ChinaJoy 2026 Recap: A Playground on the Show Floor, a Dinner in the Sky

Every year, ChinaJoy offers one of the clearest snapshots of where the Chinese mobile gaming industry is heading. For companies working with Chinese developers, publishers, and technology partners, it’s one of the few events that brings the entire ecosystem together in one place.

For us, China remains one of the strategic markets. Over the past year, we’ve continued expanding our local team, growing our customer base, and investing in long-term partnerships across the region. ChinaJoy is where many of those relationships come together.

Here’s how the week unfolded.

The Mobile Growth Playground

This year, we wanted our booth to feel different.

Rather than discussing features, we spent our time reviewing strategies, market dynamics, measurement approaches, and performance benchmarks across different regions.

What the industry is talking about

A few topics surfaced repeatedly throughout the week.

Retargeting has become part of the acquisition strategy.

Not long ago, many studios viewed retargeting as something to consider after scaling user acquisition. That mindset changed. More teams are planning retargeting from day one and asking questions about audience segmentation, re-engagement timing, suppression logic, and measurement.

CTV is moving from exploration to execution.

Interest in Connected TV has grown noticeably over the past year. The conversations were no longer about whether CTV belongs in the media mix. They focused on execution. Teams wanted to understand attribution, incrementality, creative adaptation, and how CTV fits alongside mobile performance rather than replacing it.

User acquisition is becoming more selective.

The economics of growth continue to shift. CPMs are increasing across many markets, and in several regions Android inventory has become more expensive than iOS. That changes how advertisers allocate budgets and evaluate partners. Scale alone is no longer enough. Efficiency, predictive bidding, audience quality, and transparent measurement are becoming stronger differentiators.

Signals in the Sky

Before the exhibition opened, we kicked off the week with Signals in the Sky, our invite-only executive dinner.

Together with Cheetah Mobile and Checkout.com, we welcomed growth and marketing leaders from China’s leading mobile gaming companies to the 105th floor of Shanghai Tower, nearly 500 meters above the city. We were also joined by speakers from Meta and Sensor Tower, who shared their perspectives on the latest trends shaping global app growth.

The location made for an unforgettable evening, but it wasn’t the highlight.

The most valuable part was hearing growth leaders compare notes on what is actually working in 2026. Discussions ranged from rising acquisition costs and evolving measurement frameworks to creative testing, market expansion, and where AI is making a measurable difference in marketing workflows.

Thank you, Shanghai

A sincere thank you to everyone who visited us at W3-G201, and to our partners at Cheetah Mobile and Checkout.com for helping make Signals in the Sky such a memorable evening.

If we didn’t have the opportunity to connect during ChinaJoy, we’d be happy to continue the conversation. Whether you’re looking at user acquisition, retargeting, or evaluating Connected TV as your next growth channel, we’d love to hear what you’re building.

See you at ChinaJoy 2027.