Chapter 679: Jidaigeki Film Style (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

A month after the launch of BioShock.

New titles from various game developers were also successively launched.

However, they weren't imitations of this particular game.

There was no need for major game developers to conduct market research or anything similar.

Because BioShock was simply too unique.

Its distinct art style, background setting, and the narrative delivery within the game combined to give BioShock a very unique set of characteristics.

After all, from a gameplay perspective, BioShock hadn't really achieved many industry-shocking performances.

Unlike games such as Dark Souls, Warcraft, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The core strength of BioShock lay in its art and story setting.

And these were precisely the most challenging aspects of game development.

However, while few game developers paid attention to games similar to BioShock,

World of Warcraft, on the other hand, attracted the attention of numerous game developers.

Many similar MMORPGs were successively launched.

They had avoided the peak popularity period of World of Warcraft, as it's an MMORPG designed for long-term operation.

So, many game developers, after the initial peak of popularity, and as World of Warcraft entered a stable transitional period for its version, prepared to grab a share of the market.

After all, the popularity of World of Warcraft was simply too enviable.

Even though it was a time-based billing game, its massive user base virtually made it a goldmine.

With different themes, or buy-to-play models with free-to-play item monetization, or even cheaper time card subscriptions,

Major game developers pulled out all the stops. However, these games did not shake World of Warcraft's position in the slightest, nor did they create much of a stir.

The reason was simple: they could replicate World of Warcraft's gameplay, but it was difficult to replicate its IP or dislodge World of Warcraft's already stable user base.

For MMORPGs, the first-mover advantage is enormous.

The prerequisite for rivaling or even surpassing the original is to at least excel in one aspect, such as gameplay, graphics, IP, player count, etc.

It's important to remember that in his previous life, World of Warcraft, under Blizzard's various questionable decisions, was like a rocket with boosters attached, heading downhill.

Plot collapses that players couldn't accept, changes in gameplay that made World of Warcraft increasingly resemble Diablo, and various petty annoyances for players in countless details.

Such as the direct removal and alteration of terms like “Green Skin,” and the addition of more Black characters in Stormwind…

Yet, despite all this, amidst the overwhelmingly positive version attacks from Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft remained the bigger camel even when emaciated, even achieving 3.7 million sales on the first day of its new expansion, and this was even excluding results from regions where the expansion didn't need to be purchased.

This is also a characteristic of MMORPGs: player stickiness is incredibly strong.

Today, although World of Warcraft has only been online for a few months, it naturally cannot compare to its decade-plus run in the previous life.

However, both its version and gameplay, including the game's visual presentation, can be said to be the most cutting-edge available.

Coupled with the nostalgic appeal of Warcraft,

The popularity of World of Warcraft is something other games simply cannot replicate.

Furthermore, MMORPGs possess strong social attributes; the more people who play, the greater the network effect. For other game publishers, promoting their MMORPG-like games under the premise that World of Warcraft is already globally popular is a nearly insurmountable challenge.

It can be said that at this point, while it hasn't completely monopolized the entire MMORPG market, for other games to shake the foundation of World of Warcraft is an almost impossible task.

………………

As for the MMORPGs launched by other game developers, Chen Xu didn't even pay much attention.

With such a massive first-mover advantage, World of Warcraft could only be described as rock-solid.

At this moment, he was in his office, looking at related game development plans.

Having evolved, Nebula Games now, in addition to its direct departments, also had many sub-studios.

For the development of other projects, Chen Xu generally didn't inquire about the quality of these games; they just needed to pass the relevant regulations and audits.

Finally, they would come to him for approval. Of course, if they could pass the internal cross-audits, the quality was generally not too bad.

By the time they reached him, it was essentially a formality.

“Hu Tu… Onimusha Jidaigeki film style, Hack-and-Slash?”

Upon seeing one of the projects, Chen Xu was slightly taken aback.

From the project description, it appeared to be a relatively small project.

The gameplay direction primarily focused on Hack-and-Slash action.

However, the novel aspect was the incorporation of a Jidaigeki film style into the game.

In reality, games of this type were not uncommon, not only among Nebula Games' first-party titles but also many third-party ones.

Hu Tu, meanwhile, was a new game designer who had joined Nebula Games in the past two years.

However, compared to typical game designers, his works tended to be niche and unconventional.

Before this project, he had made a game based on the theme of 'Fangxiangshi', which didn't achieve significant sales even in the domestic market, let alone the global one. Still, media reviews were quite positive.

This time, he had shifted his focus to the Jidaigeki film style, featuring ninjas and samurai.

But this Jidaigeki film style, along with ninjas and samurai, reminded Chen Xu of a certain game.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xu instructed his office to notify Hu Tu.

………………

Upon receiving Chen Xu's notification, Hu Tu immediately contacted Chen Xu via video call, using the provided contact information.

After all, Hu Tu's office location wasn't within the main Nebula Games building.

“Mr. Chen!” As the video connected, Hu Tu on the other end appeared very excited.

Chen Xu didn't exchange too many pleasantries, just smiled and said a couple of simple words, then got straight to the point.

“I've seen your design for Onimusha. You want to make a game in the Jidaigeki film style, set during the Sengoku period of the Japanese archipelago?” Chen Xu said with a smile.

“That's right, Mr. Chen,” Hu Tu nodded.

“Do you have the relevant game framework and background settings prepared?” Chen Xu asked.

“That… Mr. Chen…” Hu Tu seemed to realize something.

“I have some ideas for the direction of this theme. If you're interested, you can come to the headquarters studio to participate with me. Of course, don't feel pressured to agree immediately, because in my plan, besides the Jidaigeki film style, the game's direction and background will be different.”

“During the Tang Dynasty, because Baekje, in alliance with Goguryeo, obstructed Silla’s tribute and communication with Tang, and after Emperor Gaozong of Tang repeatedly tried to rectify this without success and Silla submitted a petition requesting Tang’s military intervention, Emperor Gaozong dispatched a combined force of 100,000 Tang troops by land and sea to attack Baekje. The two sides clashed outside Sabi Castle.”

“Baekje committed its entire national strength to the battle, and even its guardian Divine Dragon participated, but it was still easily defeated. The Tang army achieved a great victory, slaying over 10,000 Baekje soldiers. After this battle, Baekje surrendered.”

“After Baekje surrendered, its guardian Divine Dragon, being benevolent, was not slain but exiled.”

“Later, the injured Dragon arrived in Ashina, within the realm of the Japanese archipelago, during the Heian period. The first people to encounter the Dragon worshipped it as a deity, discovering its divine ability to grant immortality. Thus, they respectfully called it the ‘Sakura Dragon’ and began researching how to harness the Divine Dragon’s power to achieve immortality.”

“Subsequently, people discovered that the Divine Dragon could grant immortality in two ways: one was actively bestowed by the Divine Dragon upon humans, with only one person in each era, known as the ‘Dragon’s Heritage’ bearer, who could gain eternal life themselves and also share the Dragon’s Heritage with others. The other way was passive: energy would emanate from the Divine Dragon’s location, affecting surrounding creatures. The affected creatures would possess a portion of the power of immortality, but its effect was weak, even pathological, and the further away from the Divine Dragon's body, the more negligible this influence became.”

“Knowing this information, people built a huge palace where the Divine Dragon was rooted, allowing its lost power to flow into the palace lake. By extracting the power of immortality from the lake water, they sought to achieve eternal life, proudly calling this palace the ‘Fountainhead Palace,’ meaning the source of blessings.”

“But everything came with a price. The residents of Fountainhead Palace, due to long-term exposure to the power of immortality, had become neither human nor ghost, needing to absorb the vital essence of others to survive. They called themselves the Okami.”

“At the same time, through the study of eels, the Okami mastered the technique of manipulating lightning, claiming that the power of lightning originated from the Dragon God.”

“And as the population grew, the Okami required more vital essence to prolong their lives. Thus, the Okami launched a protracted war, and to survive, forces like Ashina and Senpou Temple became involved. This war was later known as the Divine Dragon War.”

Chen Xu briefly introduced the relevant background and setting of the game.

However, listening to Chen Xu's words, Hu Tu on the other end of the video was utterly bewildered.

“Does this have anything to do with Jidaigeki films?”

“And Divine Dragon, immortality… why does this feel like mythology?”

Seeing through Hu Tu’s confusion, Chen Xu smiled: “This is the background setting for a core gameplay mechanic in the game. For the complete story, if you’re interested, we can discuss it further at the meeting.”

(End of Chapter) <>