Paths to Asia: Conversations that Inspire

Wojciech Jaworski is the founder of Huqiao Games, a company specializing in bringing PC games to the Chinese market. A graduate of Jagiellonian University and participant in the “Chinese Bridge” program, he is currently working on a new, as yet unannounced project in the gamedev/tech industry. Speaker at Digital Dragons and DevGamm conferences, participant in dozens of industry events. Privately, he is passionate about Chinese culture and sailing.

Patrycja Zdybel (Pendrakowska): How did you come up with the idea of starting a company promoting computer games on the Chinese market?

Wojciech Jaworski: I was interested in languages and Asia, and at first I wanted to study Korean. But I came across Far Eastern Cultural Studies at the Jagiellonian University and started learning Chinese. I have also been very interested in marketing for a long time. I was also interested in the Polish national brand in China in general. And somehow it all came together.

I think it was a natural evolution of my interests. On the one hand, I was fascinated by Asia and the Chinese language, and on the other, by marketing and brand building. I also saw a gap in the market—many companies talked about the potential of the Chinese market, but there was a lack of real action and experts who could combine linguistic, cultural, and marketing skills. Huqiao was created at the intersection of these worlds, as a response to a specific market need.

PZ: Let’s go back to the beginning of your adventure with Asia. How did you end up in China?

WJ: An important factor was the Confucius scholarship, which allowed me to travel to China for the first time. In addition, I was involved in events at the university, research clubs, and sections. I worked with Prof. Adina Zemanek and was involved in the translation section. In general, I was very involved during my studies and helped to create a scientific ecosystem: even then, as a student, I wanted to bridge the gap between academia and business. I was interested in how to implement knowledge.

PZ: And which university did you go to in China?

WJ: Tongji University in Shanghai. Before that, I also took part in the “Chinese Bridge” competition. From there, my path led me to become a representative of international students, and I developed an interest in promotional materials. My passion for promotion and marketing also grew with this opportunity to go to China.

PZ: And what was your attitude towards this trip and what you saw there? Many people who are preparing to study in Asia may have this question.

WJ: I try to act according to the maxim – don’t try to judge, but above all, try to understand. I mean the concept of cause and effect. Developing sensitivity. Also, not being too Western-centric.

This is a key approach that I recommend to anyone who wants to operate effectively in Asia. Instead of imposing my own cultural filters and values, I first tried to deeply understand the context and logic behind various phenomena. In China, many things work differently than in Europe – from social dynamics to business processes. Success depends on the ability to suspend your own judgments and be genuinely curious. This attitude of openness and willingness to understand, rather than judge, proved to be one of the most important factors that later helped me in business.

PZ: Tell us a little more about this “Chinese Bridge” and the project.

WJ: It was somewhere around 2014 or 2015, which later developed into a reality show. It was kind of my first encounter with China in deep water. They threw us into 7-8 places in China to tell stories about the lives of the people there. For example, in Guizhou, we were concerned with the issue of abandoned children. Of course, it was all pre-selected in a sense, but it was a very interesting slice of China. I was also in Yiwu, and I slept in barracks in Beijing. It was like getting to know China from behind the scenes – I could see how the media is produced in China. It lasted three months, and I had a vision of staying longer, but I decided to come back.

PZ: Why?

WJ: I was still studying at the Jagiellonian University at the time and decided to come back to finish my studies.

PZ: And how did you feel after your return?

WJ: The return was quite a contrast. After the intensity and dynamism of China, Poland seemed to function at a completely different pace. It was like switching from a fast train to a horse-drawn carriage – suddenly everything slowed down. I had to adapt, but at the same time I was looking for opportunities to use my unique skills. I wanted to work with the Chinese language and use the experience I had gained in Asia. Paradoxically, this cultural contrast and pace of life helped me better understand how I could create value at the intersection of these two worlds.

PZ: And how did that work out?

WJ: I got a lot of jobs in factories, importing machines. About three or four years of various jobs, including translations. Generally speaking, it was very difficult to find such jobs in Krakow, so I decided to move to Warsaw for that time. At that time, tourism and outsourcing reigned supreme in Krakow.

PZ: Your career took off in Warsaw because you got a job at the Bank of China.

WJ: Yes, I have very fond memories of that stage in my career. Then I quit and went freelance again, various things started to develop, and then COVID came along, which accelerated the digitization process a bit. I had to change industries—there were no tourists, no translations, many jobs disappeared.

The Bank of China was a fantastic experience that gave me a deeper insight into the Chinese approach to business and finance. I learned professionalism and discipline there, but I also saw how Chinese corporations function from the inside. This experience greatly enriched my resume and gave me a solid foundation for further development. However, I felt that I had an entrepreneurial streak and wanted to try something on my own, so I returned to freelancing. COVID was a turning point – it changed the market and forced me to strategically rethink my career path.

PZ: That must have been a difficult period. How did you get through it?

WJ: I thought I needed to narrow down my interests in marketing. As a side note, I was very interested in the process of building Poland’s brand in China for a long time. I oscillated around this topic and finally narrowed down the field – in a sense, that’s how Huqiao was created. It was basically 3-4 years of “eating rubble.” High stress, exhausting process of starting my own business. I set myself the goal of making it a bigger company.

It was a time of intense work and enormous stress. I often worked 12-14 hours a day, including weekends. The beginnings of your own business are real “eating rubble” – constant challenges, uncertainty, and the need to make difficult decisions. But I had a clear vision – I wanted to create something bigger than a one-man business. Narrowing my specialization to game marketing in the Chinese market turned out to be a key decision. Instead of being a jack of all trades, I decided to be an expert in a specific niche where I could use both my knowledge of the Chinese language and culture and my passion for marketing.

PZ: How did you get started?

WJ: We started as a company with Chinese-speaking students, and that’s what brought us together. We felt that there was a lot of talk about China, but not enough action. And so we took action – there were only a few of us Europeans, and we also employed mostly Chinese people. At one point, however, we hit a wall because doing business with China in Poland was quite difficult, partly due to internet barriers. The company took a step further and we set up headquarters in Hong Kong – there were Chinese people from China and Malaysia, the so-called Chinese team. We began to develop the company, working with customers from abroad.

From the very beginning, our greatest competitive advantage was our team – people who not only knew Chinese, but also understood both cultures and were able to operate effectively at their intersection. However, we quickly came up against the realities of running a Chinese business from Poland – technical limitations, internet barriers, time differences. That is why we made the strategic decision to move the business to Hong Kong at the end of 2023. It was a turning point – we closed down the Polish company and moved our operations entirely to Asia. Today, our team consists of about 12-13 people, only three of whom are Europeans, which shows how much we have localized our competencies. We work remotely, but we plan to open a physical office in one of the Asian cities in 2026.

PZ: So your clients weren’t just Chinese?

WJ: We’ve grown rapidly and found many clients in Europe, the US, and East Asia. We currently work remotely. It turns out that being in Asia is crucial.

Our customer base is very diverse geographically. We mainly serve double A studios with production budgets in the tens of millions of dollars, but we also work with smaller indie studios. Our clients come from Europe, the US, and East Asia. Relocating to Hong Kong has significantly increased our credibility and made it easier to scale our business on the global market. It turned out that our physical presence in Asia not only gives us better access to Asian clients, but also optimizes our business for a future exit.

PZ: Why?

WJ: Asia is where the future of gaming lies, and it is from there that trends spread to the rest of the world. For example, you can add issues such as the implementation of AI in games, where they become completely different in terms of the player experience. We also worked to develop cooperation with influencers and ran campaigns. We also advised various companies on how to position themselves and what promotion strategy to adopt – for example, we ran campaigns for Singles’ Day. For effective marketing, you need to be sensitive and know what Chinese players are doing.

Asia, and China in particular, is the epicenter of innovation in the gaming industry. The Chinese market accounts for about half of Steam players, making it a strategic direction for global publishers. Although the mobile gaming industry continues to dominate in China with about an 80% share, the PC and premium gaming segment is growing rapidly. 

Interestingly, Chinese gamers show much higher acceptance of AI integration in games—there is no typical Western pushback against these technologies. AI is implemented not only to generate procedural worlds, but also as an integral part of gameplay mechanics, fundamentally changing the player experience.

Our work includes managing campaigns with Chinese influencers, exposure during key events on sales platforms, advising on pricing and promotion strategies during key periods for the Chinese market (such as Singles’ Day or Chinese New Year), as well as localization and cultural adaptation of games. The latter is absolutely critical—we’ve had cases where games received bad reviews in China solely because of poor localization.

PZ: What lessons have you learned from doing business in China, how do you see it from today’s perspective, and what advice would you give to others?

WJ: I think the most important thing is to listen to what the other side has to say and to constantly accept feedback with real follow-up. It is important to allocate time and have the right mindset – for example, that you need to devote a lot of time and resources to create a real business. Simply put, creating and building relationships with China takes a long time. You can’t cut corners.

Boym Institute: Thank you very much, Wojtek, for taking the time to do this interview!

Patrycja Pendrakowska Założycielka i wiceprezes zarządu Instytutu Boyma oraz analityk polityki zagranicznej i gospodarki Chin. Z ramienia Instytutu zajmuje się relacjami UE-ASEAN w ramach projektu EANGAGE koordynowanego przez KAS Singapore oraz metodą Betzavta z Instytutem Adama na rzecz Pokoju i Demokracji w Jerozolimie. Jest jednym z członków założycieli rady biznesowej WICCI w Indiach-UE z siedzibą w Bombaju. Koordynowała także transkulturową grupę badawczą dot. Inicjatywy Pasa i Szlaku zorganizowaną przez Leadership Excellence Institute Zeppelin. Jest doktorantką na Uniwersytecie Humboldta w Berlinie, gdzie prowadzi badania nad filozofią polityczną w Chinach. Ukończyła studia licencjackie na Wydziale Sinologii, Socjologii i Filozofii na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim oraz posiada dwa tytuły magistra prawa finansowego oraz etnografii i antropologii kulturowej Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.