Lead

Chinese digital entertainment companies are showing growing interest in expanding into the Russian market, according to Russian technology firm VK, speaking at the ChinaJoy exhibition in Shanghai. The event, described as Asia's largest digital entertainment exhibition, opened on July 31 and runs through August 3 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, featuring around 900 companies from nearly 40 countries.

Coverage comparison

All reporting on this story comes from TASS, the Russian state news agency, which covered the event from multiple angles: the opening of the Russian pavilion, VK's business outreach, RuStore's advertising figures, and the diplomatic framing offered by a Russian consular official. The reports consistently highlight Russian participation and the scale of the event, while the business-focused pieces cite specific investment figures from VK and RuStore.

TASS's coverage emphasizes both the size of ChinaJoy — with 900 companies and over 1,000 video games on display — and the prominent role of Russian firms. According to TASS, Russian companies VK, RuStore, Yandex Ads, and the Moscow Department of Culture's Creative Industries Agency are participating, with the agency organizing a joint Russian pavilion featuring 12 game development studios, including 1C Game Studios, HeroCraft, Deep Corp, and 4Game.

Key claims

  • Chinese investment in VK platforms: VK's press service told TASS that Chinese advertisers invested more than 2.6 bln rubles ($32.8 mln) in promotion across VK's platforms in 2025, with the number of advertisers increasing by 70% compared with 2024. VK said it is expanding its advertising capabilities for the Asian market, particularly by offering Chinese advertisers advanced promotional tools, including AI-powered audience targeting.
  • Chinese publishers on RuStore: RuStore's Business Development Director Ilya Ulyanov told TASS that Chinese mobile game publishers are actively increasing investments in promoting their projects on the platform. In the first half of 2026, overseas mobile game publishers spent over 400 mln rubles on advertising on RuStore, with China accounting for around 80% of the total foreign advertising budget. Ulyanov noted that Chinese mobile game developers rank first among foreign advertisers and that about 60% of apps in the RuStore catalog are developed by companies from China.
  • Russian industry's international cooperation: Ivan Bryukhovetsky, Consul for Education, Science and Technology at the Russian Consulate General in Shanghai, said at the opening of the Russian stand that the Russian gaming industry is "confidently demonstrating its readiness for development, innovation, and open international cooperation." He called the presence of Russian companies at ChinaJoy "an important step toward strengthening business ties, exchanging unique expertise, and exploring new forms of strategic partnerships."
  • Event details: According to TASS, ChinaJoy covers 140,000 square meters, with a 120,000-square-meter interactive zone open to the public hosting more than 350 companies, while the remaining exhibition space is dedicated to business meetings involving over 500 companies. The use of artificial intelligence in digital entertainment is a main theme of the exhibition.

Perspectives

  • VK and RuStore (Russian tech companies): Both companies present the Russian market as an attractive destination for Chinese digital entertainment firms, citing growing advertiser numbers, significant spending, and the potential for international collaboration. VK emphasizes its expanded advertising tools and plans for business meetings with Asian partners at ChinaJoy 2026.
  • Russian Consulate General in Shanghai: Diplomatic framing positions Russian participation at ChinaJoy as a sign of the industry's openness and a step toward stronger business ties and strategic partnerships between Russia and China.