Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 98 Carrots and Sticks
The day after Xiong Youning and Zhuang Zhihong discussed how to poach some meat from Xingchen Games.

Yufeng Industrial Park, Xingchen Games.

Just like the previous few days, Mai Ishihara got off the special bus.

I walked into the company.

Even though she has been here for almost a week, she still finds it somewhat unbelievable.

The new company's office is much larger than the one in Tokyo.

The brand-new desks and chairs were neatly arranged, and the air was filled with the faint scent of air freshener. Outside the window was the unfamiliar silhouette of a city, completely different from the Tokyo she remembered.

However, my gaze swept across the corner.

Whether it's the scanner on the table, the special machines used for coloring, or even the Wacom tablet she's used for many years at her own workstation.

These devices and materials were transported intact from Japan to this place called Tamamine City.

It was as if they had simply changed the shell; everything inside, including the group of people, had been packaged up and stuffed into this new space.

However, this kind of "packaging" is not the rough, courier-style transfer.

These past few days, Mai Ishihara's biggest feeling has been "thoughtful".

From getting off the plane to arranging accommodation, to the new office location, to the complete packing of all kinds of office supplies, to commuting transportation, and even the cafeteria, it's said that if you want to go on a weekend trip, you can even connect with a professional travel agency.
Although there were some minor issues along the way.

But this sense of comfort is something everyone can feel.

This thoughtfulness does indeed make people feel comfortable, and at the same time, it creates a compensatory mentality in the company that "it seems like the other party really values ​​us" and "if we enjoy it, we should work hard."

You could call it PUA, but this kind of PUA is probably something many employees would willingly accept.

Other colleagues at IMS Media shared the same feeling, so much so that even though they had only been there for a week, they felt a sense of accomplishment as the subsidies and back wages arrived.

The atmosphere in the office seemed much more relaxed than when we were in Tokyo.

"Good morning, Mai-senpai!"

"Good morning."

"Senior, look at this chair! It's a new chair that I asked Sister Yueying for. It feels much more luxurious than the one in Tokyo!"

"What's the use of being high-end? You still have to draw on the screen forever."

"Sato-senpai, you're too pessimistic!"

The familiar greetings, the familiar faces, the familiar routine—it all felt like I was still in Tokyo.
This daze lasted until the office door opened again, and a man in casual clothes walked in, causing the entire office to visibly pause in surprise.

Followed by.

"President!"

Someone shouted first, breaking the brief silence.

"Good morning, President!"

Everyone, including Mai Ishihara, bowed in unison almost reflexively.

The man who entered was clearly still a little uncomfortable. He scratched his head before waving and saying, "You don't need to be so formal at Xingchen."

Only then did everyone raise their heads again.

Then everyone just stared at each other, completely awkward.

It's really no one's fault.

After all, although Chu Chen is the company's boss, you might not believe it, but this is only the second time everyone has met.

After Chu Chen confirmed the acquisition, he went to work on acquiring the IP. His concerns were addressed by the help of Xingchen Japan's employees who handled the follow-up matters.

Later, IMS personnel arrived in China, but Chu Chen remained in Japan.

Therefore, this was indeed the first time Chu Chen greeted everyone.

"Everyone, we're all short on time, so let's skip the small talk and have a short meeting in the conference room."

Looking at this room full of the animation team he "packed" back from Japan.

Although it was his own decision, Chu Chen felt it was quite amazing when he actually packed it all up and brought it back.

The news of Starry Sky Games acquiring the animation studio naturally drew cheers from the player community.

However, the gaming community and many media outlets hold a skeptical attitude towards this matter. Many media outlets, in their reporting, used the bold phrase "deliberate" to describe it.

This phrase basically encapsulates the current perception of StarCraft Games within the Chinese gaming industry. "Audacious" is certainly a positive term, instantly inspiring excitement.

But there's a hidden meaning behind this phrase: boldness is often proportional to risk. If the team doesn't adapt well or doesn't gel smoothly, things could get really messy. Not only would the domestic gaming industry laugh at them, but Japan would probably laugh too.

However, Chu Chen had already done it, and he wasn't one to hesitate or look back. Besides, he had a lot of confidence in the team.

IMS is a long-established animation outsourcing company.

However, the average age of the company's employees is less than 30.

This actually contradicted Chu Chen's previous understanding. In his mind, shouldn't people working in the Japanese animation industry be experienced, gray-haired, or balding seniors?

However, the former president of Creative Media IMS explained the matter clearly in one sentence.

"In order to survive, we have no choice but to recruit young people."

"They are capable, but lack experience, so their salary..."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but the meaning was clear: young people have low wages.

Come to think of it, although the overall salary of animation professionals in Japan is not high, large companies are still much better than small workshops. Ultimately, outsourcing companies like Creative Media IMS are the ones that get selected.

To survive, one must squeeze higher efficiency from lower costs.

However, this was actually good news for Chu Chen.

Young people mean they are more energetic and more receptive to new things and adaptable to new environments.

"When I came back, I checked everyone's progress and found some issues with the details. I felt that everyone might have some misunderstandings about the storyboard, so I'm here to give a brief overview of the project and a storyboard analysis."

MediaIMS was the outsourcing company from version 1.0, so although they are a newly joined team, their integration into the Starry Sky system is seamless.

However, seamless transition does not mean perfect transition.

Before Xingchen acquired IMS, the management of IMS was handled by the president of IMS, but after the acquisition, the president did not come to the company.

Therefore, Starry Sky Animation Studio currently has no manager.

For a short period of time, the entire animation studio can continue animation production based on inertia.

After all, there are storyboards, requirements, and a previously established schedule.

If you take it one step at a time, you can get it done.

but.

Being able to make something doesn't mean you can make it well.

After the old president left, there was no "supervision," and Chu Chen was also absent. Although the animation studio continued to move forward these past few days, various errors were visibly increasing.

Even some obvious mistakes, such as Chu Chen's shot panning from bottom to top, from the character's legs, then to the waist, and then to the gun firing.

In practice, this part becomes a direct switch to the weapon firing, eliminating the need for the bottom-up view.

At first glance, they seem to be no different.

The problem is that this process from bottom to top was specially arranged by Chu Chen so that players could see the beautiful leg lines of the human figure.

The difference between having it and not having it is enormous.

Having once been a beast of burden, Chu Chen immediately recognized that someone must have said, "Hey? Isn't this enough? It's all about firing, why make it so complicated?"

For a studio where responsibilities and powers are not clearly defined.

If even one person starts slacking off, the final result of the entire animation will be worse.

This is actually a problem that many Chinese animation companies often encounter when outsourcing, or rather, a problem that all companies whose owners don't understand production will encounter.

Chu Chen just didn't expect this day to come so soon.

Therefore, the first thing Chu Chen did after returning to China was to quickly pick up the big stick behind the carrot.

of course.

Considering the unique nature of Starry Sky Animation Studio.

There's a technique to wielding this big stick. The goal isn't just to swing it, but to let these people know that Chu Chen, as their new boss, is aware of the project's progress and can judge its quality.

That's the point.

The form used is secondary.

(End of this chapter)