Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 403 You want to become a virtual ring too?

And there were many more such memorable moments in the first episode.

Therefore, Chu Chen wasn't really worried about the quality of the show, so the meeting was just a formality. After supporting his own people, the person in charge of producing the show left.

Chu Chen had already planned to go to the next place, but before leaving, he was stopped by Yoshio Konno and they started talking about another topic.

"What do you think of the prospects for creating a mobile game themed around Nogizaka46?"

Chu Chen was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at Yoshio Konno.

To be honest, this question was somewhat unexpected for him, but it also seemed to make sense.

Japan's idol industry and gaming industry are very closely intertwined.

Various idol rhythm games and card games have emerged one after another, but to be honest, most of them are poorly made and have simple gameplay. They are more like fast-moving consumer goods that simply exploit fans' nostalgia, so their life cycle is very short.

Yoshio Konno clearly understood this as well, and of course, his suggestion was not solely for the sake of the game.

Just as Chu Chen tried to get more people involved in Starry Night's games through various means, Japanese idol groups are doing the same thing in some ways.

"We have always hoped to have a game that is truly competitive, capable of long-term operation, and even able to attract non-fan groups."

"I know this request may be a bit abrupt, but we are willing to provide maximum support, including all authorizations, which we can provide free of charge, and we can also discuss revenue sharing."

Chu Chen neither directly refused nor countered with questions like, "Why are you, someone from Sony Music, coming to me instead of Sony Games to make games?"

After all, the communication costs between two departments in a large company are something that those who understand it know all too well.

Therefore, Chu Chen thought about the question briefly after hearing it.

In the gaming industry, idol-raising games have actually been quite profitable, both in 2024 before his time travel and in 2017.

For female gamers, there are titles like *Ensemble Stars!!* and *Uta no Prince-sama*.

For male players, there are titles like *The Idolmaster* and *LoveLive!*

Going back even further, to the single-player era of games like *Princess Maker* and *Star Dream*...

Strictly speaking, even games like Fate/Grand Order (FGO), Final Frontline, and a large number of other anime-style mobile games, at their core, are more or less about creating a "virtual idol."

Let's put it this way: idol-raising games are popular in Japan.

It's somewhat like a domestic martial arts game, with new idol-raising games appearing every year, and there are countless hybrid works that combine 2D and 3D elements.

Whether it was AKB48, which was at its peak a few years ago, or Nogizaka46, they have both made a lot of idol training games.

However, in general, most of these games are just as poorly made as domestic martial arts games, and the operators mostly have the mentality of "making money and running away".

They license their IP to a third-rate studio, reskin it, put on members' cards, take some photos, record some videos, and then hastily launch it online to harvest fans.

This kind of game has no future. Fans might buy into it once out of love, but they will never buy it a second time.

But what if you're saying Chu Chen wants to make idol games?

Actually not.

Making idol games is a very complex matter. Making games featuring real-life idols is even more troublesome, since there is a very core conflict between real-life idols and games, whether it's AKB or Nogizaka46.

Their members are "real" people.

This is very troublesome. Not to mention these "real" people, even projects like "Virtual Ring" which are "virtual streamers" have a lot of problems in their development.

What if you finish making the game and everyone else has already graduated?
Should the corresponding plot be included or not?
What if someone's house collapses after you finish playing the game?
All related storylines should be deleted?
This isn't a TV drama or variety show, where you can at least use editing magic if something goes wrong. In this game, deleting or modifying a character involves a lot of things.

Even setting all these factors aside, having real-life idols isn't necessarily a good thing for a virtual game that requires players to invest their imagination and emotions.

Virtual idols are virtual; players can project all their emotions and expectations onto them without worrying that their "idol" will be involved in a dating scandal or go solo after graduation.

There's no need to worry that time will change these feelings.

But real-life idols are different.

In the real-world idol realm, they can meet, interact, have their own lives, their own personalities, and a "reality" that cannot be erased by game settings.

What fans love is this sense of authenticity.

However, when this reality is brought into the game world that requires "nurturing" and "management", a subtle sense of disconnect is created.

Trying to make this type of game well is really too much effort for little reward.

However, this doesn't mean that such games are impossible to make. After all, some games featuring live-action stars have been incredibly successful, such as Pro Evolution Soccer, FIFA, and NBA 2K.
Although they are all sports games
But sports stars are stars too.

The core principles remain the same: these games succeed because the "real-life celebrities" in them have been "symbolized" and "frozen in a certain period of time."

For example, "Peak Ronaldo" or something like that.

In other words, these games have separated the characters from real people. Players cannot truly "raise" an already famous person, but they can "travel back" to "raise" a person with potential.

If Chu Chen really wants to become a real-life idol and utilize the fan base of real-life idols...

This idea is indeed a valid one.

Considering that Nogizaka46's music CDs, priced at 2000 yen, easily generate hundreds of thousands of sales and a large fan base, this group could indeed potentially become Hoshino users.
However, even if this idea exists.

In the short term, it's difficult for Chu Chen to predict the future of this project. It's hard to say whether it will become a hit. Of course, it has a fan base, so as long as it's not too bad, it probably won't lose money.

"We might be able to discuss more details and try to do some preliminary project approval..."

Ultimately, after a half-hour conversation, Chu Chen agreed to maintain preliminary contact with Sony Music, just as he had said when he invested in the variety show.

The current stars need to swallow large amounts of "seawater" and then filter it like whales.

Whatever Sony's reasons, if they are willing to offer licenses for cooperation, Chu Chen naturally has no reason to refuse.

Even if they obtain this license, they might only make a simple idol-raising game with a mature system, or even just use this as an excuse to make a small game.

It's a good thing to acquire a group of users through exclusive access.

(End of this chapter)