Hello. This is Realworld, a playable content platform. You've probably heard of the murder mystery genre through 'Realworld EXP.' - an investigative game where you take on given roles to uncover the truth behind incidents. But there's a country that's truly passionate about murder mystery content, and that's China.
China's murder mystery scene gained massive popularity both online and offline after 'Who's The Murderer (明星大侦探)' in 2016, which was a remake of Korea's crime variety show 'Crime Scene.' Chinese murder mystery has developed into a unique genre called 'Jubensha (剧本杀),' and today we've prepared the latest news from this Jubensha market.
China's Jubensha Market Preparing for Another Leap Forward
Just how massive is China's Jubensha market? According to a report by market research firm LeadLeo, China's Jubensha market was estimated at 20 billion yuan (approximately 4 trillion won) in 2021, with about 30,000 offline stores. However, perhaps due to rapid growth, the market has been taking a breather over the past few years.
According to estimates by entertainment economics media ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL, the Jubensha market was valued at 17.2 billion yuan (approximately 3.4 trillion won) as of 2024. One reason for the market contraction was the Chinese government's strengthened regulations in June 2023. With mandatory compliance to safety regulations, many small stores that were secretly operating in residential buildings were forced to close.
Additionally, major cities (tier-1 cities) like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are already oversaturated with Jubensha stores. With high rent and labor costs while customer spending per person remains similar across regions, profitability has deteriorated and store operations have become difficult.
However, when market bubbles burst, the wheat separates from the chaff. Surviving businesses have reportedly gained more customers. It appears China's Jubensha market is preparing for another leap forward.
Current State of China's Jubensha Market
So what characteristics does China's Jubensha market show? The aforementioned ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL highlights Gen Z and women as key keywords. With 85% of Jubensha consumers between ages 16-29 and women making up 55%, Jubensha can be considered a trendy entertainment industry.
Expansion from saturated tier-1 cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou to tier-3 and tier-4 cities is also notable. These cities' purchasing power has risen to the point where customer spending is already approaching tier-1 city levels, while operating costs remain relatively low, allowing for higher profit margins.
Competition among Jubensha companies to retain existing customers and attract new ones is also intensifying. This has led to new attempts such as introducing interactive elements using NPCs and fusion with other genres like psychological counseling.
Jubensha combined with tourism programs is particularly noteworthy. It's interesting that they operate Jubensha where participants explore Tianjin's famous tourist destination Zhangyuan while reading scripts and completing missions with NPCs.
Insights from China's Jubensha Market
What insights can we gain from observing China's Jubensha market? First, since Korea's murder mystery market is also led by Gen Z women, continuous discovery of scenarios preferred by young female customers seems necessary.
Expansion to regional cities is also worth considering. If Korea's murder mystery market grows further, we might see various regional stores leveraging local characteristics, moving away from the capital region where operating costs are burdensome. 'Immersive theater' content using actors is already appearing at Korean tourist destinations, and if murder mystery genre games combine with various local tourist attractions, they could develop into new tourism content.
The popularity of murder mystery is spreading not only in China and Japan but also domestically. Realworld is leading the growth of Korea's murder mystery market by operating 'Realworld Clue Konkuk,' the nation's first and largest dedicated murder mystery space. Realworld will continue working harder until the day when playable content enriches our leisure time. Thank you.