FunPlus CEO Andy Zhong on taking a global approach (2014)

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
FunPlus prioritizes a global-first strategy, currently serving 6 million daily active users with significant market penetration in Europe and the Middle East.
02
FunPlus has achieved notable success in France, where 50 percent of the population has engaged with its titles and 10 percent have installed at least one game.
03
The company’s portfolio spans casual titles like Family Farm and an emerging pipeline of strategy-focused mobile games.
04
FunPlus maintains a long-term, phased growth strategy to enter the Chinese market only after its international operations reach a higher level of maturity.
05
The company integrates international talent into its 250-person Beijing headquarters, with 40 percent of the workforce recruited from Europe and the United States to bridge cultural gaps.
06
The company’s operational model is designed to overcome the common challenges Chinese firms face when attempting to scale outside of Asia.

Ask AI about this video

Transcript

hello there's pocket game of doctors we're in beijing for the gmi gc conference i'm here with andy from fun plus hi andy so can you explain a bit about what's fun plus what do you guys do yeah so um my name is andy i'm ceo and founder of funplus uh fun plus is a four years old startup so we focus on social and mobile games we made a couple games really successful in mid-east and the european we focus not in social casual games before and also right now we are launching more pipeline of the strategic gains and also casual gains we have around 6 million daily active users playing the game every day a lot of players not of great we actually have in european investment around 50 percent of the population are playing the game in france 10 percent of the population installed

and also play the game so it's a it's a lot of achievements yeah the surprising thing is the majority of your company is based in beijing but you don't really operate very much in china so how do you think you've been to chinese company you've been so successful outside china um i think we from the first day we we tried to build a really global company we want to conquer the part which is since more difficult because we we have a lot of asian background so we are looking at the european and u.s market we really want to work with people who are talented and also global talent and also if you look at the fun plus even beijing we have around 250 people but around 40 of them are from european the us so it's it's it's really interesting i would say not many companies do that

actually in china uh we're probably the the company in beijing with the highest percentage of the foreigners yeah kind of you've taken a global approach based on china yes but the chinese market is obviously very big and growing so yeah at some point will you also kind of focus on china um for sure we um china is really big um we actually um have a lot of expertise i started my first company 10 years ago in china so we we're definitely coming back we have we try to figure out a solid plan uh when we actually um make more results in u.s and european lovely time thank you you

Summary

FunPlus operates as a Beijing-based developer and publisher that prioritizes a global market strategy over domestic expansion. Founded four years ago, the company specializes in social and mobile gaming, maintaining a portfolio that spans casual titles like Family Farm and an emerging pipeline of strategy-focused games. The organization currently sustains 6 million daily active users, demonstrating significant market penetration in regions such as Europe and the Middle East. Notably, the company reports that 50 percent of the population in France has engaged with its titles, with 10 percent of the population having installed at least one game.

The core thesis of the company’s operational model is the intentional integration of international talent within its Beijing headquarters. By staffing approximately 40 percent of its 250-person workforce with professionals from Europe and the United States, the company bridges cultural gaps to effectively target Western markets. This approach reflects a deliberate effort to overcome the challenges typically associated with Chinese firms attempting to scale outside of Asia. By prioritizing global expertise from its inception, the company has successfully established a strong foothold in competitive international territories.

While the company currently focuses its resources on the United States and Europe, it maintains a long-term strategy to eventually enter the Chinese market. Leveraging the founder’s decade of experience in the local industry, the company intends to develop a comprehensive plan for domestic expansion once its international operations reach a higher level of maturity. This phased growth strategy underscores a commitment to building a sustainable, globally recognized brand before pivoting to capture the high-growth potential of the Chinese gaming sector.