Huya Wins Barron's China and Forbes China Honors as Game Services Grow
Game-related entertainment and services provider Huya (NYSE: HUYA) has received recognition from both Barron's China and Forbes China, the company said. It was named to the Value Industry Benchmark 30 on the 2026 Barron's China Value List and won a national award from Forbes China for AI-driven innovation.
- Huya was named to the Value Industry Benchmark 30 on the 2026 Barron's China Value List in the Integrated Game Ecosystem Services segment.
- Huya won a national award in the frontier innovation segment of the 2025 Forbes China Novel Intelligent Economy Selection.
- In July 2026 Huya unveiled VAM 1.0, a real-time multimodal digital human model for AI-powered virtual hosts.
- Q2 2026 total net revenues rose 11.0% to RMB1,739.3 million, while game-related services, advertising and other revenues rose 54.1% to RMB637.9 million.
- Huya doubled the authorized repurchase amount under its 2026 Share Repurchase Program to US$100 million.
Two honors from business media
According to Huya, the Barron's China selection places it in the Integrated Game Ecosystem Services segment of the 2026 Barron's China Value List. The company says the recognition reflects its performance across the list's four assessment dimensions: Financial Integrity, Capital Quality, Pricing Power and Barron's Proprietary Data.
Huya also received a national award in the frontier innovation segment of the 2025 Forbes China Novel Intelligent Economy Selection. The company says the award recognizes its creative use of AI and technological innovation to advance its game ecosystem and improve its integrated game-related services.
Huya described the two honors as highlighting its progress in a strategic transformation and its growing role across the game ecosystem.
Transformation since August 2023
Huya launched its strategic transformation in August 2023. Since then, it says, it has steadily expanded its game-related services, including game distribution, in-game item sales and game publishing.
The company points to the debut of Goose Goose Duck mobile as validation of its content-led game publishing model, citing the game's successful launch and strong performance. Two further titles, The Legend of Swordman: Reunion and Xiao Xiao Qi Yu, are progressing toward launch.
On the AI side, Huya says it is advancing applications in live streaming, game tools and IP-based companionship. In July 2026 it unveiled VAM 1.0, a self-developed real-time multimodal digital human model. According to the company, the model can rapidly generate AI-powered virtual hosts capable of natural speech, singing and expressive body movements, enabling lifelike, real-time interactions. Huya also expects VAM 1.0 to improve content production efficiency.
Second-quarter figures and buyback
Huya reported that total net revenues in the second quarter of 2026 increased 11.0% year over year to RMB1,739.3 million. Revenues from game-related services, advertising and other sources rose 54.1% to RMB637.9 million, which represented 36.7% of total net revenues.
The company also doubled the authorized repurchase amount under its 2026 Share Repurchase Program to US$100 million.
What it means
The announcement shows Huya positioning itself less as a pure live streaming platform and more as a broader game services business, with publishing, distribution and AI tools as growth areas. The revenue figures it cites indicate that game-related services, advertising and other revenues now make up a little over a third of the total.
Looking ahead, Huya says it aims to draw on its content ecosystem, streamer network, user base, AI technologies and industry partnerships to capture new growth opportunities. As the company notes in its safe harbor statement, such plans are forward-looking and subject to risks, including competition in the live streaming and game industries and regulatory developments in China.
