Chapter 710: The Animation Company Delayed by Games (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

After Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice launched, several games from various game developers were also released, with some achieving impressive results.

At the same time, the buzz generated by the new World of Warcraft expansion launch event was equally explosive.

Combined with various cutting-edge technologies, it left many domestic game designers deeply impressed.

As the manufacturing processes for Huanyu VR and Zeus VR matured, new models were subsequently introduced, and their prices were not much higher than high-spec PCs.

It could be said that the user base on the VR platform had already surpassed the PC platform last year. The focus of major game developers had also shifted to VR, no longer being limited to PC.

This led to extensive discussions among many designers regarding the future mainstream of game development. Would PC only be able to accommodate niche independent games, making it difficult for phenomenal games to emerge again?

“From Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to World of Warcraft, I have to admit, VR’s market share is growing higher and higher!”

“Indeed, and with the emergence of new brainwave control technology, players’ gaming methods have also changed. Previously unique game types have also arrived on the VR platform.”

“However, current VR games still have a very fatal flaw: the development cost is too high. If it can’t be lowered, it will essentially remain a carnival for major game developers.”

“That’s true. It feels like the tendency of big game developers in the future will be towards the VR platform, while platforms like PC will mostly be a haven for independent games?”

Of course, many game designers were not pessimistic and held opposing views.

“That’s too absolute. Regardless of the platform, the most important thing is the game’s content. Can you say The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t phenomenal enough?”

“Exactly, the main thing is the quality of the game.”

“That’s different. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is simply an exclusive game Nebula Games made to promote the Switch. Its gameplay could also be ported to the VR platform, and it could even offer better visual presentation.”

“Indeed, the main issue is that PC and VR have too much overlap, making it hard to find a game suitable for PC but not for VR.”

“What about RTS?”

“It counts, but the key is that the RTS audience isn't as large as it once was. After all these years, Warcraft still has the highest popularity, and now, I estimate there are more players enjoying RPG maps than regular RTS versus matches.”

The debate was fierce, and it wasn't solely focused on game genres but more on exploring the future direction of the gaming industry.

This has always been a topic of endless discussion. Before PCs appeared, the discussion was about game console platforms. After smartphones emerged, the discussion shifted to mobile and PC platforms. Now that VR has become mainstream, the discussion revolves around the direction of VR versus traditional PC and mobile platforms.

..................

Chen Xu didn't pay much attention to the industry discussions. At this moment, he was in his office introducing relevant team members to Ismail.

Ismail, by the way, was the author of the RPG map Chen Xu had played earlier. And it wasn't just Ismail; two other individuals were involved in making that map besides Ismail. One, like Ismail, worked at Atari, and the other was an employee of the FOW studio, which Zeus had acquired.

After hearing about them, Chen Xu considered it. Since they were all old rivals anyway, he thought they might as well come over together. There were no major difficulties in the process. After all, these individuals were not marginalized at Atari and FOW, but they weren't high-ranking executives either, and personnel changes are quite normal in the gaming industry. Nebula Games also saw many employees leave throughout the year. Domestically, some went to TengHua and NetDragon; internationally, some went to developers like Atari and FOW. Similarly, employees from other game developers also joined Nebula Games.

However, Ismail and his colleagues were a bit bewildered. They had inexplicably joined Nebula Games to work with a world-class team because of an RPG map?

After joining, they were received by Chen Xu, then given a conceptual test on the RPG map he developed. After that, they were inexplicably added to a newly established project called ‘Ancient Relics Guardians’?

In the conference room, after the brief introductions, Chen Xu called everyone in for a meeting.

Most of those in the know understood Chen Xu's intentions. After all, the previous RPG map wasn't a secret, and after Ismail confirmed his allegiance to Nebula Games, everyone had tried out those maps during this period. The general consensus was that they were indeed interesting to play, but could the content sustain itself as an independent game?

Even after seeing the complete design concept draft for DOTA provided by Chen Xu, everyone still had some doubts. This included Ismail, even though his map concepts and gameplay were very similar to DOTA in the previous life.

However, in the previous life, DOTA had evolved through countless versions and originated from a game community, nurtured by innumerable players. So, Ismail, like most people, only had an embryonic concept of this gameplay, without a complete understanding. Seeing the concept draft before him, Ismail's feeling was one of coolness.

Compared to the maps he had designed before, this project, named DOTA Ancient Relics, had much richer settings. Just the map, forest shadows, and resource settings gave him a very explosive feeling.

But was it enough for an independent game project? Ismail wasn't sure.

“Don’t think of it in terms of RTS. Just like the Warzone mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the core of DOTA lies in its variability and progression,” Chen Xu said with a smile.

This is one of the greatest characteristics of competitive games. Variability: even if the map, heroes, item builds, and players are the same, each match offers a different experience, just like the so-called variables and constants in BioShock. And progression: this is an essential element for all games, and in DOTA, progression is divided into two elements: in-game and out-of-game. In-game, players start from level one each time, enjoying the pleasure of defeating opponents, and even if it's not a pleasant experience, a new match begins after it ends.

Out-of-game, compared to the difficulty of improving in RTS, DOTA is clearly simpler. It's not just about improving reactions; understanding the game is most important, as this is a game where strategy outweighs individual skill.

Looking at the bewildered crowd, Chen Xu smiled and said no more. After all, this type of game's potential is difficult to grasp by merely looking at the surface. Otherwise, Blizzard wouldn't have missed out on DOTA in the previous life, instead creating Heroes of the Storm, which after nearly ten years, was still in the 'about to get popular' stage.

“When the game comes out, everyone will understand its charm. Of course, before that, Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin, you two will also be responsible for another project,” Chen Xu said with a smile.

“What project?” Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin asked, a little curious.

“Making an animation for DOTA to better help players understand the game's world background, which will facilitate its promotion and warm-up,” Chen Xu said with a smile.

Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue: !!!!

Did they mishear?

“Your department will handle the coordination for this,” Chen Xu affirmed with a smile. After all, Nebula Games was a world-class major developer, and the promotion needed to be flashy. Doing promotional CG videos, as usual, felt a bit repetitive. Since everyone said Nebula Games was a film company delayed by games, film still needed to be approached cautiously, but Chen Xu felt that animation shouldn't be a big problem. (End of Chapter) <> ```

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