"Our goal is to elevate gaming to a recognized art form... Animated films have category definers such as Snow White and Toy Story, and we will continue to work hard to achieve such goals in the field of games. ”
Not long ago, the developer of "Wind Journey Man" and "Light Encounter" Thatgamecompany announced that it had received $160 million in financing, when the company's CEO and well-known game producer Chen Xinghan announced such a plan, and said that the funds will be used to develop the organizational structure of the development team and the development of new projects.
At the same time, Chen Xinghan also revealed that the direction of the company in the future will focus on producing excellent content and telling wonderful stories. To that end, Thatgamecompany hired Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull as lead consultant on creative culture and strategy.
Although Chen Xinghan's mysterious new tour has not yet been announced, it has gradually begun to move towards more media forms on the IP of "Light Encounter".
On March 27, in addition to bringing a lot of brand new game content to fans and players at the AnimeJapan 2022 event, that the "Light Encounter" IP is about to be animated, and brought a pilot trailer.
Anime teaser trailer
Animate OK! Or will tell the story before "Light Encounter"
Specifically, the pilot trailer released by "Light encounter" is not long, and the content shown in it is relatively limited, most of which is in the form of animated visual setting diagrams and early line drawings.
For example, in the trailer, the official first showed the design sketch of the building, followed by different styles of characters and visual effects of different scenes.
At the end of the trailer, the video ends with an animated line. Overall, this is a trailer with a very "Light encounter" flavor, and although the world view of the animation and the background of the characters are not described in detail in the trailer, from the multiple scenes that appear in the trailer, the animation should focus on the story behind the "ancestors" in the game.
In fact, although the animation did not explain, the official staff revealed the idea of the production at the event.
According to Japanese media reports, Three members, Nameme Company's chief audio designer/head of Japanese brands, Yuichiro Tanabe, head of visual development, and Japanese community manager Takashi Shigemoto, attended the event. According to the information revealed by Mizutani Tachibana at the event, the background of the anime's worldview will be set before the game "Light Encounter", which will tell the story of the ancestors.
The scene of the press conference
In addition, in addition to the members of the Thatgamecompany, the official also invited Hiroki Kaji, a well-known voice actor who has participated in "Attack on Titan", "Twinkle Youth", and "Seven Crimes", to serve as a "special supporter" of the game.
In this regard, Kaji Hiroki said that he is also one of the fans of "Light Encounter" and is honored to be able to convey the charm of this game in his personal capacity. Of course, it is still uncertain whether Kaji Hiroki will voice important characters in the anime.
For now, the official has not announced the specific broadcast or release time of the animation, and from the situation of this pilot trailer, it is obvious that the animation production should take a certain amount of time.
Expectations are full and players are talking about it
According to the official information, "Light Encounter" has been downloaded more than 160 million times worldwide and has nearly 7 million daily active players.
Therefore, although "Light Encounter" only released a few first drafts and setting diagrams this time, after the news of the animation was announced, it still triggered various discussions and imaginations among many players.
For example, after seeing these settings on YouTube, many players said that Thatgamecompany's art style is always as stunning as ever, and they have always fantasized about wandering in such a scene. Some players also said that after watching it, they remembered the "dream time" in the game, and now they have a full expectation after learning the news of the animation.
In addition to the fond memories of the game, players have also imagined the representation of the animation.
As we all know, "Light Encounter" pays more attention to interaction and emotional communication in the design concept, so the game does not have any dialogue, nor does it have voice chat and other functions, but instead the behavior of players in the game. Although unusual, it brings a unique experience and conveys the true feelings between players, which is what the game wants to express "warm souls will eventually meet".
Because of this, in order to reflect the unique emotional interaction mode in the game in the animation, there is actually a certain objective difficulty, so many players are curious about the form in which the animation will show such a "story without dialogue", and some players joke that the communication between the characters in the animation is still "rattling".
In addition, the news of the animation of "Light encounter" has become the biggest gospel for many "drama party" players, and a large number of netizens believe that this will be a movie about the world view.
For example, many netizens believe that the IP of "Light Encounter" is very suitable for taking a route similar to Miyazaki's Ghibli style, which can make warm and healing emotions directly convey to players, and there are also players who often pay attention to Thatgamecompany, saying that before asking the founder of Pixar to be a consultant, there is naturally a purpose, and the "Light Encounter" animation may be a practice.
From the game Zen master, to the theme park experience
From "Flow" and "Flower" to "Wind Traveler" to "Light encounter", Thatgamecompany's games have always had a strong style and romantic color, so producer Chen Xinghan is often called "game Zen master".
This year, after receiving a new round of financing, Thatgamecompany also announced that it will move towards a new goal, that is, the product of the theme park experience. Although the new game has not been exposed, for "Light Encounter", Chen Xinghan also said that the team will also make it a "theme park".
Obviously, animation is a new attempt by Light encounters outside of the game carrier, an attempt to tell a wonderful story and provide quality content, and an effort to support the growth of this "theme park".
On the other hand, in a previous interview, Chen Xinghan mentioned that games have not yet been recognized as an art form by the mainstream population.
"I judge whether a game is a respected art form, and the criterion is how people react when I tell people to make a game themselves. I want games to be respected art, and I want people to react the same way they hear about writers, choreographers, architects, or filmmakers. ”
In a recent GDC speech, Chen Xinghan again mentioned the relevant views. He said that people he met at bars or dinner parties said "I was playing games", and as a result, they were sneered at with their noses, and many people only thought that they were "children's games".
Perhaps before Chen Xinghan's next game officially arrives, the animated version of "Light encounter" carries its determination to explore different art forms, and it is also an attempt to make the hope game a work of art and respected by the mainstream.
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