China Hero Project raises support to $1 million per selected phase-four game

Sony is increasing the support available to the fourth phase of China Hero Project, with investment valued at $1 million for each selected game. The company announced the commitment at its November 3 event in Shanghai, alongside new partners intended to help Chinese studios develop and distribute their games internationally.

The announcement also names one recipient from an earlier intake: Unending Dawn, a phase-three project, will receive investment of the same value. The distinction matters because the new figure is attached to selected projects. It is not a blanket payment to every Chinese developer, nor a published development budget for each game.

According to the event announcement reproduced by 3DM, investment firm DENMU and distributor Solutions 2 GO are joining the support network. DENMU already backs Dark Star’s DaBa: Land of Water Scar. Solutions 2 GO plans to assist with publishing DaBa and EXILEDGE. These are different roles: one connects a production with investment and development assistance, while the other helps move the finished product toward its audience.

What the support actually covers

The official PlayStation program overview describes a broader operation than funding alone. A Shanghai production team provides development guidance and code reviews. Specialist partners cover areas including Unreal Engine support, middleware, quality assurance, audio production and haptic feedback. The program also helps teams identify publishing partners and draw on PlayStation’s marketing resources.

That combination can address several separate problems in getting a game released. A studio might have a convincing combat prototype yet still need testing support, production expertise or a publisher for another territory. The newly announced partners expand that existing structure; the announcement does not establish that every supported project will use every service.

The published wording is investment valued at $1 million. It does not disclose the contracts, payment schedule or the proportion delivered as funding versus other support. Readers should therefore avoid treating the figure as an unrestricted cash grant, or calculating the total program budget by multiplying it across earlier cohorts.

The games to follow

DaBa: Land of Water Scar is targeting spring 2027, while EXILEDGE is planned for 2027 without a specific day. Sony presents DaBa as an action adventure about a humanoid puppet exploring a ruined city; EXILEDGE is a third-person shooter. Unending Dawn takes another direction, combining an open world with multiplayer action and a setting threatened by cursed creatures.

Those differences reflect the range already represented by released program titles such as the side-scrolling F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch and cyberpunk action adventure ANNO: Mutationem. For players, the immediate result is clearer support and release windows for several projects, rather than a newly playable game. The funding announcement should also be kept separate from platform terms: reporting from the event notes that participation does not automatically establish Sony exclusivity. Individual release announcements remain the place to confirm each game’s platforms.