It’s not that China’s game manufacturers don’t have talent or technology, but they are unwilling to invest in stand-alone games with unpredictable returns.
They are unfamiliar with this type of play.
Especially for companies like Goose Factory, online games use QQ and WeChat to attract traffic.
Buy a famous IP, then develop a mobile game based on the IP, then attract traffic, and then set up various means to attract players to earn money.
Traffic is monetized instantly.
The more important point is that if players are willing to spend money, then the game's data will immediately give positive feedback to managers.
Let the managers know that I can appropriately allocate resources to this game, and the traffic will be almost free for Goose Factory.
Just like the starting point used to be that editors selected good works to be recommended, and the editor's taste combined with certain data, but now it's all about follow-up reading. This is the thinking of Internet operations.
Those who read more can be promoted to get better recommendation positions. Now the recommendation positions for Qidian’s new book issue are also pure cultivation.
Data is everything.
The same is true in games. Games with more revenue and higher profits will receive more traffic and more development, art, planning and other resources, which can form a positive cycle.
In the years when animation ip-to-mobile games were the most popular, Goose Factory developed many animation ip-based mobile games:
Naruto, Dragon Ball Battle, Saint Seiya, Dengeki Bunko: Zero Realm Crossing, Naruto: Ninja Generations, Fairy Tail, Dragon Ball Battle, Kitsune Matchmaker, Hunter.
As a result, Naruto is the only one who still has a voice. Saint Seiya, who was still a bit popular before, was last updated more than a year ago.
The time point here is the end of 2022. In March 2022, Goose Factory's Saint Seiya has not been updated for 11 months.
Naruto is the Gu King who survives in this bunch of anime-adapted IP mobile games.
The gameplay of Goose Factory is simple and crude, and the benefits are huge.
And if you make a stand-alone game, the investment and return are very unclear.
The first is that the range of game types to choose from is very limited, otherwise you will not be able to get the game version number, and the second is the problem of piracy.
Another crucial point is that the players cultivated in the domestic game industry over the years do not recognize the one-time payment method.
They don't think it's expensive even if they spend 648 krypton gold, but most people think it's too expensive to spend hundreds of yuan to buy a console game.
(This is my own psychological activity. I used to play Onmyoji and earn 648 krypton gold without any feeling. Later I bought an NS and spent two to three hundred to buy the game, but I felt it was a bit expensive.)
Fortunately, Steam has existed in recent years, and more and more players in China are willing to pay for console games.
Domestic companies that specialize in console games can also find ways to survive.
But the general environment is such that Genshin Impact is a rare masterpiece in the Chinese gaming industry in recent years.
Genshin Impact draws lessons from The Legend of Zelda to some extent (to put it mildly), but Genshin Impact’s innovation in krypton gold and the profits it brings to MiHoYo probably also led to Nintendo’s opening vision.
On one side are krypton gold games with stable investment returns, and on the other side are console games with unpredictable inputs and outputs.
It is clear at a glance how a company will choose.
It's just that Chen Chi and Chen Ran always have fantasies. What if this time is different? Something has changed this time.
Maybe Goose Factory is willing to invest in making a soul-based console game?
A man will always have illusions until he dies as a boy.
For the love in your heart, invest everything you can.
"I don't think we have to make a Western fantasy soul-based game. Song Lin and I have never done Western fantasy art style before, so it's difficult to grasp it well."
"Although we have played many console games, are familiar with Soul-based games, and are no strangers to Western fantasy worlds, it is difficult for us to create a flavor of this type of game."
"For example, those British slang words that make people smile, and some jokes that only in-depth DND enthusiasts can understand. These are insurmountable gaps. Instead of making a Western-style fantasy background where we are just enthusiasts."
"It's better to make something with Chinese characteristics."
“I think it’s completely possible to make a Chinese-style ancient Cthulhu Soul-based game that connects ancient Chinese architecture, myths and legends with Cthulhu.”
"In fact, Black Myth Wukong is a good example for reference."
The release date of Black Myth was announced to be delayed at the end of 2022. It was originally expected to be released on May 30, 2023, but Game Science announced that it would be postponed to the end of September.
After the scene artist expressed his thoughts, he showed everyone his scene design.
The Chinese-style buildings with overhanging eaves and carved beams and painted beams look particularly eerie against the dark background. The dark, endless mountains behind them give a unique sense of oppression.
He has always been keen on this style of painting, but he just didn't have the opportunity to show it.
As the producer and team leader, Chen Ran asked: "A very simple question, how does this style of painting look in VR?"
"Because VR images are 3D effects, we cannot think about scene art design in a two-dimensional way."
"In addition, when we choose a subject, we must not choose the four great classics, let alone Journey to the West."
“It’s almost impossible to get a version number for a dark game based on the four major classics.”
Someone asked: "What about Black Myth Wukong?"
Chen Ran sneered and said: "They must take the path of selling on a platform, most likely on Steam, and they won't be able to get a version number."
"We can think in the direction that Xiao Li just proposed. I also think that Chinese Cthulhu is a direction that can easily create highlights."
"But there are a few questions you need to think about. First of all, if you can't get a version number and can only sell it overseas, how can you attract overseas players?"
"Of course it's best to get a version number. How can we prevent players from saying that we plagiarized Black Myth Wukong? Even if the art style is similar, we can't avoid this title. Of course, this issue is not important, but we must have one when the time comes. It’s just an excuse.”
After staying in Goose Factory for a long time, I am used to being accused of plagiarism. Whether it’s a game or a business model.
"In addition, PVE difficulty design, combat system, and combat mode are the most critical."
"In soul-based games, background stories, art scenes, character design, and prop design are all bonus points. Combat mode and combat design are the most critical. How to make players feel happy and torture them to death."
"This is an important point."
“It’s not just high difficulty that attracts players, high difficulty is just a superficial phenomenon.”
"How to form a positive feedback bit by bit, so that players can feel their own growth. This is something that can continue to attract players."
"Of course there are many things I haven't thought of. We need to think slowly and slowly form a complete plan."
"The time is tight and the task is heavy. We need to come up with a relatively complete plan in a month."
