Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 155 2D-HD
Discussions about Star Tap on the internet remain heated.

At the heart of all this turmoil, Chu Chen found himself relatively at ease. On the fourth day of CNJOY, he finally entered the exhibition hall.

Of course, Chu Chen didn't come to CNJOY to see legs.

At this time, StarTap is very popular, which is a good time to persuade manufacturers. It's like poaching talent, even if it's temporarily not possible due to the alliance or something else.

It's good to at least leave an impression.

Since it was about poaching talent, the exhibition hall Chu Chen went to wasn't a public hall, but a manufacturer's hall.

Compared to the main battlefield where major manufacturers compete for attention, the manufacturer pavilion looks more like an "other world," without deafening music, flashing neon lights, or bare legs.

There were only small cubicles, and in those cubicles, developers were demonstrating their technology or demos to a limited number of visitors.

This is the area that truly belongs to game developers; it's a showcase for technology.

For ordinary players, this place is dull and boring, but for professionals like Chu Chen, it is a true treasure trove.

Unlike the bustling crowds in the main exhibition area, the manufacturers' pavilions appeared rather deserted.

After all, this was already the fourth day, and many booths were completely deserted, with only their materials and posters explaining what the booths were for.
Chu Chen didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

As he passed by these booths, he deliberately slowed down and took a closer look. The most bustling area in the manufacturers' exhibition hall was, of course, the game engine booths, with the official booths of Unreal Engine and Unity Engine occupying the most prominent positions.

At this time, a large crowd had gathered around.

Further inside, you'll find domestic and international technology suppliers showcasing the latest motion capture technology, facial rendering solutions, and more.

Chu Chen looked around, occasionally stopping at a booth that interested him to listen to the technicians' explanations. To be honest, many of the technologies on display seemed somewhat "outdated" to him.

But this did not stop him from thinking about what "new" technologies StarCraft would adopt next.

"However, since we're here to poach talent, let's go to the summit first."

Just as Chu Chen was about to go inside to start poaching talent before coming out to browse the exhibition...
An inconspicuous corner deep inside the exhibition hall caught his attention.

But his steps suddenly stopped.

It was a very small booth, so small that it could only fit a table, two monitors, and a roll-up banner. Behind the booth sat three people, dressed like typical Japanese tech geeks, wearing plaid shirts and looking unkempt.

Perhaps because no one had come to visit them all day, they seemed a little listless.

But what caught Chu Chen's attention was not these people, but the game demo playing on the monitor behind them, or more precisely, the game demo playing on a loop.

It was a 2D game world.

A pixelated figure is walking on an old stone-paved road.

Along the roadside, the babbling brook reflects the shimmering sunlight, while in the distance, the stained-glass windows of the Gothic cathedral cast dappled light and shadow. When a breeze blows, the leaves sway, and the light and shadow sway accordingly.

Despite being a 2D pixelated image, it has a certain depth of field and a sense of three-dimensionality.

Neither the reflection on the water's surface, the mist in the air, nor the sense of volume in the light are things that should appear in 2D games.
Chu Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

The visuals, the technology. 2D-HD?

Simply put, 2D-HD is a technique that combines 2D pixel characters with 3D backgrounds and effects to create a unique visual experience.

His masterpiece, Octopath Traveler, amazed players worldwide upon its release.

its not right! ! !
Wasn't this 2D-HD technology first used in Octopath Traveler? Why is it being showcased here?
Although Octopath Traveler was initiated in 15 and launched in 18, according to the project timeline, the technology should have already existed by then.
Why are you here?

Looking at the name of the exhibiting company again, it wasn't Square Enix at all. What on earth was Milk Studio? I'd never heard of this company before.
So, the company's name is Milk Studio?
What the hell is this?

Chu Chen had this question because he didn't know the specific process of how Square Enix, the game company, developed games.

Unlike most normal game development companies.

Square Enix, also known as SE, apart from Final Fantasy which is entirely developed by their own team, includes Dragon Quest and for most other games, they are only responsible for proposing ideas and handling subsequent game release and marketing.

The core game development process is outsourced to other companies in the market.

This model is somewhat similar to ODM in the production supply chain.

To give a more vivid example, imagine Chu Chen creates a project proposal, then finds a studio outside and hands it over to them for development.

Although Chu Chen works as a producer, he commands other companies' teams, and the final product is then sold with the Starry Sky Games logo.

This is ODM
In this system, to initiate a new game project, the approach isn't to recruit people, but rather to "invite bids."

Yes, you heard me right.

It's called "invitation to tender". SE will tell some of the basic requirements of the project proposal to capable studios, and then select one to cooperate based on the final demo produced by these studios.

The company that ultimately won the bid for Octopath Traveler's project was Acquire Studios, the developer of "Brave Warriors," "Tenchu," and "Way of the Samurai."

This model is naturally very good for SE.

It's essentially borrowing a hen to lay eggs, and the eggs are still your own. But for the bidding manufacturers, this model isn't so appealing.
At this point, some people might ask, "Hey, why would they become the chicken in this 'borrowing a chicken to lay eggs' situation? No, why would they be so foolish as to do something beneficial for SE?"

This question is actually quite easy to answer.

Why would domestic game developers be willing to accept only 10% of the revenue share to have Tencent act as their distributor? And why would these developers even bother bidding for the rights?

Square Enix is ​​a truly massive corporation in Japan and even globally.

However, under this bidding model, the successful bidder is naturally happy and gets to start working with SE's money.

Those who fail in the bidding end up with a demo they paid for themselves.

The Japanese company that appeared at the CNJOY booth is a company that was just established in 14, and they also participated in the SE bidding.

Of course, their presence here indicates that their bid was unsuccessful.

(End of this chapter)