Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 345 You Want to Create an Open World Too!?

After a formulaic report, Chu Chen bowed slightly and stepped off the stage amidst applause.

After the sharing session, instead of returning to his original position, he slipped out through the side door, intending to grab a cup of coffee from the buffet in the rest area.

Although he was the one sharing his work, in this kind of setting, others wouldn't actively seek him out. Most people would go to Wang Jianmin after the meeting if they were genuinely interested.

If he stays on the field, it will actually diminish Wang Chien-ming's "protagonist" status.

Therefore, Chu Chen's strategy was to "show off and then run away," using the excuse that there was something important to do at the company after the meeting to leave directly.

For some people, Chu Chen's actions might seem too frustrating.

But for Chu Chen, his cooperation with Wang Jianmin was already second nature.

For game companies, showing off at such meetings is completely pointless and may even have negative effects. Instead, giving up the credit and getting what they need is the best outcome for everyone.

After leaving the main venue, Chu Chen went to the members' self-service rest area to grab a bite to eat, then informed the organizers before leaving.

There weren't many people in the rest area of ​​the venue; most of them were staff members.

Chu Chen had just picked up a glass of soda water, but before he could even drink it, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Brother Dawei? What a coincidence."

Upon hearing the voice, the person in front paused almost imperceptibly before turning around, a warm smile already on their face.

"President Chen? That is quite a coincidence."

The visitor was none other than Dawei, the founder of miHoYo.

The current situation is actually quite delicate.

Dawei had just seen Chu Chen come out of the side door. He originally intended to pretend he didn't see him, so he deliberately turned his body around and faced away from Chu Chen.

As a result, Chu Chen still saw him.
The two sides certainly didn't harbor any deep-seated hatred; in fact, their cooperation was quite pleasant. On StarTap, Honkai Impact 3rd consistently remained on the bestseller list for a considerable period after each major update.

However, compared to Starfall, Honkai Impact 3's current achievements are far inferior.

Moreover, take today's meeting as an example. Although both were attending the meeting, Chu Chen was invited to speak on stage, while Chu Chen, although also invited by the Shanghai authorities, was learning from the audience.

The differences are subtle.

Although he frequently used Xingchen as a positive example in meetings at his own company to encourage employees to be aware of potential crises and to learn from their innovative spirit.

But when it came time to actually meet him, he really didn't want to chat with Chu Chen, this "show-off."

Although I don't want to talk about it, I've been caught and there's no way to escape it.

"The sharing just now was excellent."

"Hey, these are all official scripts, just read them."

Chu Chen smiled and waved his hand, then took a sip of soda water.

The reason he suddenly went up to talk to Dawei was because he suddenly remembered the open-world game that Xingchen was planning, and thought that since they had met, they should chat for a bit.

After all, there were very few developers in China at that time who were creating open-world games.

"But honestly, this process is taking way too long. Are you planning to leave early? Do you want to ride in my car?"

"..."

Dawei was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond.

"Well, in an official setting, participation is key, and besides, President Chen's collaboration with a small town in China this time is pioneering a new path for cultural tourism in the country..."

Chu Chen glanced at Dawei, then turned to look to the side. "Hey, there's no one else here, why are you giving me that bureaucratic airs?"

"."

David didn't know how to reply.

Fortunately, Chu Chen didn't delve any deeper. Instead, he changed the subject and started talking about the current situation of Mihayou.

When talking about miHoYo, the two naturally turned to Honkai Impact 3. If there was any obvious difference between Honkai Impact 3 in this world and the previous one, it would be that it is "more pandering to otaku".

They didn't learn much from StarCraft's optimization of pay-to-win mechanics, but they did learn a bit of the "wife-driven pay-to-win" tactic.

In fact, looking at Mihoyo's products, up until the time of Keqing, the core was still "appealing to otaku". It was only later, as the circle expanded, that label was actively removed.

From a business perspective, this decision may not be wrong.

However, once anything starts, the difficulty increases dramatically as you try to have both, which is why FGO became so successful.

The creators of "Final Front" were dismissed from their positions by Chu Chen simply for suggesting that some female-oriented elements be added to the series.

Not to mention Final Frontline, even Fate/Grand Order has been increasing the proportion of female Servants since StarCraft took over.

Ultimately, a product is designed for a specific user group. If you're trying to cater to another group, Chu Chen would rather develop a separate game and create a game specifically for women.
The topic seems to have drifted a bit, but anyway...

At this point, Mihayou hadn't yet "made a fortune," and hadn't yet thought about anything else.

The motivation is actually quite strong. Take this year's summer update of Honkai Impact 3 as an example. The swimsuit skins and storyline are much larger than in the previous version.

These changes have resulted in Honkai Impact 3rd being somewhat similar to its predecessor, Fate/Grand Order (FGO). While the user base isn't large, those who are willing to spend money are genuinely willing to do so.
It's also interesting to say.

From a broader perspective, it is precisely because these heavy spenders continue to spend heavily that miHoYo lacks the motivation to reform Honkai Impact 3.

"Speaking of which, the data for the recent summer update of Honkai Impact 3 is quite good. I think the revenue from the new version has reached a new high."

Upon hearing Chu Chen's words, Dawei subconsciously replied.

"Mr. Chu, you flatter me. We're just sticking to our strengths in our own area. Unlike Xingchen, which is all-encompassing and each product is a pioneer in a new category."

The mutual flattery in business interactions was polite, though.

But after I finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene was indeed less awkward.

Chu Chen then took a sip of soda water and asked casually, "Speaking of which, how's the development progress of your open-world project?"

Dawei's smile froze slightly. Here it comes! He knew that all the previous pleasantries were just a prelude; this was the real event.

The Genshin Impact project is arguably miHoYo's top secret, but for StarCraft, this top secret is anything but secret.

David had no idea how Chu Chen knew.

In this conversation, Chu Chen no longer used questions, but directly stated "that's a fact."
"We're also feeling our way across the river, and we've encountered countless pitfalls." Brother Dawei sighed, his words half complaining and half probing. "This road is not easy, and no one can say for sure what the future holds."

Chu Chen didn't have that many thoughts on it.

"The road is certainly not easy, but once you get through it, you'll find a whole new world."

"By the way, Dawei, Xingchen is also planning to do a similar project. How about we get the project team together for a meeting sometime?"

"..."

Dawei was completely stunned; he even doubted whether he had misheard.

What does "similar project" mean? What is a "communication meeting"?
No, do you want to hear what you're saying?
(End of this chapter)