Observed Signal · Jul 28, 2026 · Speaking Engagement / Conference Panel · Source: PocketGamer.biz · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Former Dow Jones Investigator Brings Due Diligence to Games
Chelsea Anglin, founder of DD For Games and a former investigative researcher at Dow Jones, runs a due diligence practice for the game industry from Taipei. She argues many game partnerships lack basic vetting and offers a free partner due diligence checklist through her Game Intelligence Direct newsletter. Anglin highlights unique challenges in vetting Chinese partners, notes that business registries in China and Japan can disclose shareholders, and warns investors and publishers to apply standard KYC and operational transparency checks before funding. She will speak on a panel about Chinese studio funding at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 29, 2026.
Practical due diligence guidance can reduce legal and compliance risk for investors and publishers in gaming—particularly for cross-border deals involving China—but this is a sector-level best-practice story rather than a major platform policy or industry-shifting development.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Chelsea Anglin is the founder of DD For Games and runs a due diligence practice focused on the games industry.
- Anglin previously spent more than five years as an investigative researcher at Dow Jones.
- DD For Games distributes a free partner due diligence checklist via the Game Intelligence Direct newsletter.
- Anglin will appear on a panel titled "Under the Microscope: How Are Chinese Studios Being Funded in 2026?" at PGC Summit Shanghai on July 29, 2026.
- Anglin has encountered entities listed on the US Treasury's OFAC sanctions list during her investigations.
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Transcend Fund's Lirui Ding on Chinese studio funding
Lirui Ding, a principal at Transcend Fund and former member of Activision Blizzard's strategy and M&A team, explains why capital is not scarce in China's games market and describes how funding has shifted in 2026. Backing roughly 40 studios, he looks for genuine differentiation—taste, community, live ops or AI-driven gameplay—that incumbents cannot easily copy. Ding distinguishes 'AI for games' (production/efficiency) from 'AI in games' (novel gameplay experiences) and warns that using generative AI alone is not a durable moat. He says equity rounds are less common, with hybrids (revenue-share, recoupable structures, publishing advances, strategic stakes) and publishing partnerships now prevalent as funding instruments.
How to Navigate China's Massive Games Market
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AI Gamechangers Summit Highlights AI's Impact on Games
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