Chinese Video Game Breaks Gender Barriers, Sells 1M Copies

A video game about palace intrigue and China's only female emperor just proved that gaming doesn't need to pick a side in the gender divide. Road to Empress sold more than 1 million copies in its first two weeks after launching in September 2025, earning an 84% positive rating on Steam and sparking conversations about who games are really for.

The game puts players in the role of Wu Yuanzhao, a young woman navigating the dangerous imperial court during the Tang dynasty. Players make countless decisions that determine whether she survives palace rivals or meets an untimely end, with over 100 different storylines and endings to discover.

What makes Road to Empress different is how it was made. Instead of computer graphics, the game uses real actors filmed at China's largest production studio, making it feel more like an interactive TV drama than a traditional video game. The high quality footage and branching narratives create what game scholars call a "proto-narrative," where players help shape the story rather than just watching it unfold.

The game's success comes at a time when China's gaming market has been sharply divided by gender. Most interactive drama games have featured male protagonists with female characters portrayed as romantic interests, following what's called the "male gaze." Female-oriented games, meanwhile, typically focus heavily on dating simulations with male characters.

Road to Empress sits somewhere in between. It features a female protagonist and includes romantic options, but also offers paths focused on career, strategy, and alternative histories where players can become a medical sage, spy master, or business magnate instead of following the traditional empress storyline.

Why This Inspires

The game's approach shows that entertainment doesn't need to choose between serving men or women. By creating an experience that appeals to universal interests like strategy, storytelling, and historical intrigue, New One Studio demonstrated there's a massive untapped audience hungry for content that doesn't fit neatly into marketing categories.

The game's social media success has amplified its message. Players share their personalized ending reports like personality tests, create memes from memorable lines, and livestream their different playthroughs. Each share introduces more people to the idea that games can be for everyone.

As one outcome among many, Road to Empress proves the gaming industry has been leaving money and players on the table by assuming people want to be marketed to based on gender alone.