PlayStation Hero Projects

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The PlayStation Hero Projects are initiatives launched by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) that provide financial support and mentorship to video game developers from underrepresented regions, helping them bring their games to a global audience. The project started in 2016 in China and has since expanded to India, the Middle East and North Africa.

History

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China Hero Project

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After China partially lifted its ban on gaming consoles in January 2014,[1] SIE launched the PlayStation 4 in the country in March 2015.[2] However, the company struggled to gain a foothold in the Chinese market due to its decade-long absence and a user base that differed significantly from overseas markets.[3] To address this, SIE laid out three policies at the 2016 PlayStation China Press Conference in Shanghai: "1) localizing excellent overseas titles and promoting community activities, 2) enhancing domestic Chinese titles, and 3) improving game development capabilities in China by promoting the China Hero Project." It was further explained that the project's goal was to support Chinese development studios in creating games for home consoles and bringing them to the global market, with backing from development tool providers, such as CRI Middleware and Silicon Studio. An initial example was also presented: Project Boundary, a multiplayer first-person shooter set in outer space. Further applications could be submitted starting on August 15, 2016.[4] In March 2017, SIE presented the ten games, out of over 400 applications, that were accepted for the China Hero Project.[5] On March 7, 2019, SIE announced the second phase of the China Hero Project, which included 7 new titles.[6]

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the project came to a standstill, until a third phase was announced in November 2022. Bao Bo, Sony's director of China game production, declared that "the scale of the third phase [would] far exceed the previous two" and that each game would receive at least 1 million yuan.[7] The first three titles were revealed in May 2023 during the 2023 Sony Expo: Awaken: Astral Blade, Exiledge and Will-less.[8] The next three titles were revealed in July of the same year, ahead of Chinajoy 2023: The God Slayer, The Winds Rising and Daba: Land of Water Scar.[9] A year later, once again right before Chinajoy, three more titles were announced: Unending Dawn, Kroraina (Loulan) and Project: Jinyiwei.[10]

India Hero Project

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During the India Game Developer Conference in May 2023, Sony announced the India Hero Project.[11] Five games that were accepted were announced in March 2024. Each of the developers was eligible to receive at least $100,000, paid after the developers hit certain milestones and pass a review process, and also mentorship and access to SIE's internal resources.[12]

MENA Hero Project

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In August 2024, SIE announced a Hero Project for the Middle East and North Africa, more specifically for developers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.[13]

Games

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China Hero Project

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Phase Title Developer Status Ref.
1 Boundary (formerly Project Boundary) Studio Surgical Scalpels cancelled [4][14]
Lost Soul Aside Ultizero Games released in 2025 [15]
The Walker Haymaker released in 2018
Animal Force (formerly The X Animal) Internet Stars released in 2018 [16]
Project X Komogames no recent updates
Tiger Knight NetDragon released [17]
Pervader VR Light & Digital cancelled
Hardcore Mecha (formerly Code: Hardcore) Rocket Punch released in 2019 [18]
Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher (formerly Kill X) Viva Games released in 2019 [19][20]
2 F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch TiGames released in 2021 [21]
In Nightmare Magic Fish Games released in 2022 [22]
Anno: Mutationem Thinking Stars released in 2022 [23]
Evotinction Spikewave Games released in 2024 [24]
Lost Islands Jolly Roger Game released in 2024 [25]
Convallaria Loong Force in development [26]
AI Limit Sense Games released in 2025 [27]
3 Awaken: Astral Blade Dark Pigeon Games released in 2024 [28]
Exiledge Enigmatrix in development [29]
Will-less Cyaniris Game in development [3]
The God Slayer Pathea Games in development [3]
The Winds Rising TiGames in development [3]
Daba: Land of Water Scar DarkStar Games in development [3]
Unending Dawn Parcae's Fate in development [3]
Kroraina (Loulan) LiangWu Games in development [3]
Project: Jinyiwei Cang Mo Games in development [3]

India Hero Project

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Title Developer Status Ref.
Requital: Gates of Blood Holy Cow Productions in development
SURI: The Seventh Note Tathvamasi Studios in development
Meteora: The Race Against Space Time Big Boot Games in development
Fishbowl imissmyfriends.studio in development
Mukti underDOGS Studio in development

References

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  1. ^ Carsten, Paul. "China suspends ban on video game consoles after more than a decade". U.S. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  2. ^ Ahmad, Daniel (May 17, 2017). "Sony PlayStation in China – Two Years In". Niko Partners. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Dexing, Xue (January 20, 2025). "Eight years on, has Sony's China Hero Project delivered on its promise?". KrASIA. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  4. ^ a b 中村, 彰憲 (July 29, 2016). "中国ではSIEがVRの時代の到来を創り出す！ "2016 PlayStation Press Conference in China"詳細リポート【ChinaJoy 2016】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  5. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (March 22, 2017). "Sony Announces "PlayStation's China Hero Project," Including Lost Soul Aside and Many More Games". DualShockers. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  6. ^ "Sony's China Hero Project shines a positive light on console gaming". Niko Partners. March 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  7. ^ Ye, Josh (November 22, 2022). "Sony to expand Chinese game incubator in Microsoft head-to-head". Reuters. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (May 24, 2023). "PlayStation China Hero Project phase three titles EXILEDGE, AWAKEN: Astral Blade, and Will-less announced". Gematsu. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  9. ^ "［CJ2023］中国のコンシューマゲーム開発力はここまできた。SIE上海による「China Hero Project 第3期発表会」に登場した優秀な3作品を紹介". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). July 28, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  10. ^ "中国から世界へ。クトゥルフや楼蘭，武侠......世界が注目する「China Hero Project」第3期は，新たに3作を発表［CJ2024］". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). July 26, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  11. ^ Mathur, Moulik (November 3, 2023). "PlayStation Developer Event in India Announced". IGN India. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  12. ^ Mathur, Moulik (February 28, 2024). "PlayStation: First Five Games for the India Hero Project Reportedly Revealed [Update: Official]". IGN India. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  13. ^ McEvoy, Sophie (August 23, 2024). "Sony announces incubator program for MENA developers". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  14. ^ Stanton, Rich (June 21, 2024). "Zero-G PvP shooter that sold 100K in a day is closing after a year—publisher blames developer, developer blames them right back, players just review bomb it". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  15. ^ Romano, Sal (April 30, 2025). "Lost Soul Aside delayed to August 29". Gematsu. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  16. ^ Passero, Andrea (July 18, 2018). "Animal Force - La recensione". IGN Italia (in Italian). Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  17. ^ Tarason, Dominic (January 14, 2018). "Mount & Blade/World Of Tanks hybrid Tiger Knight relaunches on Steam". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  18. ^ Bischoff, Jens (July 2, 2019). "Hardcore Mecha: 2D-Mech-Action für PC und PS4 veröffentlicht". 4P.de (in German). Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  19. ^ Feltham, Jamie (January 24, 2019). "PSVR Exclusive Shooter Kill X Renamed Immortal Legacy, Coming Soon". UploadVR. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  20. ^ Feltham, Jamie (April 24, 2019). "Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher Review - A Decent Step Forward For The Chinese VR Scene". UploadVR. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  21. ^ Moyse, Chris (September 11, 2021). "Review: F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch". Destructoid. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  22. ^ Mehr, Lee (May 13, 2022). "In Nightmare (PS5)". VGChartz. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  23. ^ Hafer, Leana (March 25, 2022). "Anno: Mutationem Review". IGN. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  24. ^ McKown, Ken (September 20, 2024). "Evotinction (PS5) Review". ZTGD. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  25. ^ "Lost Islands". IGN. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  26. ^ Romano, Sal (November 22, 2022). "Convallaria to be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment". Gematsu. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  27. ^ Northup, Travis (March 26, 2025). "AI Limit Review". IGN. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  28. ^ Peter, Vincent (November 5, 2024). "Awaken – Astral Blade is Fun but Forgettable". IGN Middle East. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  29. ^ Square, Push (July 27, 2024). "EXILEDGE Is a Larger Than Life PS5 Shooter with Some Impressive Production Values". Push Square. Retrieved May 14, 2025.