Pre-Registration Opens Today! CMGE's “Soul Land: Shrek Academy” Marches into the Russian-Language Market
On November 13, “Soul Land: Shrek Academy” (Russian title: “Боевой Континент: Начало”), an open-world team-battle MMORPG under CMGE, will open pre-registration in Russia and CIS countries, with an official launch planned for November 19. Players can pre-register via the game's official website and major app stores.
Following its releases in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam, the Soul Land IP will further expand its overseas footprint and begin a new journey for Soul Masters.
A Mature IP and Proven Publishing Experience Accelerate Overseas Expansion
Since the novel began serialization in 2008, “Soul Land” has expanded into comics, animation, TV series, games, and more. The worldbuilding, character stories, and Soul Master progression settings accumulated over the years provide the content foundation for continued IP development and for taking related games overseas.
Notably, the “Soul Land” animation has surpassed 62.3 billion cumulative views worldwide and earned a 9.1/10 rating in Russian-speaking regions, building an audience base for related games entering the local market.
Soul Land Animation — 9.1/10 in Russian-Speaking Regions
“Soul Land: Shrek Academy” carries on the animation's distinctive style, presenting classic characters and scenes in the game and turning the Soul Master growth journey into a playable experience — letting players move from watching the story to personally exploring the world of Soul Land.
The game has already delivered strong results in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam: after launching in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau in 2024, it topped the free download charts on all three regions' App Stores at launch and reached No. 4 on Hong Kong's App Store top-grossing chart and No. 7 on Taiwan's; in its first month in Vietnam, it peaked at No. 1 on the App Store free chart and No. 9 on top-grossing, as well as No. 2 on Google Play free and No. 15 on top-grossing.
The game's track record in existing markets and the publishing experience it brought offer a reference for this expansion into the Russian-language market. The game has been localized to meet local players' needs, using its core gameplay to keep players engaged.
Blending Character Progression with Social Cooperation to Unlock Long-Term Operational Value
For the Russian-language market, “Soul Land: Shrek Academy” will center on the positioning “Where Everyone Can Become a God” (MMORPG, где каждый может стать богом), presenting the growth journey from an ordinary Soul Master to godhood through seven classes, 100-player group battles, and animation-grade visuals. With its underdog narrative of “start weak — endure trials — become a legend,” the game answers local players' aspirations for breaking through their limits and changing their fate.
Animation-Grade Visuals — "Icefire Yin Yang Well"
Animation-Grade Visuals — "Star Dou Great Forest"
Animation-Grade Visuals — "Heaven Dou City"
Players start with Martial Soul Awakening and keep growing through soul ring cultivation, soul skill upgrades, and trial challenges. As iconic hallmarks of the Soul Land IP, soul rings and soul skills make power gains tangible and intuitive, giving players a sustained sense of breakthrough and achievement.
As their power grows, players' challenges extend from personal trials to team campaigns. Built around the rivalry among major clans and sects, players will join allies in cooperative challenges, multi-faction confrontations, and server-wide massive battles, relying on tactical coordination to fight for victory and glory.
From personal growth to teamwork, the game keeps players engaged over the long run with ever-advancing progression goals and side-by-side social gameplay, laying the foundation for long-term operations.
Seizing Regional Market Opportunities to Expand Overseas Growth
This entry into the Russian-language market also echoes the growing attention that Chinese games and cultural content are receiving there.
According to a Yandex Ads report, revenue of Chinese game publishers in Russia's leading local app stores grew 3.5x year over year, showing the market potential of Chinese games in the region. “Soul Land: Shrek Academy” will attract players with core experiences such as open-world exploration, “ascension to godhood at level 100,” and large-scale clan wars, while building its user base through localization and ongoing operations.
Meanwhile, the growing reach of Chinese film and TV content in Russia also creates favorable conditions for the game to connect with local audiences. A Kion survey shows that in the first half of 2026, Chinese series accounted for 51% of total viewing of Asian content in Russia, up from 39% in 2024, surpassing Korean content for the first time. “Soul Land 2: The Unrivaled Tang Sect” has also made the local list of popular Asian titles, which is expected to help the game reach more potential players.
With this release, CMGE will build on a proven product, advance localized operations based on local player preferences, explore new growth opportunities, and accumulate publishing and operating experience in the Russian-language market.
Pre-registration opens on November 13, with the official launch on November 19. A new map of the Soul Land continent is about to be unlocked.