We went hands-on with what MoreFun Studios is pitching as a reinvention of a long-running Chinese franchise — and the claims are bold. Roco Kingdom is reportedly being positioned as a multiplayer, open-world creature-collection game with an ecology-driven twist, and Insider Gaming had a preview with the team at Gamescom that outlines the pitch.
What Was Reported
Per Insider Gaming, Roco Kingdom has spent "16 years" building a franchise in China and is said to have amassed over 100 million players there. The project is now "making a long-awaited journey west to land on the laps of a new audience," and the developers are reportedly confident they can stand out in a crowded creature-capture market.
The preview described the game's creatures — called Jinies — as living, interactive parts of an open world. Developers allegedly showed examples where Jinies behave like animal families: a large sheep-like Jinie followed by a smaller creature and offspring from the same evolution line, all interacting in ways meant to feel natural.
Insider Gaming quotes Xiaoye, the Narrative Director on Roco Kingdom, explaining the team's approach: the design draws on real-life animal behaviour, distinct inter-species relationships, and environmental storytelling. The team also discussed creative design choices — one example cited in the preview was a "broomstick Jinie" that looks broom-like because of the environment it grows up in, rather than being a literal broomstick.
When asked why players should jump into Roco Kingdom, Xiaoye reportedly said: "This is the multiplayer creature collection game, with an open world, and a richer story, that you've always dreamed of but never had the chance to play." Take that bold claim with a pinch of salt, but it frames the ambition driving the project.
The Source & Credibility
Insider Gaming conducted a hands-on preview and an interview at Gamescom, and the material in question comes from that session. The quotes and examples in this write-up are directly attributed to the preview and to Xiaoye, credited as Narrative Director on Roco Kingdom.
- Hands-on previews can reveal strong early ideas and systems, but they are snapshots — what was shown at Gamescom may not represent the final product.
- The core claims — longevity in China ("16 years") and a player base of "over 100 million players" — are presented by the source and repeated in the preview material.
- Design descriptions (broomstick Jinie, family behaviours) are creative explanations from the developers, not independent verification of final mechanics.
So, if true, the elements reported paint a picture of a team leaning into ecology and social creature behaviour as differentiators. If false or embellished, the messaging could simply be aspirational marketing for the western push. Either way, take the preview's claims with a pinch of salt until more independent, hands-on coverage or playable builds are available.
What It Could Mean
If the claims hold up, Roco Kingdom could try to carve space in the creature-collection market by leaning into a living ecosystem rather than purely battle- or collection-focused hooks. The focus on creature ecology — Jinies reacting to each other and the environment — is a specific design choice that, if implemented well, would give the open world a distinct feel compared with other entries.
From a commercial perspective, bringing a franchise that spent "16 years" building an audience in China and "amassed over 100 million players" to western audiences is a clear growth play for MoreFun Studios. The team claims confidence in character design and originality, acknowledging visual inspiration from animals and fantasy but arguing folk-familiar shapes are part of their creative palette.
There’s also an industry angle worth noting: bigger multiplayer pushes and cross-regional launches are a recurring theme right now. For context on how multiplayer ambitions are shaping industry chatter, see our Rumour: Trademark Hints At Multiplayer Focus For Kingdom Come and our coverage of platform moves like our Report: It Takes Two.
Why This Matters
Whether Roco Kingdom becomes the creature-capture title "you've always dreamed of" depends entirely on follow-through. The studio's pitch — an open world populated by reactive, ecologically-rooted Jinies, a multiplayer focus, and a narrative layer — offers a clear alternative approach to the genre. But intention and execution are very different things.
For players and observers, the preview is interesting because it explicitly frames the western launch as a major milestone for a franchise that spent years building an audience in China. For the market, successful westernization of an established eastern franchise could add pressure and expectation for other studios contemplating similar moves.
For now, treat Insider Gaming's report as a promising early look filled with developer conviction and creative examples — allegedly exciting, but not yet a guarantee. We’ll be watching for further hands-on coverage and concrete demos to see if MoreFun Studios can deliver the living, multiplayer creature world they’ve described.
