Qisheng
Game Development: Taking the World by Storm, Starting with Minecraft
Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Qisheng (企盛) |
| Alias(es) | Qisheng Game Company; Qisheng Games 10 19 |
| Organization Type | Game development company and gaming-platform operator 10 18 |
| Location | Shencheng 10 |
| Leader | President Teng Hua 10 |
| Occupation/Role | Former gaming-industry leader; commercial rival of Starfield 10 27 |
| Status | Still operating but heavily indebted after Shooting Simulator fails; subsequently implicated in PUBG cheat production 43 50 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 10 10 |
History
Industry Dominance
Qisheng rose to dominate the gaming market under Teng Hua, suppressing competitors including Starfield. By the time Minecraft became successful, most games on the market were Qisheng products. Its established approach was to demand that developers sell their games or face competing copies 10 11.
One earlier target was Mengjia Game Company’s Racing Simulator. Qisheng copied it as Bicycle Simulator, improved aspects of its gameplay and optimization, and hired online trolls to disparage the original. Mengjia lost much of its market and failed in its initial lawsuit, eventually shrinking to the size of a small studio 27.
As a major Shencheng taxpayer, Qisheng benefited from a local advantage in litigation. Teng Hua regarded this position as protection against lawsuits over the company’s extensive copying 25 27.
Conflict with Minecraft
Qisheng first investigated Minecraft after concurrent player numbers across several of its games fell by 5–8%. Learning that Starfield’s free game could earn over ten million yuan per day, Teng Hua ordered Qisheng to introduce in-game monetization and either acquire or copy it 10.
Liu Nong offered fifty million yuan for Minecraft, but Su Ye rejected the offer. Liu then instructed planner Zhang Shishan to begin the copycat project, implement additional charges, and hire paid posters to smear the original. Qisheng announced the resulting game, Mini World, while criticism of Minecraft’s graphics spread online 11 12.
Qisheng’s catalog-wide monetization update generated 150 million yuan in player top-ups in one day. Teng Hua dismissed complaints about charging again for already-purchased games, explicitly prioritizing wealthy customers over ordinary players 18 19.
Mini World did not reproduce that financial success. Its launch figures showed fewer than a thousand downloads, approximately 82,327.7 yuan in payments, and an average playtime of ten minutes. Teng Hua blamed Liu Nong, gave him one week to improve revenue, and ordered further attacks on Minecraft’s reputation 20 21.
Legal Defeats and Player Losses
After CCTV featured Minecraft, Teng Hua ordered the smear campaign stopped. He then learned that Starfield had already sued Qisheng, though he initially remained confident in the company’s position in Shencheng 25.
With Mini World shut down and player numbers declining across Qisheng’s other games, Teng Hua again blamed Liu Nong. Liu resigned after confronting him about his copying, dirty tricks, and uninformed management 26.
Starfield’s victory broke Qisheng’s record of resisting such claims. Mengjia and several other companies subsequently filed lawsuits alleging plagiarism and unfair competition 27.
| Case | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Starfield v. Qisheng | Qisheng was ordered to pay Starfield ten million yuan. Starfield publicized its victory and Qisheng’s plagiarism 27. |
| Mengjia v. Qisheng | Qisheng was ordered to pay fifty million yuan over its copying of Racing Simulator 29. |
| Other developers’ claims | Further losses depleted Qisheng’s cash reserves; copied games were shut down or reworked 29. |
Qisheng’s valuation of several billion yuan concealed a much smaller pool of liquid funds—approximately 100–200 million yuan before the compensation payments. The succession of judgments therefore placed severe pressure on its ability to continue operating 29.
Starfield also pursued the paid reviewers involved in the smear campaign. Dozens received lawsuits, with consequences including public apologies, compensation, and account closures for more serious offenses 30.
Shooting Simulator and PUBG Sabotage
Teng Hua attempted a comeback by commissioning Shooting Simulator, a project modeled on Starfield’s PUBG trailer. He gave Qin Shou one month to finish it and committed the company’s remaining money. He also authorized small raises to motivate staff while instructing Qin to avoid overtime pay where possible 29.
Released in late October, the game offered stationary target shooting rather than PUBG’s battle royale gameplay. Its early player count nevertheless grew, and Teng Hua expected to recover the investment. Before PUBG launched, he instructed Qin Shou to prepare a lawsuit if Starfield’s game appeared to copy Shooting Simulator 32 35.
That recovery did not last. By the time PUBG became a hit, Shooting Simulator had failed and Qisheng was heavily indebted. Teng Hua ordered Qin Shou to create a PUBG cheat program within a week to sabotage the competing game 43.
Starfield later gathered evidence identifying Qisheng and several independent individuals as cheat makers. Su Ye instructed its legal department to sue everyone implicated; no outcome for those cases is provided 50.
Games and Platform
Qisheng distributes its titles through the Qisheng Game Platform, which it also uses to promote new releases 18 19.
| Game | Features and Monetization | Documented Fate or Reception |
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle Simulator | Copied Mengjia’s Racing Simulator. A later update added bicycles priced from 29.9 to 1,288 yuan. The most expensive advertised a 100% speed increase, 100% reduction in turning speed loss, and 100% increase in friction 18 27. | Paid stat boosts displaced skill-based leaderboard records. Xiao Dingdang abandoned it after losing his gold badge; Mengjia later won compensation over the copying 18 29. |
| Skiing Simulator | Included in player complaints about newly introduced payments across Qisheng’s games 18. | Cited alongside Bicycle Simulator as part of the backlash against the update 18. |
| Mountain Climbing Simulator | Also identified by players as receiving additional payment requirements 18. | Included in criticism of Qisheng’s catalog-wide monetization 18. |
| Mini World | Minecraft-like sandbox sold at a discounted download price of 69.9 yuan. Basic materials such as wood and planks each required a separate one-yuan unlock. Its 6,999-yuan Winged Power User skin allowed flight and hovering 19 20. | Poor launch engagement and revenue; shut down by Chapter 26 20 26. |
| Shooting Simulator | Players stand in place and shoot distant targets. They begin with one gun and pay to unlock others 32. | Initially attracted a growing audience, but later failed, leaving Qisheng heavily indebted 35 43. |
Key Personnel
- Teng Hua — President and principal decision-maker. Directed acquisitions, copying, monetization, smear campaigns, the Shooting Simulator gamble, and the order to develop PUBG cheats 10 11 19 29 43.
- Liu Nong — Marketing head and manager who reported performance figures, negotiated the attempted Minecraft purchase, coordinated promotion, and relayed Teng Hua’s orders. Resigned after confronting Teng Hua over the company’s decline 10 11 19 26.
- Zhang Shishan — Game planner instructed to copy Minecraft and introduce additional charges. Questioned the appropriateness of charging players again but complied when told it was Teng Hua’s decision 11.
- Qin Shou — Entrusted with completing Shooting Simulator within one month. Later received orders to prepare a possible lawsuit against Starfield and create a PUBG cheat program 29 35 43.
Notable Relationships
- Starfield — Formerly suppressed competitor whose Minecraft success challenged Qisheng’s dominance. Its successful plagiarism lawsuit encouraged other developers to pursue their own claims 10 27.
- Mengjia Game Company — Developer damaged by Qisheng’s copying and smear tactics. Renewed its previously unsuccessful legal challenge after Starfield’s victory 27 29.
- Chen Ze — Promotional streamer who reluctantly accepted a Mini World trial because he feared being blacklisted from streaming Qisheng’s catalog. Qisheng promised to cover his in-game payments 19 20.
- Xiao Dingdang — Former Bicycle Simulator leaderboard leader who refused to continue playing Qisheng titles that sold stat advantages 18.
Notable Quotes
“I understand now. Games are meant to give rich people a good time. There’s no need to care about ordinary players.”
— Teng Hua, responding to backlash against Qisheng’s additional charges 19