2023, for fans of "Avatar", can probably only be described in two words - very urgent.
The most important thing is, of course, the news that the third part of the series is scheduled for 2025, after all, I just went to the theater to watch 2 last year, and I can only frantically search for news related to the third part on the Internet, trying to find clues from various interviews and settings.
That's when I found such an Avatar-themed MMO mobile game: "Avatar Reckoning", well?
After looking for information, I learned that the Chinese name of the game should be called "Avatar: Return to Pandora", and the reason why I can find the Chinese name is because this is a pure made in China game, but the game has almost no exposure in China, and only closed testing has been opened overseas.
The above also said that the game was made in China, and it has to be mentioned that the game development and publishing company: Zulong Entertainment. After their last game "In the Name of Shining" was launched on the national server, it was officially announced that the number of omni-channel pre-orders in mainland China reached 15 million, dominating the free list for many days and also rushing to the top of the best-selling list, and the excellent picture performance also showed Zulong's high technical ability.
"Dragon Fantasy" has also achieved good results overseas
And this time "Avatar: Return to Pandora" has become the first mobile game in China to get Disney's genuine Avatar IP authorization, on the other hand, Zu Long, as one of the earliest teams in China to contact and skillfully use Unreal Engine, also took out the Unreal 4 engine to control the development of "Avatar: Return to Pandora", it seems that he does not dare to slacken, which makes me curious, what is the quality of the game, and whether it can be worthy of the sign of Avatar.
It is not difficult to see from the videos leaked on the Internet that "Avatar: Return to Pandora" will be a free MMO mobile game based on shooting gameplay, and the player protagonist will explore this mysterious planet, naturally, an avatar incarnation is indispensable. This is also a key point to give full play to the MMO attributes of this work,Rich custom characters and character development are indispensable links,From gender,Facial features details,Body contours,Face and whole body oil/biofluorescence、Hairstyle and other aspects of pinching options,Especially the addition of face painting is basically the same as the display in the movie, and the sense of substitution is stronger。
As for the acquisition of equipment and weapons, in addition to the gifts in the story mission, the PVE gameplay of the dungeon is also a common setting in MMOs. It is not difficult to see from the screen recordings of foreign players that the game will be divided into four classes, like "Borderlands" and the "Destiny" series, team up to play, and different classes perform their own duties to challenge dungeons and boss mechanics are also the main fun of PVE.
At the same time, I also noticed that in addition to the gameplay of PVE, the game also contains PVP gameplay elements, it seems that this time Zulong wants to grasp both, but in fact, combined with Zulong's previous MMO work "Dragon Fantasy", it is not difficult to imagine that on these basis to do a work with shooting elements, in fact, Zulong enriches his own product line category is a very important strategic node, presumably Zulong is cautious about the development of this "Avatar: Return to Pandora".
So the question is, is this the Avatar IP mobile platform game that players have been waiting for for a long time?
First of all, what kind of IP is Avatar? Presumably, every audience who walked into the cinema and watched "Avatar" back then would be deeply shocked by its industry-leading special effects and excellent scripts. Therefore, after the release of the "Avatar" movie, it won the highest box office in the history of the film, a record that no one has broken so far, and it has won countless awards of all sizes, and its influence is far-reaching, even if someone has not seen "Avatar", they will not be unfamiliar with the name of Avatar, this is the gold content of Avatar IP.
That is, in 2009, when "Avatar" premiered, director James Cameron had already told fans with practical actions that the "Avatar" IP universe is by no means as simple as a movie, because compared to the premiere of the movie, the release date of the Avatar game is even a week or two earlier.
But looking back over the years, how many Avatar game works can really impress you? Compared with other IPs that are inferior to their own box office but have endless games, Avatar's derivative works in terms of games can be said to be quite scarce. From another point of view, to make an Avatar IP game, especially a mobile game, there are limited examples to refer to, and many aspects have to be explored by the development team themselves, and the difficulty of its development can also be imagined.
As one of the earliest teams to contact and proficiently use Unreal Engine, Zu Long, who is responsible for R&D this time, has a number of games that show Zulong's deep cultivation of Unreal Engine.
For example, Zu Long's "Under the Ambition" not only became the first SLG mobile game built by Unreal Engine 4 engine in China, but also won the honor of "Unreal Engine China's Best Game of the Year" at the Unreal Engine Technology Open Day the following year, becoming the only large-scale mobile game to win the award in that year's event; The Unreal Engine 4 was also used to create 300,000 high-precision character modeling, and the targeted research and development and introduction of a number of technologies realized the character's more delicate skin, natural hair texture and realistic clothing presentation.
It can be said that whether it is the diversity of game categories or the experience of game development, Zulong has its advantages.
The "Avatar: Return to Pandora", as Zu Long's next mobile game that integrates research and operation after "In the Name of Shining", also uses Zu Long's Unreal 4 engine to create, ensuring that the team's accumulation and precipitation in technology over the years can be brought into play.
Similarly, Zulong also perfectly adapts to the needs of the "Avatar" series for mobile coverage, mobile games are free to play, and the way to play is more convenient, which can cover more users and more film and television fans, and is bound to attract a group of players who have never been in contact with movies to enter Avatar, filling in the previous IP in terminal games/derivatives and other subdivisions, while also making passers-by have similar feelings about Avatar's IP.
Secondly, for fans of Avatar, the second part of the movie "Avatar: The Way of Water" has been released at the end of 22, but even so, fans at that time also missed the first part of the "Avatar" movie for 13 years, and for the third part of the movie, even if it is not postponed, according to the previous information, it will be the end of 2025, and I have to wait for nearly 2 years. Fans' enthusiasm for IP naturally needs to be released, and IP spin-offs provide such a way to release.
Refined to "Avatar: Return to Pandora", it brings a new story to Avatar fans, allowing players to participate in the adventure on the planet Pandora with different perspectives and characters, which is also the taste that IP derivative games can bring to players.
In addition, the choice of shooting MMO is not only more in line with Avatar's worldview, but also the choice that is most in line with the current market environment.
In fact, as far as the current mobile game market is concerned, the MMORPG track is very crowded, and the shooting mobile game is a red ocean, but think about it another way, the crowding of these tracks also proves that the player base is huge, if "Avatar: Return to Pandora" can get traffic flow, it is bound to bring market profits;
In addition, in fact, it is not difficult for you to find that the current domestic mobile game market is more similar in terms of the aesthetics of the characters, and most of the products focus on handsome guys and beautiful women, or they are two-dimensional and cartoon Q versions. And Avatar's character design with big eyes and a wide nose, blueberry skin, and slender limbs can be said to be so unique that it can't be more unique, and it is absolutely unique in the mobile game market, which also makes "Avatar: Return to Pandora" a step further on the road of differentiation.
Again, in fact, the MMO plus shooting gameplay can reflect the IP advantages of Avatar.
In the world of Avatar, humans, the Pandora Indigenous tribes, For example, in the official demo video, we can see the picture of the protagonist Avatar fighting with the giant machine, and it is reasonable to guess that this is the scene of the Avatar fighting against the RDA troops, combined with the video of the player in the video of the dungeon against wild animals, as well as the PVP video, it can be said that in terms of subject matter, Avatar's IP is very naturally integrated with the gameplay of the shooting MMO.
In addition, I believe that for Avatar fans, the magnificent and mysterious planet Pandora is always so desirable, towering ancient trees, boulders suspended in the air, plants that close and shrink when they touch people like mimosas, and flocks of soaring Spotted Creek Beasts, the familiar landscapes in these promotional videos and videos must be able to evoke the memories of Avatar fans, and as an MMORPG, "Avatar: Return to Pandora" The open map can show players the ecological environment and unique landforms of Pandora as much as possible, and at the same time allow players to adventure in this land themselves.
Not only that, but in addition to the wetlands, rainforests, and oceans that fans are familiar with, Avatar: Return to Pandora, as a long-term mobile game, may also include natural landscapes and other content that have never appeared in the movie.
According to the official news, "Avatar: Return to Pandora" will be opened on the Android platform on December 28, and will open the billing deletion test in 24 years, the billing deletion test of general mobile games is relatively close to the official public beta, counting the two overseas internal tests, it is estimated that the game may open the public beta in the first half of 24.
In short, if you are interested in Avatar's IP, or simply want to experience a shooting MMO mobile game with a unique painting style, then you might as well make an appointment to see, as for how much "Avatar: Return to Pandora" can set off a storm with its own differentiation, let's wait and see.