A surge in AI-generated dramas is challenging the dominance of traditional mobile games in the entertainment market.
2026 is shaping up to be the year of the AI drama.
Developments in AI technology are creating a novel wave of disruption in the entertainment industry. On March 18, Yaoke Media signed two AI actors, and prior to that, a blogger revealed that future projects will forgo human actors for supporting roles, opting instead for AI-generated performances. This news quickly spread the idea that “AI is replacing humans.”
Sources indicate that the claim of “AI replacing all actors below the second lead” is not entirely accurate, but the increasing integration of AI into film and television production is a clear trend. This phenomenon isn’t limited to the competition between live-action dramas and AI projects. Experts believe that before AI fully replaces human actors, it will first disrupt the market for “idol romance” (乙游) games.
“Spending 648 to draw a character, and then logging in every day to complete tasks like a job – am I falling in love, or working for a game company?” When Wu Jing, a dedicated player, decided to uninstall a popular idol romance game, she didn’t abandon “cyber love” altogether. Instead, she turned to AI-powered romance dramas. “Dozens of the same ‘husbands’ to choose from. No waiting for character releases – isn’t that great?”
While game developers struggle to retain players with increasingly elaborate graphics, AI dramas, costing as little as 50,000 yuan, are effectively targeting tired consumers seeking entertainment. The multi-billion yuan female-oriented gaming market is facing a new shift.
＃This article includes interviews with three industry professionals, bringing the total number of interviews conducted by “Entertainment Capital Theory” in 2026 to 106-108.
The Female-Oriented Market: A Closer Look
Both the China Game Industry Annual Conference and a recent “Female-Oriented Game Research Report” highlighted the female gaming market as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the Chinese gaming industry. Statistics show that the market size for female-oriented games exceeded 10 billion yuan in 2025, indicating a period of strong growth.
However, a closer examination reveals underlying concerns beneath the surface of this apparent prosperity.
Industry leader “Love and Deep Space” continues to dominate the market, launching new events and gameplay features throughout last December and into the new year. However, player response to these efforts has been lukewarm. This dissatisfaction is evident in growing negativity within online communities and, more directly, in declining revenue from character releases.
With the Lunar New Year falling later in 2026, the holiday period overlapped with Valentine’s Day. Capitalizing on this, developers focused on boosting sales of limited-edition characters. The “ancient style” pool, traditionally a top performer, was a key focus.
“Human Affection in the Mortal World,” the first ancient-style character release for “Love and Deep Space,” featured extensive production value, including action choreography by Hong Kong’s renowned Hung Gar school. The music and lyrics were also created by well-known artists in the ancient style genre.
Despite these efforts, the ancient-style release failed to meet expectations. According to statistics, “Love and Deep Space” generated 208 million yuan in revenue in February, a 21% decline and the lowest monthly revenue in the game’s history.
While other female-oriented games experienced revenue declines during the Lunar New Year, the drop wasn’t as dramatic. As previously noted, the market is characterized by a single dominant player and several smaller competitors. Aside from “Love and Deep Space,” most leading titles generate revenue in the tens of millions of yuan per month, with revenue exceeding 100 million yuan only during major events like anniversary celebrations.
From an industry perspective, this situation evokes memories of the “silent spring” of 2022 for domestic idol romance games.
This “silence” doesn’t refer to a significant drop in revenue from top titles like “Love and Deep Space,” which still maintains a stable monthly revenue of over 100 million yuan. Rather, it indicates a shrinking ability to attract new players and expand the user base.
Female-oriented games, particularly idol romance titles, have historically been known for their strict community rules and exclusionary practices, deterring potential new players. “Love and Deep Space” briefly broke this pattern with its 3D characters, attracting a new audience less bound by community norms. However, the restrictive rules have returned, discouraging newcomers.
Looking at upcoming projects, there’s little reason for optimism regarding the female-oriented market in 2026.
Currently, “Under the Night Sky” (代号：砰砰), marketed for its mature content, is generating the most buzz. However, it doesn’t offer a groundbreaking experience, and concerns remain about potential censorship. Relying solely on “mature content” to attract new players, particularly those unfamiliar with female-oriented games, may prove insufficient. Other reported idol games face competition from existing titles.
a new breakout hit in the female-oriented market within the next year seems unlikely.
How a 50,000 Yuan AI Drama Can Steal the “Cyber Husband” from a 648 Yuan Game
Some may dismiss the idea that AI dramas will capture a portion of the female-oriented gaming market, considering them to be in different leagues. However, the performance of AI dramas during the Lunar New Year suggests otherwise.
While AI dramas initially focused on male-oriented content, a shift is underway.
During the Lunar New Year, two of the top five performing dramas on Fire Dragon Drama were female-oriented titles: “The Lady Asks the Demon Butler What to Do?” and “The System Awakens, and I’m Flirting in Space.”
The titles themselves hint at the content: stories featuring one female protagonist and multiple male characters, often with a female-dominant dynamic. Viewers have noted the characters’ faces seem familiar – as if they were composites of popular idol romance game characters.
These dramas have consistently ranked high, with “The System Awakens” even reaching the top of the charts in March.
Riding this momentum, Fire Dragon Drama recently launched the “Fire Dragon Romance Universe,” featuring 13 titles with a combined interaction rate exceeding 160,000, demonstrating significant market potential. Fire Dragon Drama representatives shared that “The Lady Asks the Demon Butler What to Do?” was the first title to gain traction, quickly breaking viewership records. This success prompted the platform to introduce more female-oriented content, which has “performed well, maintaining high levels of discussion and viewership.”
Red Fruit Drama’s hot drama list remains dominated by male-oriented content, but its recommendations feature “Just Got Divorced, the Space Commander is Anxious!” with a face that feels “strangely familiar.”
Data from Drama Inquiry shows that during the Lunar New Year, female-oriented dramas accounted for eight out of the top ten spots on the weekly AI drama charts, and five out of the top ten on the weekly hot drama charts. As the potential of female users becomes increasingly apparent, the proportion of female-oriented content in the market is expected to rise.
The themes of AI female-oriented content closely align with those of female-oriented games, particularly idol romance titles, focusing on emotional experiences, virtual companionship, emotional regulation, and personal growth. However, AI dramas are significantly cheaper and faster to produce than games.
The development of new productivity forces has driven down the cost of AI dramas, with industry professionals reporting a 90% reduction compared to traditional production methods. Some studios can now produce a minute of AI drama for as little as 300-500 yuan.
This means a 100-minute AI drama can be produced for around 50,000 yuan.
Developing a female-oriented game, is a costly endeavor. Even with careful budgeting, it’s unlikely to be completed for 50,000 yuan. Even more frustrating, players spend hundreds, or even thousands, of yuan to “obtain” exclusive characters, while AI dramas can mass-produce them for 50,000 yuan, without requiring players to complete daily tasks to “maintain the relationship.”
In terms of content richness, some female-oriented games offer limited gameplay, with the primary focus on character releases and storyline progression. “If you’re just watching the story, why not watch an AI drama? At least it’s cheaper.”
Two years ago, Wu Jing joined the ranks of “cyber husband” owners thanks to the popularity of “Love and Deep Space.” After six months, the novelty wore off, and logging into the game felt like “a chore.”
Character releases in “Love and Deep Space” aren’t cheap, and Wu Jing, a working professional, found spending 648 yuan on each release to be excessive. She relied on completing daily tasks and participating in events to accumulate tokens. “But doing the same things every day is really boring.”
She had considered quitting at the end of last year but was looking for a replacement. “I saw a lot of media outlets talking about AI dramas, so I was curious and checked them out. The male characters were very refined, similar to those in idol romance games, and the storylines weren’t poorly made. In fact, the female leads in Chinese idol romance games felt like ‘fake heroines’ and weren’t as diverse as those in dramas.”
AI dramas are capturing market share from female-oriented games by offering affordable and fast-paced emotional experiences. The appeal lies in the fact that they target light players and those outside the core gaming community, who aren’t willing to invest significant time and money. The choice is clear: AI dramas offer “emotional value for free,” while idol romance games require daily check-ins and tasks. This shift in consumer preference is becoming increasingly evident.
Fire Dragon Drama representatives confirmed that the spread of female-oriented content wasn’t the result of targeted marketing efforts, but rather organic growth driven by positive word-of-mouth. “Some high-quality female-oriented content naturally attracted female users, such as content from Dream of the Red Chamber Theater, which drove overall growth.”
It’s important to note that the expansion of AI female-oriented content faces a potential obstacle from dedicated idol romance game players.
Core players view their virtual partners not just as characters, but as objects of devotion. They are passionate about character integrity, copyright ownership, and will fiercely defend their interests. The arrival of AI dramas with characters that resemble existing ones is likely to trigger resistance from these players.
Online platforms are already seeing comments like “Everything is copying ‘Love and Deep Space,’” indicating simmering discontent. While this hasn’t yet escalated into a major backlash, it’s a warning sign.
This strong aversion could lead to reports, public outcry, and potential censorship or restrictions on AI female-oriented content. The organized and vocal nature of idol romance game players means that any perceived infringement could trigger a swift and forceful response.
The current online chatter serves as an early warning of this potential issue.
This highlights a critical vulnerability in the expansion of AI content into the female-oriented market: AI excels at creating “replacements,” but core female-oriented users vehemently reject “replacements.” This strong resistance could evolve into organized complaints and public condemnation, posing a significant challenge to AI drama teams as they navigate the delicate balance between capitalizing on popularity and avoiding backlash.
Don’t Aim for Super Blockbusters, Embrace Niche Opportunities
Returning to the topic of female-oriented games, even with the challenges posed by AI dramas, are there still opportunities for growth in this market?
Absolutely, but the approach needs to evolve.
A key realization is that female consumers have diverse and individualized needs for emotional experiences. In the past, the scarcity of products catering to these needs led to the emergence of dominant players. Now, with competition coming from both within and outside the gaming industry, developers need to focus on identifying and fulfilling specific unmet needs.
Rather than striving to create the next industry giant, the focus should be on excelling in a particular niche.
The success of the female-oriented mini-game “My Garden World” during the Lunar New Year provides a compelling example. The game tapped into a specific need and delivered a highly focused experience.
The gameplay is simple: plant flowers, nurture them, and send them as gifts. It incorporates elements of management and match-three puzzles. “My Garden World” succeeded by targeting two key demographics.
1. Casual players seeking light entertainment. The simple gameplay allows for quick sessions, perfect for busy family gatherings during the Lunar New Year, without requiring a significant time commitment.
2. Consumers seeking tangible rewards. Building on the trend of “virtual farming” popularized by platforms like Alipay, Taobao, and Pinduoduo, “My Garden World” offers real-world rewards – players can receive flower deliveries in exchange for in-game progress.
Li Yue was introduced to “My Garden World” by a relative during the Lunar New Year. She wasn’t particularly interested in the daily rewards like toilet paper, but she appreciated the convenience of the WeChat mini-game. “I use WeChat every day, so it’s uncomplicated to play. Plus, who doesn’t like receiving flowers?”
Like many mini-games, “My Garden World” employs a hybrid monetization strategy – in-app purchases and advertising. To simplify the planting and watering process, the game offers paid features like “one-click planting,” typically available as a monthly subscription. This appeals to impatient players willing to spend money to accelerate their progress.
Another female-oriented game gaining attention during the Lunar New Year is Zulong’s “Shining Bright.”
Zulong announced a company-wide promotion, upgrading the “Shining Bright” development team to a dedicated business unit. This signifies the game’s financial success and promising future, leading the company to allocate more resources to its development.
How is “Shining Bright” performing? According to players, it’s solid but not groundbreaking. However, it offers an irreplaceable experience – exceptional technical quality and accessibility for mobile players.
When “Infinite Dress-Up” was released, many predicted a decline in “Shining Bright” revenue. However, the opposite occurred. “Shining Bright” maintained a strong performance, with monthly revenue consistently exceeding 100 million yuan. This is because “Shining Bright” focused on refining its core gameplay – allowing players to customize outfits – and consistently delivering new content.
While “My Garden World” and “Shining Bright” are unlikely to become industry giants, they demonstrate the potential for success by focusing on niche opportunities. The former’s integration of online and offline rewards is a valuable lesson, while the latter’s commitment to technical excellence and a dedicated user base provides a sustainable model.
as AI dramas disrupt the emotional consumption market, female-oriented games must return to focusing on specific, unmet needs and delivering highly tailored experiences. The core appeal of these games lies in their ability to provide “attention, participation, and exclusivity” – something AI dramas cannot replicate. This may be the last remaining competitive advantage for female-oriented games.
责任编辑：李楠
