The PlayStation Hero Projects are initiatives that provide financial support and mentorship to video game developers from underrepresented regions, helping them bring their games to a global audience.
After China partially lifted its ban on gaming consoles in January 2014, [1] Sony Interactive Entertainment (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]
During the India Game Developer Conference in May 2023, Sony announced the India Hero Project. [11] Five games that got accepted were announced in March 2024. Each of the developers are eligible to receive at least $100,000, as well as mentorship and access to SIE's internal resources. The funding is only payed out after the developers have hit certain milestones and have passed a review process. [12]
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]
| Phase | Title | Developer | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boundary (formerly Project Boundary) | Studio Surgical Scalpels | cancelled | [4] [14] |
| Lost Soul Aside | Ultizero Games | in development | [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 | no recent updates | ||
| 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] |
| 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 |