony is co-developing new GPU and compression technologies with AMD that will form the foundation of its next console generation. While these innovations are still “in simulation” and far from production-ready, the discussion provides the clearest indication yet that Sony’s next hardware cycle is well underway.

Why this matters: Niko Partners has pegged the PlayStation 6 to release in 2027, which would be seven years after the PlayStation 5. The mention of universal compression technology and the ability to run more efficiently in a low-power mode also hints that Sony’s rumored PlayStation handheld might be in the works as well. Sony’s compression and efficiency work with AMD would theoretically make high-end gaming viable in smaller, low-power devices, aligning with the recent trend of gaming handheld releases.

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