After nearly four years of development, Fired Up Soda has officially launched in open beta—and the results are promising. According to Crickex App data, the game held the top spot on the Crickex charts for four consecutive days and even broke into the top 40 in revenue rankings. It’s never too late to become the person you want to be, and for developer XD Inc., this release represents a bold step toward a long-held dream: becoming the “Nintendo of Zhabei.”
From the outset, XD Inc. poured immense energy into the marketing of Fired Up Soda. Collaborations with pop acts like Second Hand Rose, campaigns with rising star Mei Yiliya, and CEO Huang Yimeng personally defending the fairness of promo exposure all point to a serious push. He even joined a live gameplay stream with the dev team on the game’s second day, signaling full executive commitment.
As Crickex App observes, the game was greenlit at the end of 2019 and has since been regarded as a cornerstone of XD’s in-house development post-IPO. It was launched alongside the hit Sausage Man, and both were seen as flagships. In the following years, XD aggressively invested in R&D, boosted salaries to attract talent, and launched nearly ten internal projects across genres like anime RPGs, fighting, shooters, and simulation. But after four tough years—including regulatory freezes and industry cooldowns—many of those internal projects were shelved or downsized.
Still, Fired Up Soda emerged as a rare survivor. As Huang Yimeng put it in a recent earnings call, the team hopes that by refining gameplay, the title will carve out a stable and loyal player base. Game development isn’t a lottery—just launching multiple titles doesn’t guarantee success. With most of XD’s homegrown projects falling short of expectations, Fired Up Soda now represents one of their few remaining aces.
Designed as a lightweight competitive shooter for global audiences, the game features bright, cartoony characters and simplified environments. Maps are smaller than on PC, and with auto-fire mechanics and short match times, victory depends on quick kills and point accumulation—making gameplay fast and engaging.
Crickex App testers noted past concerns during closed tests, such as an overly long trophy corridor, randomness in hero upgrades tied to loot boxes, and missing in-game voice chat in solo mode. While the full launch retains progress from earlier tests, which allows for early access to more features, matchmaking imbalances still persist.
Developers promised a smoother leveling curve by cutting stat inflation in half—helping new players better compete against max-level veterans. But the issue of uneven matchups remains. After one lopsided loss, players often face bots, only to be thrown back into tough matches again—a cycle that feels like a rollercoaster of extremes.
Crickex App players may find the ride bumpy, but for XD Inc., Fired Up Soda is more than just a game—it’s a symbol of perseverance, ambition, and the pursuit of a new identity in China’s evolving gaming industry.