Melting Games

What Melting Games does

Melting Games (上海火溶信息科技有限公司 / Shanghai HRG Information Technology Co., Limited) is a Shanghai-based mobile game developer and publisher founded in September 2012 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Talkweb Information Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 002261) following a 2014 acquisition for 810 million RMB. The company is best known for pioneering the world's first 3D card strategy mobile game with 《啪啪三国》 (Papa San Guo) in September 2013, a Three Kingdoms-themed title that achieved #1 on Korea's free chart and #1 on the Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan bestseller chart, with peak monthly revenue of 50 million RMB.

The company operates a portfolio of 7+ mobile game titles spanning strategy, SRPG, and casual genres, including the flagship 《啪啪三国》 franchise and its 2017 sequel, 《龙门镖局》, 《龙战争》, the licensed titles Plants vs Zombies 2 and Ark: Dawn Heroes, the SRPG 《三国列霸》, the Japanese-mythology themed 《恶灵退散1》, and the casual game CHEF SQUAD. Core technology centers on a proprietary 3D card strategy game engine. The company's offering is built around freemium monetization with in-app purchases (gacha-style card draws, virtual items, battle passes) supplemented by publishing and licensing royalty revenue streams from third-party IP partnerships.

Geographically, Melting Games publishes across China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, and Southeast Asia via a mix of direct app store distribution, Chinese Android channel partnerships (Huawei, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, TapTap, Bilibili), and regional publishing partners. Active hiring for European and American marketing roles indicates expansion intent beyond Asia. The customer base consists of strategy and card-game players globally, with live operations maintained through Discord community engagement, in-game events, offline player meetups, and seasonal content updates.

Name

Melting Games

Legal name

上海火溶信息科技有限公司

Website

https://hrgame.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Melting Games is a Shanghai-based mobile game developer and publisher, founded in 2012 and a subsidiary of Talkweb Information (SZSE: 002261) since 2014. The company develops and publishes 3D card strategy, SRPG, and casual mobile games — led by its flagship Papa San Guo franchise — across Asia and emerging Western markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Free-to-Play In-App Purchases: The company operates free-to-play mobile games with in-app purchasing of virtual currency, items, and battle passes. Games like 《啪啪三国2》 feature gacha-style card draws, battle passes, and virtual item sales generating the primary revenue stream.
2. Game Licensing and Publishing: Melting Games publishes licensed IP titles such as Plants vs Zombies 2 and Ark: Dawn Heroes, generating revenue through publishing deals and revenue sharing arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Melting Games is a Shanghai-based mobile game developer and publisher that designs, develops, and operates free-to-play mobile games, with a specialization in 3D card-based strategy titles. The company develops its own proprietary games (such as the Papa San Guo series, Dragon Escort, Dragon War, Ark: Dawn Heroes, Three Kingdoms Lieba, Evil Spirit Dispersion 1, and Chef Squad) and also publishes licensed third-party IPs including Plants vs Zombies 2 in China.

Product overview

Melting Games (火溶信息科技有限公司) is a mobile game developer and publisher operating a portfolio of games primarily focused on strategy and card-based titles. The core products include the flagship 3D card strategy games 《啪啪三国》 and its sequel 《啪啪三国2》, along with other titles like the SRPG 《三国烈霸》 and the mythological-themed 《恶灵退散1》. The company also publishes external titles such as 《植物大战僵尸2》 and operates games across multiple regions including China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau. Founded in September 2012, the company gained recognition for launching the world's first 3D card strategy game and achieved significant success with peak monthly revenue of 50 million RMB.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 啪啪三国 (Papa Sanguo): World's first 3D card strategy game featuring Three Kingdoms theme; flagship title launched September 2013; achieved Korea Free Chart #1 and Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan Best-Seller Chart #1.
• 啪啪三国2 (Papa Sanguo 2)
• 方舟：黎明英雄 (Ark: Dawn Heroes)
• 龙门镖局 (Dragon Escort)
• 龙战争 (Dragon War)
• CHEF SQUAD
• 三国列霸 / 三国烈霸 (Three Kingdoms Supremacy)
• 恶灵退散1 (Evil Spirit Dispelled 1)

Products and services

• Papa San Guo (啪啪三国) World's first 3D card strategy mobile game featuring real-time strategy combat set in the Three Kingdoms era; flagship title with peak monthly revenue of 50 million RMB.
• Papa San Guo 2 (啪啪三国2) Classic sequel to the flagship 3D card strategy game, featuring enhanced gameplay, new generals system, and expanded Three Kingdoms content with gacha-style card draws and battle passes.
• Dragon Escort / Longmen Escort Agency (龙门镖局) Mobile strategy game released in 2015 as part of the company's expanding portfolio.
• Dragon War (龙战争) Mobile strategy game released in 2015 alongside Dragon Escort.
• Ark: Dawn Heroes (方舟：黎明英雄) Mobile game featured on the company's homepage as part of their game portfolio.
• CHEF SQUAD Mobile game title listed on the company's homepage as part of their casual game portfolio.
• Plants vs Zombies 2 (植物大战僵尸2) Classic tower-defense strategy game published by Melting Games in China; players travel through 16 different worlds with over 200 plants and zombies, featuring a custom garden level editor.
• Three Kingdoms Lieba / Three Kingdoms Supremacy (三国烈霸) SRPG (Strategic Role-Playing Game) mobile title featuring real-time PvP battles, cross-server competition, collaboration events, and notable voice acting.
• Evil Spirit Dispersion 1 (恶灵退散1) Mobile game with a Japanese mythology-themed narrative featuring characters like Abe no Seimei and the Nine-Tailed Fox; players summon spirits to battle demons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached #1 on Korea's mobile free chart with 《啪啪三国》
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yostar: Yostar is a Japan/China-headquartered mobile game publisher operating titles across East and Southeast Asia. It is comparable to Melting Games as an Asian-focused publisher that localizes and distributes mobile games across multiple regional markets.
• 37Games (37互娱): 37Games is a major Chinese mobile and web game developer with extensive strategy-card and RPG titles. As a China-based mobile game publisher with multi-region operations, it competes in the same competitive set as Melting Games.
• IGG: IGG is a Hong Kong-listed Chinese mobile game developer/publisher with global strategy titles (Lords Mobile) and a heavy emphasis on free-to-play multiplayer strategy — directly overlapping with Melting Games' core genre and Asian publishing model.
• Lilith Games: Lilith Games is a Chinese mobile game developer known for strategy and 4X titles (e.g., Rise of Kingdoms, AFK Arena) with strong global free-to-play monetization — directly comparable to Melting Games' strategy-card genre focus and Asian market emphasis.
• Zynga: Zynga is a US-headquartered mobile game developer/publisher specializing in free-to-play social and casual titles. While Western-focused, it shares the free-to-play mobile card/strategy mechanics and IAP-driven monetization model that Melting Games uses.
• FunPlus: FunPlus is a Chinese mobile game developer/publisher with strategy-game expertise (King of Avalon, State of Survival) and a global user base. It mirrors Melting Games in free-to-play mobile strategy and multi-region publishing.
• Playrix: Playrix is a privately held mobile game developer known for free-to-play puzzle and strategy titles with strong global UA. Comparable to Melting Games as a mobile free-to-play developer monetizing through IAP in multiple regions.
• NetEase Games: NetEase Games is one of China's largest mobile game developers and publishers, with deep expertise in strategy and RPG titles across Asia. Like Melting Games, it self-publishes free-to-play mobile games across multiple Asian markets and operates an international publishing footprint.
• miHoYo (HoYoverse): miHoYo is a leading Chinese mobile/PC game developer known for globally successful gacha-driven titles. Melting Games shares the same free-to-play card-collection monetization loop and multi-regional publishing approach.

Broad incumbents

• Tencent Games: Tencent is the dominant Chinese gaming conglomerate owning major mobile game studios and the WeGame distribution platform. While broader in scope, Tencent overlaps with Melting Games in mobile strategy/card titles and Chinese user acquisition channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melting Games