Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 517 Final Front Anniversary Celebration

Domestic game licenses were suspended, while overseas game licenses were issued.

It seems like a contradiction, but once you understand the reasoning behind it, you'll find that it's not contradictory at all.

Because the official purpose, or rather the purpose of the propaganda department after it came to power, has always been very clear: to force the production of high-quality works.

So what constitutes a high-quality product?

It's very simple: anything that can make money overseas is a high-quality product.

This tactic actually worked in the previous life; at least 18 years later, a large number of low-quality games did indeed die out, and the number of domestically produced games on Steam skyrocketed.

In this timeline, the intention behind this series of moves is all too clear.

The license freeze has forced domestic game production capacity, especially that of small and medium-sized manufacturers, to be directed towards overseas markets, and StarCraft, as a successful pioneer, has naturally become that banner.

“However…” Song Yueying changed the subject.

"Being the flag means everyone is watching you. A rocket may be fast, but if it goes astray, the crash will be the worst."

Chu Chen nodded, as this was exactly what he had been thinking about. However, he wasn't afraid of this challenge, since opportunities and challenges always go hand in hand.

Moreover, it seems that this opportunity is more beneficial than harmful to Xingchen.

After all, at present, the only channels that can truly go global in China are StarCraft and, at most, half of Steam.

"Alright, let's not talk about business anymore. So, what did you have for dinner? Don't tell me it's salad again."

"It's a salad, but with chicken breast added."

"..."

The two chatted for a few more minutes about everyday things before hanging up the phone.

The room returned to silence.

The smile on Chu Chen's face slowly faded. He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the brightly lit night view of Haikou, lost in thought.

If a camera were to take a picture at this moment, it would be perfect for use as a concept art for a villainous boss.

~~~
At the end of January, the chill in Suzhou and Hangzhou was bone-chilling.

The continuous drizzle soaked the entire city in a damp and cold atmosphere. The drizzle hit the surface of the canal, creating ripples and casting a hazy veil over the ancient town with its white walls and black tiles.

The conference in Qiongzhou that stirred up a huge wave in the industry seems to have gradually cooled down over time.

The bigwigs returned to their respective kingdoms, and online discussions about billions in revenue were replaced by new hot topics.

But the undercurrents beneath the surface are becoming increasingly turbulent.

Throughout the latter half of January, the domestic mobile game market went completely crazy.

Everyone smelled the blood; everyone was playing "PUBG".

At the beginning of the month, NetEase was still feeling down about the failure of "Knives Out". However, it turned around and announced that "Knives Out" would undergo the largest overhaul since its public beta, optimizing the graphics and reworking the gameplay. It was almost like a complete overhaul, and it was preparing to launch the game a second time.

Meanwhile, their other battle royale mobile game, "Terminator Battlegrounds," has also entered the closed beta stage with great fanfare, clearly indicating that they intend to use two products and pursue a two-pronged approach.

Tencent's response was even more straightforward and blunt.

After Ma Huateng was frightened by a ghost in Qiongzhou, his interest in Tencent Games increased significantly.

Shortly after returning, Tencent Games officially announced a strategic partnership with Activision Blizzard, and the mobile game "Call of Duty: Exhilarating Battlefield," licensed from the Call of Duty IP, officially entered closed beta testing. At the same time, another trump card, "CF: Army Attack," ended its covert phase, launching a massive marketing campaign across all channels.

Compared to previous marketing campaigns, this time, the marketing for these two games is of much higher quality.

The budget is also much more ample.

Even Xiaomi, which has never been very active in the gaming industry, launched its own game, "Xiaomi Gunfight," in an attempt to grab a share of this feast.

Suddenly, a storm was brewing.

However, some media outlets noticed a small detail: almost without exception, these battle royale games added a line to their promotional materials.

"Perfectly compatible with mainstream PUBG-like apps on the market"

Tencent's two games haven't even been released yet, but they've already officially announced they'll be giving away one million "Mission Weapons" (game items).

This undoubtedly proves from another perspective that the peripheral controller launched by StarCraft has successfully defined the operating standards for "battle royale" mobile games, thanks to the success of "PUBG Mobile".

Players have become so accustomed to using it for a better gaming experience that newcomers who want to win over users must first be compatible with this standard.

Before the game even started, Xingchen seemed to have already gained an advantage in terms of "momentum".

Besides this highly anticipated "battle royale" game, something interesting happened in the global gaming market in January: an indie game called "Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy" unexpectedly became a hit.

This game, affectionately known as "Getting Over It" by Chinese players, has extremely simple gameplay. Players control a person sitting in a vat and use a hammer to climb upwards.

However, its extremely anti-human controls and malicious physics engine made countless players experience what it means to have "blood pressure soar".

Countless livestreamers became deeply involved, and quotes such as "Aren't you angry?" "I am that man!" "I'm mentally broken, bro!" spread across the entire internet.

This mini-game, priced at only 18 yuan, sold over three million copies without any external promotion, relying solely on internal recommendations from the Starry Sky platform.

The Huaxia market alone accounted for over 140 million.

This has led many independent manufacturers overseas to further consider their relationship with StarCraft, and it also reaffirms Chu Chen's views expressed in media interviews in Europe and America.

In other words, a healthy gaming platform should allow all types of games to find their own players.

Its vitality comes from countless "small but beautiful" works like "Getting Over It," rather than relying solely on a few top-tier hits.

Of course, for the vast majority of Final Frontline players, whether it's the battle royale or the torture of watching streamers, it's just dessert after the main course.

What they are really looking forward to is the upcoming second anniversary celebration of "Final Front".

As the foundational work of Starry Sky Games and a flagship original IP.

The anniversary celebration of "Final Battlefront" is highly anticipated in the anime and manga game community, especially after the huge success of "Fate/Grand Order" anniversary celebration last October.

Even now, "FGO Killing" is still ranked number one in Japanese live streaming. As a result, "FGO" has remained at the top of the Japanese best-selling list from October last year until this year.

And Xingchen did not disappoint them. Half a month ago, the official team began a large-scale pre-event campaign.

Benefits, new storyline, new characters, limited-time gacha pool... a series of standard moves have whetted the players' appetites.

But everyone knew that the real highlight was yet to come.

Finally, on the last day of January, the official Starry Night Games account released a brand new promotional video, offering the final and most important gift to this nearly month-long celebration.

(End of this chapter)