Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 528 Boiling
The reporters at the scene immediately perked up, and their cameras were once again focused on the two people on the stage.

While the news of capital investment is certainly significant, what players and gaming media are most interested in is the kind of sparks that will fly between these two top companies.

Yves didn't keep anyone in suspense; the huge screen behind him lit up, and the logos of the two companies appeared side by side.

"We will officially license the development of derivative games based on multiple IPs, including Assassin's Creed, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Anno, to StarCraft Games!"

With the success of Assassin's Creed, Heroes of Might and Magic, Anno...

When these names came out of Yves Guillermot's mouth, accompanied by a huge logo slamming onto the screen, the air in the entire press conference seemed to freeze for a moment before exploding.

The flashes went off at an unprecedented frequency, engulfing the two people on stage in a sea of ​​white light.

Although this was actually a publicity stunt by Ubisoft to boost its stock price after separating from Vivenda and working with StarCraft.

After all, Ubisoft is not like StarCraft.

As a publicly traded company, stock price is their source of confidence, and Ubisoft desperately needs that right now.

To this end, StarCraft and Ubisoft held negotiations for half a month, during which the most discussed topic was the revenue sharing ratio for these derivative IPs.

Ubisoft has a history of licensing, with several companies licensing Heroes of Might and Magic to various developers in China alone. In addition, several subsequent installments of Heroes of Might and Magic, including the latest one, Heroes of Might and Magic: ArcheAge, have also been licensed.

Therefore, licensing development and earning a share of the profits is something Ubisoft is all too familiar with.

When this decision was revealed to the media, the reaction at the scene showed that this move was indeed effective, and the hype was certainly substantial.

The reporters at the scene gasped in surprise, and in a corner of the crowd, Zhou Yi almost dropped the recording pen in his hand.

Zhou Yi is a Xinhua News Agency reporter stationed in Paris, mainly covering current affairs and economics.

He was temporarily drafted by the domestic headquarters to come to Rennes to "help out" and report on a "business cooperation launch event" held by the domestic game company, Starry Sky Games.

Before coming, he specifically looked up Starry Night Games. Hmm, a very successful Chinese company, their games seem to be very profitable.

That's it.

For a non-hardcore gamer, that's about all he knows about the stars.

However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that Zhou Yi knows nothing about games. At least when he was in college, he did play games. It's just that he's been too busy with work these past few years and hasn't had the time.

I don't know much about the current gaming industry.

However, he was familiar with the Assassin's Creed IP. It was no small-time IP; it was Ubisoft's crown jewel.

Especially in 18, the influence of Assassin's Creed is absolutely top-notch globally, on par with popular IPs like Call of Duty. It is a top cultural symbol with countless fans worldwide.

Did Starry Sky Games obtain its development license?
Zhou Yi's mind went blank for a moment, and the first thought that flashed through his mind was "taking advantage of someone's misfortune".

It's easy to imagine that this investment of several hundred million dollars played a significant role in the negotiations. You could say it saved Ubisoft from dire straits, but from another perspective...
He just became a "white knight," and then immediately took away someone else's most valuable possession. This...
However, this thought only lasted for half a second.

It was quickly replaced by a more intense emotion.

Needless to say, the combination of StarCraft and Assassin's Creed means that the Chinese version of Assassin's Creed that countless Chinese players have been waiting for may really be coming soon.

This expectation is like the countless Total War fans who used to spam CA forums with "We need the Three Kingdoms" every day – it's a collective obsession that transcends national borders.

Now, this obsession seems to have a chance of coming true.

Is StarCraft making an Assassin's Creed game?
A Chinese company wants to make an Assassin's Creed game themed around Chinese history and assassins?
Although there was no related content at the press conference, the news quickly spread like wildfire throughout the global gaming community, especially in the Chinese gaming circle.

News of the Paris press conference traveled across seven time zones and hit the Chinese internet almost without delay. In the early hours of the morning, while most people were still asleep, gaming forums and social media groups frequented by night owls had already gone viral.

[Bombshell] StarCraft officially announced the acquisition of a 7% stake in Ubisoft and the rights to develop derivative works based on IPs such as Assassin's Creed!

A bold, red headline appeared on the front page of major gaming news outlets such as GamerSky and 1717, with the posting time shown as 3 AM.

Within just ten minutes, the corresponding hashtag appeared on Weibo.

A flood of comments poured in from various channels.

"Am I seeing things? Assassin's Creed? Which Assassin's Creed?"

"Who else could it be?! Holy crap! Holy crap! I jumped right out of bed!"

"Calm down, upstairs. I've checked three times, it's true. Ubisoft's CEO and Chu Chen announced it together on stage, and IGN even published a news report!"

"The big one is coming! The big one is really coming! An Assassin's Creed with a Chinese background! The Embroidered Uniform Guard! The Eastern Depot and the Western Depot! The Flying Guillotine! How long have I been waiting for this day! I've been waiting ever since the Ezio trilogy ended!"

"Where's the pre-order link? I need to pay now! I don't care what he does, just give me a way to pay!"

Again.

Time is a magical element.

In 2018, domestic players generally still have a strong desire for overseas AAA IPs, especially major overseas AAA titles such as Total War, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, and Battlefield.

The celebratory mood spread rapidly from the core player community outwards like a flood breaking through a dam.

The following day, Bilibili's gaming content creators worked tirelessly through the night, producing a plethora of sensational analysis videos.

A Dream Collaboration! How Will the Partnership Between StarCraft and Ubisoft Change the Landscape of the Gaming Industry?

A decade-long dream finally comes true! What can we experience in Assassin's Creed: Stardust?

A detailed analysis of why StarCraft is considered the chosen one to create a Chinese version of Assassin's Creed!

The entire morning, the domestic gaming industry was immersed in a festive atmosphere, much like the Chinese New Year. Of course, amidst this fervent atmosphere, there were also some dissenting voices.

The first concern that arose was rational.

On Zhihu, a popular question asked, "How do you evaluate StarCraft Games obtaining the development license for the Assassin's Creed IP?" A highly-rated answer poured a bucket of cold water on the matter.

The respondent, "Schrödinger's Cat Cart," is a programmer with some fame in the industry and also claims to be a ten-year fan of the Assassin's Creed series.

"To sum it up: I'm cautiously pessimistic."

"First of all, everyone needs to understand that AAA open-world games and all the games StarCraft has made before are completely different species. Being good at making Plants vs. Zombies and Human: Fall Flat doesn't mean you can do AAA games well. The technical barriers between them cannot be bridged overnight with passion and money."

"Secondly, there's the engine. Ubisoft's AnvilNext and StarCraft are completely different systems. Ubisoft itself is jokingly referred to by players as 'BUG Creed.' A company with no AAA development experience is tackling a project of this level right off the bat. I can already see clipping and save file corruption flying everywhere in the future."

"Finally, and most importantly, 'spin-off game development rights.' Did you all notice that term? At the press conference, Yves was talking about spin-off games."

"The interpretation of this word is very broad. It can be a AAA game comparable to a full-fledged title, a reskinned mobile game, or even a card game."

"Before things become clear, I advise everyone to calm down. The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment may be. Of course, I also hope that StarCraft can create our own Assassin's Creed, but we have to take things one step at a time. Taking too big a step can easily lead to disaster."

(End of this chapter)