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Speaking of the current situation of the domestic game circle, it can only be said that it is difficult to say, as for the reason, everyone understands it, so we don't need to elaborate. However, in the past two years, there has been a very interesting phenomenon: domestic single-console games have begun to make efforts, independent games have emerged endlessly, and even can seize a small part of the market in today's mobile game world, and as the leader of the domestic game market, the big factory Tencent has not made any noise in the past two years, and almost no new games have appeared in front of players.
Of course, how can our goose factory not put such a large piece of cake, and be willing to be a foil for other manufacturers? It's just that limited by the version number, no matter how strong the goose factory is, it can't be played.
But as the old saying goes, "feng shui takes turns", after such a long time of game desert, Tencent can finally raise its eyebrows this year and release the big move it has been holding for a long time. Although it was difficult to hide his anger in the previous internal speech, and finally remembered to solve the internal problem, but looking at the so many editions that arrived this year, looking at this peerless card that can even change the situation in the entire domestic game circle, I think he should be smiling numbly, and even wake up laughing in his dreams.
On December 28, 2022, among the 84 domestic online game version numbers and 44 imported game version numbers issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication, 6 games including Tencent's "Valorant", "Pokémon Assemble", "Ark of Destiny", "Edge of Rebirth", "Famine: New Home" and "Age of Exploration: Overlord of the Sea" have successively "won the list". Coupled with the previous September batch of "Health Defense" and the November batch of "Metal Slug: Awakening", how did you lose this game?
According to incomplete statistics, from stand-alone consoles to masterpiece agents to well-known IP adapted mobile games, Tencent may launch more than a dozen games in 2023! In this issue, let's analyze a wave of more weighty games one by one, and see why Goose Factory can wake up laughing in dreams this year.
The first thing that must be mentioned is Valorant, a game that just got its version number at the end of 2022 is definitely this year's blockbuster! Previously, this work was transliterated as "Valorant", and Tencent National Service was named "Fearless Contract". Although the game has just passed the review, Tencent has not yet announced the specific launch time of the game, but the official said that it will promote localization and server stability testing in the near future.
As the first first-person shooter developed by Riot Games, since its launch in June 2020, the game has been in the top five of foreign live broadcast popularity lists for many years. On September 4, 2021, Tencent announced that it would introduce Valorant. In 2022, the game has held a number of e-sports competitions around the world, attracting professional teams from Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other regions to participate, and has become one of the most watched e-sports projects last year.
In terms of gameplay, "Valorant" is more like a combination of "CS:GO" and "Overwatch", cartoon-style 5v5 team competitive shooting. And the colorful weapon props and gorgeous and cool shooting effects make the game screen look and feel extremely charming. With its rich playability and superb competitiveness, "Valorant" believes that after the launch of the national server, it will become another phenomenal product that ignites the craze of domestic players.
Another version number that was obtained as an imported game was "Ark of Destiny".
Brilliant light and shadow, refreshing battles, cool movie plots... This fantasy theme developed by "CF" developer Smilegate RPG top-down perspective MMOARPG "LOST ARK", has been called "Lost Ark" by players before, and Tencent National Service named "Ark of Destiny".
To talk about the domestic prospects and attention of "Ark of Destiny", we have to mention the remarkable results that the game has achieved abroad. As early as 2019, after the public beta in Korea, it won 6 major awards including the President's Award (the largest award) at the G-Star 2019 event, the largest game exhibition in Korea; In February 2022, "Ark of Destiny", published by Amazon Game Agency, gained more than 20 million users worldwide one month after its launch on Steam, and the highest number of simultaneous online users exceeded 1.32 million, becoming the second highest number of simultaneous online games on the Steam platform (the first is "PUBG"), which is more phenomenal than CS:GO and Dota 2.
Behind the explosion of popularity comes from the meticulousness of the quality of the game. Ark of Destiny balances the needs of "MMO" and "RPG" players well, and includes huge content such as massive siege battles and quests. In addition to competition, "farming" players can also engage in various leisure activities such as hunting, logging, mining, and expedition. So much so that some players called it "the best game in the MMO category in the past decade." ”
Now is the window period of MMORPG games, major manufacturers are addicted to doing open world, most of the existing MMOs of the national server are the product of more than ten years ago, it is worth mentioning that because the same MMORPG category "World of Warcraft" national server will be terminated on January 24, I believe that there will be many players will seek alternatives, players interested in this type may also wish to look forward to the arrival of "Ark of Destiny".
After talking about the introduction of games, let's talk about the works of licensed cooperative adaptation.
As we all know, Goose Factory has been almost addicted to cooperation with various IPs in recent years, and it is even more normal to obtain authorization to develop games by itself. Although the quality of the works in it is mixed, I have to admit that some works are really works of conscience and have gained quite good reputation and achievements, such as "Pokémon Collection".
Among the world's 50 most profitable IPs recently announced by Wikipedia, Pokémon, which has ranked first on the list for many consecutive times, ranks second. However, this is more due to the fact that Pokémon has stopped disclosing sales data on authorized goods in recent years. It is rumored that after getting the approval version number of 44 imported online games, Tencent's internal resource rating of "Pokémon Assemble" has reached "S+".
According to the official introduction, "Pokémon Assemble" is the first team strategy battle game in the Pokémon series, players can choose their favorite Pokémon and play a 5v5 team battle with other players. According to the game's experience landing on platforms such as Nintendo Switch in 2021, this is a 5v5 moba game, players will be able to tame widely distributed wild Pokémon in the game and bring them to the corresponding scoring point to complete the score.
Since the game's strategic gameplay is designed to be "light", players do not necessarily need to complete the confrontation through "Tianxiu" skills, and the requirements such as game death and game duration are relatively relaxed. It can be said that "Pokémon Assemble" is a good game that integrates leisure, entertainment and competition, and this work has also achieved quite good reputation and evaluation in the foreign server, and the global download has exceeded 100 million times, plus "League of Legends", "Honor of Kings" and other MOBA games operating pearl jade in front, we have reason to expect that the upcoming landing on the national server "Pokémon Assembly" will have high quality.
In addition to cooperating with Nintendo, which is relatively close, Tencent has not forgotten to tap the potential of other IPs.
On April 18, 1996, the classic side-scrolling action shooter "Metal Sluggard" produced by Nazca and published by SNK was born, and in the following 27 years, 7 orthodox works and several sequels were released. And in that era of poverty and whiteness, I believe that the friends who have been to the arcade hall will be impressed, and those who can clear "Metal Sluggage" for one currency can always become the "most beautiful boy" in everyone's eyes.
On January 5, the side-scrolling shooter mobile game "Metal Slug: Awakening" developed by TiMi Studio opened the "Rekindle Test". For the sequel to this classic IP, the production team adheres to the childlike spirit when playing arcades, and brings the familiar characters, bosses, levels, vehicles, map Easter eggs, etc. to the new platform one by one. Judging from the general reputation of players in the previous Southeast Asian test version, the word "restore" can be said to reflect the true voice of players.
In actual gameplay, players can not only relive those classic arcade levels in the world adventure gameplay, but also experience the new storyline and discover the secrets behind the worldview in the "Hunt Plan" and "Joint Action" modes. If you are tired of "lone wolf" solo fighting, players can also work together with friends and players from all over the world in the three-person team mode, defeat large bosses in reasonable support and output combinations, and gain unique fun in mutual pit and tacit cooperation.
At present, "Metal Slugg: Awakening" has 11 classic characters such as Marco Rossi, Fio, Mile Kasamoto, and Gru Kang, and is also dreamily linked with the new shooter hero Lycio of "Honor of Kings". It can be seen that while retaining classic arcade elements to attract old players, Tencent also has ambitions to attract potential mobile game users. Although the game has not yet been fully marketed, considering the idea of Goose Factory making games in recent years, "Metal Slugg: Awakening" undoubtedly has breakthrough reference value for Tencent's next adaptation of classic old IP.
After talking about the new layout of Tencent's IP authorized adaptation games, let's talk about Tencent's self-developed IP masterpieces.
Today, IP will undoubtedly provide a strong driving force for brand marketing growth due to its built-in fan base and circle-breaking ability. In recent years, Tencent has also attached great importance to the development of its own IP, and strives to use IP to enhance brand vitality. Here we have to mention the "White Night Aurora", which has high hopes.
On September 16, 2022, the core two-dimensional game "White Night Aurora" developed by the touring dog studio of Tencent subsidiary Yonghang Technology was recommended by IOS and Android dual-platform recommendations that week after logging on to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Although the specific launch time of the game national server is still to be determined, due to the good results of "White Night Aurora", players also have every reason to look forward to what kind of surprise the game will bring us after the game cap. In June 2021, the game topped the Japanese App Store and Google Play free list on the first day of launch, and broke into the top 15 on the best-selling list in Japan and South Korea. In the first month of the game's launch (a total of half a month), the turnover was about 17 million US dollars, making it the best performing overseas game in the Japanese market that month.
The core gameplay of White Night Aurora is constructed on the character's active skills and grid connections. In the process of eliminating the connection, players can not only deal damage to enemies, but also realize the formation of new combinations of falling blocks. On top of this, the Touring Dog Studio has also been continuously updated to enrich the gameplay, such as the subsequent captain change and the "Sanity System", all designed to allow players to obtain long-term challenges that continue to increase the size. In addition, the game also has a variety of gameplay such as "Empty Court" home construction gameplay, "Assault Training Camp" (difficult level challenges), weekly quests, "Tidal Festival" and so on, so that players do not have a long grass period, and strive to make players feel fresh at every moment.
As a two-dimensional game, the game also has rich works and secondary content in the expansion of the ACG matrix, giving a steady stream of popularity outside the game. According to official disclosures, there will be more upstream content and world view supplements in the future, and we also look forward to the early launch of "White Night Aurora" on the national server.
Of course, in addition to brand export, in the domestic game market, Tencent has also been trying to integrate traditional culture in its products and take materials from classics.
And speaking of this, we must mention Tencent's ace studio - TiMi. In any case, Tianmei's strength in recent years is obvious to all. And one of their most distinctive recent works is this ink martial arts music game "Sword in Qu", which was developed by TiMi Studio Group and conducted a closed beta on July 31, 2022.
During the testing stage, many players supported it, and when you entered the game, you could see the realistic ink painting style: the bank of the Ten Mile River fell in color, and on a flat boat, the warrior stood in the wind. This warrior is the role of the player holding the "sword in the song", players will meet legendary characters in history such as Cai Wenji and Wang Huizhi in the fantasy realm, players can meet friends with music and discuss swords with music in traditional ancient music rhythms such as "Wine Mania", "Three Alleys of Plum Blossoms", "Ambush on Ten Sides" and "Eighteen Beats of Hujia". Even for "handicapped" players or beginners, the game will integrate the guidance into the duel with enemies, giving players a quick and playable experience.
This edutainment approach is also reflected beyond the levels. In the game, the production team hopes to use the natural fusion of classical music in the battle, revealing the historical figures and the values behind the stories. Each historical allusion has been cleverly integrated into the game world view by the production team, so as to allow players to feel the charm of classical Chinese culture while feeling the fun of the game.
Putting all this aside, even if it is just a leisure time to listen to music and enjoy comics, this work is a pleasant experience.
In addition to the development of new IPs such as "Sword in the Song", TiMi also does not forget to use the successful experience of "Honor of Kings" to develop new IPs. For example, TiMi's self-developed mobile game "King of Chess" with characteristic strategy battle gameplay as the core, and at the seventh anniversary celebration of "Honor of Kings" last year, Tencent officially announced another heroic action mobile game under the "Honor of Kings" IP ecology "Codename: Daybreak". Needless to say, the influence of the king in China, I believe that these games can also achieve good results after their official debut.
In addition, there is also a very distinctive mobile game full of Chinese flavor that is also worth paying attention to, that is, the Chinese style simulation operation mobile game "There is a Family in the Depths of Taoyuan" developed by Tencent's game developer District 51. It is understood that the style of the game is inspired by China's top ten famous paintings "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", the positioning of the game is to easily solve the fatigue, combined with these characteristics should also attract many players who love Chinese style and casual games.
In addition to "culture + games", Tencent has also explored the layout of "sandbox + MMO" in recent years.
Sandbox games are a gameplay category that stimulates players' creativity and allows players to build infinite possibilities in the open world, paying attention to the infinite fun of DIY. What impressed me was that at the 2022 Tencent Game Annual Conference, the massively multiplayer online sandbox game "Handmade Planet" with the theme of planet adventure was grandly launched, allowing players to freely adventure, build and fight in various planetary civilizations. As for who the target user is, just look at the style of this game.
Similarly, there is a multiplayer online, space-themed seamless planet exploration and construction game "Our Planet", and Tencent's 3D sandbox creation game "Island".
If you are tired of cartoon art, "Dawn Awakening" is another realistic DIY masterpiece. This is a super realistic open-world survival mobile game independently developed by Tencent Photon Studio Group, players will be a survivor of the aftermath, searching for supplies and exploring survival in a dangerous world every day. It feels like players who have played ARK: Survival Evolved should be interested in this game.
Finally, it is worth noting that Tencent's strategy of turning from mobile games to mobile games over the years.
It is not difficult to find that in recent years, Tencent is putting his "end-game IP universe" on the mobile terminal, including "QQ Speed", "Crossfire: The King of Gunfights", "League of Legends Mobile Game" and other popular end-game games that were popular all over the country in recent years, all of which have been moved to the mobile terminal under this strategy. And 2023 is an important year for Tencent to broaden its "end-to-hand" game matrix.
For example, the new retro-war IP sci-fi world shooter "Retro-war Mobile Game" developed by TiMi will be developed using the UE4 engine and will have the latest elements such as the Chinese sci-fi world integrated with FPS. The game first released concept CG at the 10th anniversary event held on August 13, 2022, and it seems that it is only a matter of time before the version number is officially launched, and it is estimated that it will not be long.
The other is the "Rock Kingdom Mobile Game" created by Tencent Magic Mirror Studio, which is obviously aimed at players who want to relive their childhood and feel a bigger, mature and self-consistent world.
When it comes to the most concerned by domestic players, it is "Dungeons and Warriors Mobile Game". This game can be said to have invested heavily in resources for publicity, but due to various reasons, it was not launched on the national server, but it was first listed in the United States and South Korea at the end of March 2022, and the cumulative turnover has reached nearly 1 billion yuan in 8 months after its launch. And looking at the strength of the review now, it may not be difficult to see the launch of the "Dungeon and Warriors Mobile Game" national server in 2023. After all, if you don't play this game again, maybe Neople's Project AK, Project BBQ and other DNF derivatives will have to go one step ahead.
In addition, "Happy Fantasy" is also one of the hole cards of Goose Factory, this game is Tencent's first music-themed dress-up social mobile game, created by the original team of "Vigorous Orchestra" and "Vigorous Dance Troupe", and the game has opened the ignition test in December 2022. As another powerful work of Tencent's layout of "social + audio games", there may be another wave of people's youth coming back.
I don't know what the situation is, I myself haven't played Tencent's games for a long time anyway, especially Duanyou, the last Tencent game that insisted on playing is still Weird Hunt OL, but unfortunately the game was stopped in the end, and this year's Goose Factory game lineup is also considered rain and dew, the most noteworthy end game I feel is still "Fearless Contract" and "Ark of Destiny", after all, the influence of these two games is too great, as long as the goose factory does not have any trouble, the fire should not be a problem.
In short, I still hope that the goose factory can learn the lessons of the previous operation game and really do what the industry leader should do. So I don't know which of the above games do you pay the most attention to? Welcome to share your views in the comment section.
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