Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 605 is still in the marketing phase!

Don't even mention Tencent.

Even Chu Chen, if he hadn't released three gimmicky works and a whole bunch of unreleased single-player games from the Star Project overseas, would never have made a splash.

It's worth noting that besides Black Myth, games like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Dead, The Legend of Sword and Fairy, and Pascal's Wager also generated considerable buzz.

Especially "The Bloodstained Spell"

Although it hasn't received much exposure in mainstream media, Western gamers really love it. No other game has ever made breasts look so alluring, and it combines gore, violence, and softcore pornography so cleverly.

If Black Myth: Wukong conquered the mainstream with its Eastern mythological philosophy and top-notch industrial art, then the popularity of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Gods was a pure, hormone-fueled carnival.

The combination of eroticism and violence is exactly what excites Western gamers.

On Reddit's gaming subreddit, a post titled "Forget the monkey, this is the real next-gen experience from the StarCraft presentation" garnered tens of thousands of upvotes in just a few hours.

The post didn't contain any lengthy analysis, only a few GIFs.

The first image shows a female character wearing a revealing cheongsam, using a series of fluid combos to kick an enemy into the air, and finally cleaving him in two with a magnificent, blood-red slash.

The second image shows the extremely realistic shaking of certain parts of the character as they sprint, produced by the physics engine.

The third image is the game's character creation interface, where almost all parameters, from hairstyle and eye color to body curves, can be freely adjusted.

Although it may not be considered respectable, its productivity is undeniable.

Soon, this trend spread from Reddit to 4chan, Twitter, and various gaming forums, with countless Western LSPs spreading the news like Columbus discovering a new continent.

The day after the StarCraft pre-show press conference, searches for "Bloodstained: The Tale" on Pixiv, a famous American video-sharing website, increased more than tenfold. The game hasn't even been released yet, and some experts have already started dissecting the models and costumes from the game's promotional videos, intending to create their own content.

Therefore, the success of the Starry Night launch event is actually due to a combination of multiple factors.

It's far more complicated than it appears on the surface.

Both EPIC and Tencent's press conferences had their share of gimmicks, but at best, these gimmicks only earned them a passing grade.

And to make matters worse, these two press conferences happened to be right after StarCraft and Steam. StarCraft unleashed its big move, and Steam also went all out.

Under such circumstances, aside from domestic media, who would pay attention to these Tencent IPs that come from who-knows-where?
Even after the Tencent press conference, when Zhao Ming was interviewed...

The first question asked by the reporter was fairly normal.

"As another giant in China's gaming industry, what is your opinion on the phenomenal success achieved by StarCraft Games and their CEO Chu Chen at this year's E3? Will Tencent adjust its future strategic direction as a result?"

This issue immediately became a hard control problem.

Zhao Ming's professional smile froze for a moment.

He suddenly remembered that just yesterday, he had been in a hotel watching domestic media reports about Nintendo's evaluation of StarCraft, and he had mocked these media outlets for doing anything for traffic.

Unexpectedly, he himself fell victim to the virus today.

Moreover, this is indeed a difficult question to answer. To praise the stars would be to boost the morale of others while diminishing our own; to criticize the stars would appear to be a sign of disunity.
"We are delighted to see such an outstanding company as StarCraft emerge from China's gaming industry, which proves the potential and vitality of our industry. Tencent has always been committed to promoting the common development of the entire ecosystem, and we are happy to see more..."

After racking his brains, Zhao Ming managed to give a standard answer, but unfortunately, the reporters were clearly there to stir up trouble. "Mr. Zhao, would Tencent consider cooperating with Xingchen?"

"There are rumors that Tencent tried to acquire Game Science, but was rejected. Is this true?"

One question after another came like a machine gun, and the worst part was that they were all related to the stars. Sweat was already seeping from Zhao Ming's forehead.

~~~
With the difficult conclusion of Tencent's press conference, the series of pre-E3 press conferences in 2018 has finally come to an end.

For media and gamers worldwide, this year's pre-show press conference was arguably the most spectacular in recent years, if not the most exciting.

Microsoft reversed its decline and launched a fierce offensive with acquired studios and a series of new games.

Although Sony's first-party content was lackluster, it unexpectedly gained a lot of traffic by "carrying the sedan chair" for StarCraft.

The most unexpected thing was Valve, Gabe Newell, who never counts to three, actually came back with a new VR game of Half-Life, igniting the entire core gamer community.

Of course, the biggest surprise was the stars.

Whether it was the broadcast or Chu Chen's stand-up comedy performance on stage, every segment was full of talking points.

"Worth it! This year's ticket prices are a steal!"

"Microsoft, StarCraft, and Valve are all releasing their big moves in turn; my heart can't take it."

"I can't wait to go to the exhibition hall tomorrow, I have to go to the Starry Sky booth!"

Players who bought tickets to E3 were ecstatic on social media, feeling like they had witnessed history.

However, as is customary in previous years, once the pre-show press conferences are over, the climax of E3 is essentially over for the vast majority of ordinary gamers who cannot attend in person.

At the upcoming exhibition, although there will be a huge number of new games to try out, most manufacturers, especially the big ones, will set up strict confidentiality agreements.

Players can enter and play, but the vast majority of first-hand information is still firmly controlled by a few top media outlets and invited KOLs.

What ordinary players can see are mostly "exclusive gameplay reports" and edited videos published by these media outlets and reviewed by the manufacturers.

The novelty and impact are far less direct than a press conference.

The exhibition was more like a large, closed-off industry party.

However, this year, just when everyone thought it was time to enter "media time," an unexpected variable appeared.

Half an hour after all the pre-show press conferences ended, while players around the world were still savoring the highlights of the conferences, StarCraft Games' official Twitter account posted a short but explosive message.

[@StarrySkyGames: The E3 festivities have only just begun!]

A brand new tweet was accompanied by a brightly colored and dynamic promotional poster.

[The #StarryE3PartyCelebrity# event has officially launched!]

The rules of the event are also very simple. Basically, players can go to the Starry Night booth, check in, record their review of the game or any thoughts they want to share, and upload them to social media platforms with the hashtag #StarryNightE3PartyStar#.

You can participate in the event. Of course, most importantly, it is clearly stated below the event that there are no confidentiality agreements for any of the games at the Starry Sky booth!
(End of this chapter)