Official game novels commissioned by developers are traditionally viewed as subordinate products designed to bolster game sales or extract additional profit from core players. While existing scholarship has highlighted the autonomy of game novels within the American and Japanese markets, the diverse novelization practices within the Sinophone world remain largely overlooked. This research examines the evolution of Chinese game novels through a pivotal case study: the Legend of Sword and Fairy series by Softstar Entertainment, the earliest and most frequently novelized IP in the Chinese-speaking world. The study first compares the developer's commercial strategies before and after 2012, revealing a paradigm shift in the role of novels from mere game derivatives to agents of transmedia co-creation. Subsequently, by analyzing two distinct novelization projects conducted in partnership with ACERTWP INFORMATION CO., LTD and Beijing Xiron Culture Group Co., Ltd., this paper illustrates how the primary function of game novels has transitioned from rationalizing plots for existing players to unifying world-building for both players and non-players. To further challenge the perceived subordinate status of these texts, the research investigates the potential of game novels to prefigure future remaking of games. By analyzing the current novelization project spearheaded by the series’ new rights holder, China Mobile Games & Entertainment Group, the study demonstrates how these novels provide a guiding framework for the subsequent modification of game plots. Ultimately, the case of Sword and Fairy provides a socio-cultural lens and a longitudinal perspective through which to reconsider the significance of official game novels and their dynamic relationship with digital games in the Sinophone world.