Giant Network
Giant Network is an A-share listed Chinese game developer and operator (002558.SZ) that self-develops and operates MMORPG and casual competitive titles, including the 20+ year 征途 franchise, Battle of Balls, and the 2025 hit Supernatural Action Squad, serving mass-market Chinese gamers through a free-to-play microtransaction model.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Giant Network does
Giant Network (巨人网络, 002558.SZ) is an A-share listed Chinese game developer and operator headquartered in Shanghai, founded in 2011 and operating as a publicly traded entity on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The company self-develops and operates a multi-genre portfolio anchored by the long-running 征途 (Zhengtu/Expedition) national-warfare MMORPG franchise—operated for 20+ years across PC and mobile—alongside the casual competitive mobile hit 球球大作战 (Battle of Balls), which has reached hundreds of millions of players. The 2025 multiplayer cooperative horror title 超自然行动组 (Supernatural Action Squad) emerged as a breakout hit, surpassing 1 million peak concurrent users and 10 million daily active users within months of launch and sustaining top rankings in the App Store's free and top-grossing charts. Additional portfolio lines include 太空杀2 (a detective party game targeting young users), 名将杀 (a free-to-play card strategy title), and 月圆之夜 (a card-based adventure game). Underlying technology is a proprietary self-developed game engine and large-scale multiplayer infrastructure capable of supporting national-battle MMORPGs and high-DAU mobile operations; the company also made June 2026 minority investments in AI infrastructure (光轮智能) and large-model inference (硅基流动) to position for future development leverage.
The company's business model is free-to-play with in-game microtransactions across virtual items, cosmetics, power-ups, and premium content. Distribution is fully digital and direct-to-consumer: official portals on the ztgame.com domain, iOS App Store, Android marketplaces, and organic top-of-chart visibility. End customers are individual mass-market Chinese gamers—spanning casual mobile players to hardcore MMORPG enthusiasts—constituting a stated cumulative user base exceeding 10亿+ (1 billion+) across the portfolio. Go-to-market is product-led: the company relies on organic growth through App Store ranking performance, word-of-mouth, and community engagement on platforms including WeChat, Douyin, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, and Weibo, with a young-talent-driven organizational culture (post-95s producers leading flagship projects) supporting a flat, creator-oriented development structure. The company is also exploring portfolio rationalization, with its Lingxi Games (灵犀互娱) unit reportedly being marketed to multiple potential buyers including Alibaba at a 7–9 billion yuan valuation.
Giant Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Giant Network
- Legal name
- 上海巨人网络科技有限公司
- Website
- https://ga-me.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Giant Network is an A-share listed Chinese game developer and operator (002558.SZ) that self-develops and operates MMORPG and casual competitive titles, including the 20+ year 征途 franchise, Battle of Balls, and the 2025 hit Supernatural Action Squad, serving mass-market Chinese gamers through a free-to-play microtransaction model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Giant Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Gaming
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gaming & Virtual World Communities (BPAMABAE), Gaming & Virtual World Social Platforms (MPACAJAG)
Keywords
Where Giant Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Giant Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- In-game virtual item purchases and microtransactions: Free-to-play model generating revenue through in-game purchases of virtual items, cosmetics, power-ups, and premium content within games such as 征途 series, 球球大作战, 超自然行动组, and other titles. Players download games for free but pay for enhanced gameplay experiences.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Giant Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Giant Network develops and operates self-developed online games, including long-running national-warfare MMORPG franchises (Expedition/征途 series for PC and mobile), casual competitive mobile titles (Battle of Balls/球球大作战), and newer breakout hits such as the 2025 multiplayer horror game Supernatural Action Squad (超自然行动组). The games are offered free-to-play and monetized through in-game microtransactions for virtual items, cosmetics, and premium content. The company targets over 1 billion cumulative users across its multi-genre, multi-platform portfolio.
Product overview
Giant Network (002558.SZ) is a leading A-share listed gaming company in China operating a multi-platform gaming portfolio. The product lineup consists of: (1) The flagship Expedition franchise spanning PC games (征途, 征途2, 绿色征途, 征途怀旧) and mobile games (原始征途, 王者征途, 征途2手游, 绿色征途手游); (2) Casual competitive games including 球球大作战 (Battle of Balls) with hundreds of millions of users; (3) The 2025 breakout hit 超自然行动组 (Chaoziran) - a multiplayer cooperative horror game with over 1 million concurrent users and 10 million DAU; (4) Other titles including 太空杀推理派对游戏, 名将杀 card game, and 月圆之夜 adventure game. The company targets over 1 billion users across its portfolio of national warfare MMOs and casual competitive games.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 征途系列 (Zhengtu Series): National-level MMORPG game franchise including original Zhengtu, Zhengtu 2, Green Zhengtu, and Zhengtu Nostalgia for both PC and mobile.
- 球球大作战 (Battle of Balls)
- 超自然行动组 (Supernatural Action Squad)
- 太空杀2 (Space Party 2)
- 名将杀 (Famous General Kill)
- 月圆之夜 (Night of the Full Moon)
Products and services
- 超自然行动组 (Supernatural Action Squad / Chaoziran) A multiplayer cooperative horror game positioned as 'the most joyful multiplayer team horror game,' featuring online concurrent users exceeding 1 million and daily active users exceeding 10 million. Targeted at young gamers with a post-95s generation lead producer.
- 征途 (Expedition) PC series The flagship national-warfare MMORPG franchise for PC, including the original Expedition (征途), Expedition 2 (征途2), Green Expedition (绿色征途), and Nostalgic Expedition (征途怀旧). Long-running self-developed IP franchise with 20+ years of operation.
- 征途系列手游 (Expedition Mobile series) Mobile game variants of the Expedition franchise including Original Expedition (原始征途), King's Expedition (王者征途), Expedition 2 Mobile (征途2手游), and Green Expedition Mobile (绿色征途手游), offering national warfare and idle expedition gameplay.
- 球球大作战 (Battle of Balls) The most popular casual competitive mobile game in the company's portfolio with hundreds of millions of players, offering quick competitive gameplay.
- 太空杀 (Space Party) A reasoning party game targeted at 200 million young users, featuring detective gameplay mechanics.
- 名将杀 (Famous Generals) A card game featuring fair, free-to-play gameplay with all generals available, positioned as a non-pay-to-win (不氪金) strategy title.
- 月圆之夜 (Night of the Full Moon) A fairy tale book for free exploration, a card-based adventure game.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10亿+ total user coverage across all game products
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Giant Network
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Giant Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Giant Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and strategic.
- Alibaba Group (approached as potential acquirer)minorAlibaba Group approached Giant Network as one of at least five potential buyers for its gaming unit Lingxi Games (灵犀娱乐), being marketed at a valuation of 7-9 billion yuan ($1.03-1.33 billion). No deal confirmed; Giant Network was one of multiple parties approached including 37 Interactive Entertainment, China Ruyi, Century Huatong, and two private equity firms.
- 光轮智能 (Guanglun Intelligence)strategicGiant Network invested in 光轮智能 (Guanglun Intelligence), expanding its AI infrastructure layout. This investment extends Giant Network's strategic positioning in AI technology to support future game development and operational capabilities.
- 硅基流动 (Silicon Flow)strategicGiant Network participated as an investor in 硅基流动 (Silicon Flow), extending its AI presence into large model inference infrastructure. This investment complements the company's broader AI strategy alongside the 光轮智能 investment.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Giant Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tencent Holdings: Largest Chinese gaming incumbent via WeGame, Tencent Games, and stakes in Riot, Supercell, Epic, and others. Operates a broader portfolio across every gaming category and serves as the structural benchmark for competitive pressure on MMORPG and competitive mobile categories.
Direct peers
- miHoYo (HoYoverse): Chinese game studio behind Genshin Impact, Honkai, and Zenless Zone Zero — exemplifies the hit-driven, mobile-first model that Giant Network is now emulating with Supernatural Action Squad. Closely comparable in user-cohort targeting and product-led growth motion.
- Perfect World: A-share-listed Chinese game developer with strong MMORPG and competitive mobile portfolio (Perfect World, New Swordsman). Directly comparable in genre mix, target segment, and capital-markets positioning.
- 37 Interactive Entertainment: A-share-listed Chinese mobile game publisher with strong slot/competitive categories. Cited in the Lingxi Games bid process as one of the parties approached, indicating direct comparability in scale and capital deployment patterns.
- Kingsoft (Seasun): Hong Kong-listed Chinese game developer behind JX Online (Swordsman) and other long-running MMORPGs. Direct peer in classic PC MMORPG genre and a natural competitor for the same core Chinese gamer demographic.
- NetEase: Major Chinese gaming company and A-share/HK-listed developer of MMORPGs (Fantasy Westward Journey, Justice Online) and competitive mobile titles. Comparable in scale, free-to-play microtransaction model, and reliance on large-DAU flagship titles.
- Shanda Games (Shengqu Games): Historic Chinese MMORPG competitor founded by a former Shi Yuzhu affiliate; directly competes in national-warfare/long-running MMO segments with both PC and mobile offerings. Closely comparable to Giant Network's Zhengtu franchise core.
- Changyou (CYOU): Chinese MMO developer known for Tian Long Ba Bu and legacy national-warfare franchises under Sohu. Highly comparable in long-running national-warfare MMO operations and PC-mobile cross-platform model.
Regional players
- NCSoft: Korean MMORPG developer behind Lineage and Aion — global benchmark for operating long-lived MMO franchises with sustained cash generation. Comparable business model and PC-client MMO expertise from a regional perspective.
- Nexon: Japan/Korea-listed global online game publisher with franchises including MapleStory and Dungeon Fighter Online. Comparable in long-running MMORPG lifecycle management and free-to-play monetization at global scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Giant Network social profiles
Digital presenceGiant Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Giant Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Giant Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Giant Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments18 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Giant Network
What does Giant Network do?
Giant Network develops and operates self-developed online games, including long-running national-warfare MMORPG franchises (Expedition/征途 series for PC and mobile), casual competitive mobile titles (Battle of Balls/球球大作战), and newer breakout hits such as the 2025 multiplayer horror game Supernatural Action Squad (超自然行动组). The games are offered free-to-play and monetized through in-game microtransactions for virtual items, cosmetics, and premium content. The company targets over 1 billion cumulative users across its multi-genre, multi-platform portfolio.
Is Giant Network a public or private company?
Giant Network is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Giant Network founded?
Giant Network was founded in 2011. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Giant Network based?
Giant Network is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
How does Giant Network make money?
One revenue line is on record: in-game virtual item purchases and microtransactions.
Who are Giant Network's main competitors?
Tencent Holdings is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are miHoYo (HoYoverse), Perfect World, 37 Interactive Entertainment, Kingsoft (Seasun), NetEase, Shanda Games (Shengqu Games) and Changyou (CYOU). Regional players are NCSoft and Nexon.
Does Giant Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Giant Network.
What industry is Giant Network in?
Giant Network's product category is Online Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAK, Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios, with a secondary code of BPAMABAE, Gaming & Virtual World Communities. Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7990.