CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: China’s homegrown games capture overseas players as its cultural influence expands

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This report is from this week’s CNBC’s The China Connection newsletter, which brings you insights and analysis on what’s driving the world’s second-largest economy. You can subscribe here.

From Nezha 2 to Labubu, it’s been quite a year for Chinese cultural exports. Now, one of the latest titles to hit the $189 billion global gaming market is also from China.

More than 2 million people played the martial arts video game “Where the Winds Meet” within 24 hours of its overseas release this past weekend on PlayStation and PC, according to the game’s Chinese publisher NetEase

. The free-to-play game puts a player in the shoes of a “young sword master” living in 10th-century China, whose backstory is developed through the journey of play.