Han-Squirrel Studio

Han-Squirrel Studio (汉家松鼠) is a Chinese independent video game developer and publisher founded in 2012 by two game enthusiasts, cg and Ziyin, who had grown up together and studied computer science at Tsinghua University and Beijing Institute of Technology. The studio began as a spare-time project between two friends working in different cities, communicating over QQ, and released its first free web game, a wuxia RPG tribute titled Jin Yong Qunxia Zhuan X (金庸群侠传X), in 2013. That non-commercial fan project, developed over roughly three years, accumulated more than one million downloads and earned recognition on Chinese game charts, including an appearance in the App Store hot-search list in 2015. Encouraged by players, the founders turned to full-time development in 2015 and formally established the studio brand. Its commercial debut, Jianghu X (江湖X), launched in 2016 and received Apple App Store homepage recommendations as well as TapTap 2016 nominations for Best Game and Best Independent Game. The studio then released Hanjia Jianghu (汉家江湖) in 2017, which won the App Store 2017 Best Local Independent Game award and TapTap 2017 Best Game and Best Independent Game nominations. Hanjia Jianghu surpassed 2.5 million cumulative downloads and later 5.5 million, and a Traditional Chinese version marked the studio's first step into overseas markets covering Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. The studio's breakout commercial success came with Sands of Salzaar (部落与弯刀), an open-world single-player RPG set in a desert fantasy world, which sold over 1.5 million copies across PC and mobile. Other titles include the high-freedom tactical RPG Duel! Sword River (对决！剑之川) and the simulation-management game Jianghu Business (模拟江湖). The company relocated to Chengdu and operates a dual-office model between Chengdu and Shenzhen, having previously been based at the Shenzhen Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Dream Factory incubator. Han-Squirrel positions itself as an independent brand dedicated to creating modern, playable games rich in Chinese cultural symbols, with a stated dream of promoting Chinese culture through games.

Han-Squirrel Studio was founded in 2012 by two game enthusiasts, cg and Ziyin, who had grown up together and studied computer science at Tsinghua University and Beijing Institute of Technology respectively. At the time, both were working in different cities and communicated daily over QQ. Motivated by a desire to play a different kind of wuxia RPG, they began developing games in their spare time despite having no prior game development experience. In 2013, they released their first free web game, Jin Yong Qunxia Zhuan X (金庸群侠传X), a non-commercial tribute to the classic Jin Yong Qunxia Zhuan. The game inherited and improved upon many of the original's systems while adding novel creative designs. Although the visuals were rudimentary—both founders were programmers with limited art skills—the game received widespread praise for its creative ideas and attention to detail. It repeatedly ranked high on Chinese game websites, and in 2015 its iOS version entered the App Store hot-search list. The game was developed entirely in spare time over three years and was never intended to be profitable; the founders described it as a project driven purely by personal interest and a desire to make a distinctive wuxia RPG. In 2015, encouraged by player feedback and having become addicted to game development, the two decided to become full-time entrepreneurs. After a year of intensive development, they completed a higher-freedom RPG. This period also saw the formal establishment of the Han-Squirrel Studio brand. The studio joined the Shenzhen Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Dream Factory incubator, entering with the top score in that cohort's team evaluation. In 2016, the studio released Jianghu X (江湖X), a high-freedom wuxia RPG independent game. It received Apple App Store homepage recommendations multiple times and earned TapTap 2016 Best Game and Best Independent Game nominations. In 2017, Hanjia Jianghu (汉家江湖) launched, winning the App Store 2017 Best Local Independent Game award and TapTap 2017 Best Game and Best Independent Game nominations. The game surpassed 2.5 million cumulative downloads and received App Store homepage Today recommendations and TapTap homepage features. A Traditional Chinese version followed, marking the studio's first overseas product launch, covering Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. In 2018, Hanjia Jianghu 2.0 launched alongside the mobile version of Sands of Salzaar (部落与弯刀). The studio received App Store homepage Today recommendations, and Hanjia Jianghu's cumulative downloads surpassed 5.5 million. The studio also relocated to Chengdu and began operating a dual-office model between Chengdu and Shenzhen. Sands of Salzaar, an open-world single-player RPG set in a desert fantasy world, went on to sell over 1.5 million copies, with approximately 1 million from PC and 500,000 from mobile. More recently, the studio launched Jianghu Business (模拟江湖) on mobile via TapTap, Huawei Android and HarmonyOS, with the PC version continuing to be iterated. Duel! Sword River (对决！剑之川), a high-freedom real-time tactical RPG, launched and received App Store homepage Today recommendations and reached Top 1 on TapTap's new game and popular charts on its launch day. The studio continues to develop and operate games with a focus on Chinese cultural themes and player-friendly experiences.

• 2022

  Duel! Sword River (对决！剑之川) launched, receiving App Store homepage Today recommendation and Top 1 on TapTap new game and popular charts.

• 2021

  Jianghu Business (模拟江湖) launched on mobile via TapTap, Huawei Android and HarmonyOS.

• 2020

  Sands of Salzaar sales exceeded 1.5 million copies across PC and mobile.

• 2019

  Hanjia Jianghu Traditional Chinese version launched, covering Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

• 2018

  Hanjia Jianghu 2.0 and Sands of Salzaar mobile version launched; studio relocated to Chengdu and began dual-office model.

• 2017

  Released Hanjia Jianghu (汉家江湖); won App Store 2017 Best Local Independent Game and TapTap 2017 Best Game and Best Independent Game nominations.

• 2016

  Released Jianghu X (江湖X); received Apple App Store recommendations and TapTap 2016 Best Game and Best Independent Game nominations.

• 2015

  Founders became full-time entrepreneurs; joined Shenzhen Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Dream Factory incubator with top team evaluation score.

• 2013

  Released first free web game Jin Yong Qunxia Zhuan X (金庸群侠传X).

• 2012

  Han-Squirrel Studio founded by cg and Ziyin as a spare-time project.

Independent Chinese game studio creating modern, playable games rich in Chinese cultural symbols, with a focus on wuxia and open-world RPG experiences.

• 2013

  Jin Yong Qunxia Zhuan X (金庸群侠传X)

• 2016

  Jianghu X (江湖X)

• 2017

  Hanjia Jianghu (汉家江湖)

• 2018

  Sands of Salzaar (部落与弯刀)

• 2021

  Jianghu Business (模拟江湖)

• 2022

  Duel! Sword River (对决！剑之川)

1. 1汉家松鼠官方网站hanjiasongshu.com
2. 2关于我们 - 汉家松鼠hanjiasongshu.com
3. 3Han-Squirrel Studio - Wikidatawikidata.org