文 / 手游那点事 rum
The weather is already starting to get a little sweaty as soon as May begins, and the same has been true for the gaming scene lately.
Some time ago, the main products of several large factories have been finalized. Tencent's "Dungeons & Warriors: Origins" (hereinafter referred to as DNF mobile game) quickly announced that it would be set for May 21 this year after getting the version number, reassuring players who have been waiting for many years;
The first test has ended, and "Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile Game", which has more than 25 million pre-orders on the whole network, revealed in NetEase's earnings call that it will be launched in the second quarter; Although the launch date of "Jeopardy Zero" has not been officially set, the estimated launch time announced on the App Store also shows that miHoYo will not be absent from this summer file war.
In addition to the three giants of Tencent, NetEase, and miHoYo, XD has slaughtered the RPG "Let's Go!" in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Muffin has been confirmed to be available on May 15; The two-dimensional action product "Singing Tide" was also announced at the end of March and set for May 23; Station B also has SLG "Three Kingdoms: Plotting the World", and the two-dimensional "Blazing Sky" is scheduled for public beta in May and June.
All the leading manufacturers have made efforts in the summer, and there is a good show to watch this summer.
(Part of the information is from the App Store, the launch time is for reference only, please refer to the final file)
01
Domestic debut: The smoke of gunpowder is gradually rising on multiple tracks
Tencent: Multiple tracks are in full swing
Tencent should be the manufacturer with the most products launched this summer, and at present, it is expected to launch eight products, six of which are the first in China. Among them, "Dawn of the Stars" is a "Glory of Kings" IP action mobile game under Tencent TiMi Studio.
The core gameplay of Starbreak is platforming, where players try their best to knock down their opponents on the platform. In terms of specific character design, "Dawn of the Stars" still refers to the hero positioning and some skills of "Glory of Kings". For example, Angela is still a ranged character with a hands-off skill, and Armor is a melee character. In addition, the game also uses a side-scrolling ARPG gameplay with a plot to further enrich the story background and character image of the hero.
In the subdivision of platform brawl, there is no head product in China that can occupy most of the market, and "Dawn of the Stars", which has a national-level mobile game IP, may have the opportunity to do it. In addition, with the launch of this product, the construction of the Honor of Kings IP matrix can be regarded as a new step.
Tencent's other MMO product, "Taris World", is expected to be launched on June 14. This Western-style product presents a heavy MMO experience with a low number of skills through the construction of skill combinations with a certain depth and the direction of character transfer, so that dual-end players can have a better experience. With the operation strategy of not selling values, and the Western fantasy style that matches the classics, "Taris World" may be able to achieve certain results in the MMO market.
"Heroes of Might and Magic: Lords of Lordship" and "World Qiyuan" are SLG mobile games adapted from strategy game IP. The former is naturally adapted from "Heroes of Might and Magic", restores the RPG elements of the original "Heroes of Magic", and encourages players to cooperate with each other to fight against boss dragons with an MMO-like "copy fight" setting, making a gameplay experience that is rare in SLG.
The latter should be adapted from the "Civilization" series, although it does not follow the classic turn-based strategy gameplay of the "Civilization" terminal game, but it also integrates the development of the times, the technology tree and other settings into the real-time gameplay, and still brings the game experience of "high-tech violent primitives". The launch time of these two products is also relatively close, "Heroes of Invincible" will be launched on May 31, and "World Qiyuan" is expected to be launched on June 6.
NetEase: Determined martial arts action and shooting track
NetEase has also invested a lot in this summer. Among them, "Sixteen Voices of Yanyun" invested and developed by NetEase is scheduled to be launched on July 26. This martial arts action game deeply integrates martial arts and open-world elements in three aspects: exploration, combat, and narrative.
Specifically, the game is better at guiding players to explore through scene fusion, so there are no abrupt red dots and route guidance; During the battle, players can freely mix and match skills, switch at will, and are not limited by sects; In terms of narrative, the game adopts a fragmented narrative mode, burying the story clues into monsters and props.
The breakthroughs in the above three aspects also make the experience of the game itself very different from other martial arts products. As for whether this product can "redefine everything" like its slogan, let's see when it goes online.
With more than 25 million pre-orders on the entire network, Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile will be launched in Q2. Different from the terminal game, which is known for its operation, "Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile" has greatly simplified the hero's skills and action interaction, such as many heroes' skills can be tracked directly, and players can also make one-click combos. However, the game also retains the core game fun of "flat A, charging power, and vibrating knife", and concentrates these three on a button to optimize the operation experience.
There are currently no other challengers in the action arena where Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile is located, but there is still a question mark over whether it can achieve its mission of breaking the circle.
NetEase's self-developed competitive shooter mobile game "Operation Apocalypse" opened its first beta in March and is expected to be launched on June 30. The game adopts the competitive gameplay of blasting and shooting, which is rare in the mobile game market, and at the same time, through hero skills and map design, it lowers the threshold for players to get started and accelerates the pace of the game. For example, some hero skills can quickly deal a lot of damage or pull opponents out of cover, and the map structure is relatively simple and flat, with cover distribution more biased towards the attacker.
At present, there are not many successful cases of explosive shooting products in the mobile market, and it may not be difficult for Operation Apocalypse, which lowers the threshold and cuts into hero gameplay, to capture a more casual player group with heroic shooting gameplay needs.
Station B: The first attempt at the Three Kingdoms SLG
Station B also made a breakthrough this summer, and the Three Kingdoms-themed SLG "Three Kingdoms: Plotting the World" attracted a lot of attention. This product was developed by Dongfeng Studio and has been confirmed to be launched on June 13. The game innovatively adds a career system under the framework of regular SLG, so that players who have not been exposed to SLG can quickly get started. At the same time, the game also focuses on reducing the burden on the liver, adding automatic paving, automatic training, timed siege and other designs, and reducing the proportion of krypton content, and launching a vertical screen according to the voice of players. Relying on the character of "listening to persuasion", the game has also achieved a good reputation in the testing stage.
The second dimension: "Singing Tide" & "Jeopardy Zero"
In terms of the second game, "Jeopardy Zero", one of the hottest new products in the summer file, also opened the third round of paid testing some time ago.
In the first few tests, Jeopardy Zero has already shown a very high degree of completion. In the third beta version, it has been further optimized around the game experience, such as adding animation acceleration during the hollow exploration process, and adding a hint of collectibles in the UI.
"Singing Tide", which has also attracted a lot of attention, has been scheduled to launch on PC and mobile games on May 23, and the number of global pre-orders for the game has exceeded 20 million. As a two-dimensional open-world game focusing on action, players can flexibly use special moves with independent action modules such as basic attacks, heavy attacks, flicking knives, air attacks, and large and small skills in "Singing Tide", and experience various combat mechanisms with excellent operation feel.
From the first technical test in July 2022 to the third round of "Sonata Test" in March this year, "Singing Tide" has undergone a lot of adjustments and optimizations. At the beginning of this year, the production team revealed that the team spent less than a year iterating nearly 90% of the plot of "Singing Tide". This kind of execution and courage has also made many players and practitioners look forward to "Singing Tide".
02
A number of overseas hits have returned to China
In addition to the games that debuted in China, there are many new products in the summer file that have actually been launched overseas and have achieved quite good results. Some of these popular models are domestic manufacturers returning to the sea, and some are overseas product agents, but in any case, they have good market potential after being verified by overseas markets.
DNF Mobile: Finally waiting for you
Among them, the most concerned has to be Tencent's agent launch of "DNF Mobile Game" on May 21. This product was first launched overseas by NEXON, and it still maintains the position of 20-30 on the best-selling list in South Korea, and will also rise to the top 5 at special nodes. In China, "DNF Mobile Game" also has a very high appeal. After the announcement of the official announcement at the end of April, related topics quickly appeared on Weibo, Douyin and other social media hot lists.
As a continuation of the classic PC game on the mobile terminal, DNF Mobile Game not only optimizes the development experience, but also reduces the cumbersome operation through designs such as "swipe screen release" and "one-click combo" according to the characteristics of mobile operations, so as to reproduce the smooth fighting experience of the terminal game. At present, the number of pre-orders for "DNF Mobile Game" on the whole network has exceeded 60 million, and we will wait and see how much this highly-anticipated product can play.
Octopath Traveler: Overlord of the Continent: Recasting JRPG glory
NetEase also has a lot of popular models that have been verified in overseas markets. "Octopath Traveler: Overlord of the Continent" (hereinafter referred to as "Overlord"), which will be launched on May 16, is one of them. The number of players overseas has already exceeded 10 million, and the reputation is also quite good.
"Overlord" inherits the art and music style of the original game of the terminal game; In terms of plot, it is close to the nature of a prequel, showing players the continent of Orostra before the timeline of the original work; In terms of gameplay, the game retains the multi-class strategy of the original game, and doubles the number of the original four-person combat squad, allowing players to play up to 8 characters, which also greatly improves the flexibility and strategic depth of turn-based battles.
In terms of operation, the official also announced that after the launch, it will also launch national style characters with elements such as "rivers and lakes, spears, and martial arts", and the picture has also been optimized and adjusted for the national uniform. Solid game content and resounding IP, combined with localized operation strategy, the performance of "Overlord" is also worth looking forward to.
"The Lord of the Rings: Discord": Big IP + Rate-like Framework
In terms of self-development, NetEase also has the SLG "The Lord of the Rings: Discord" of the Lord of the Rings IP. This product was launched in many overseas countries and regions at the end of 2021, and was included in the top 10 best-selling lists in 28 countries, and also entered the top 20 of global SLG revenue. At present, the game will be launched on the national server on May 16.
The game restores the original IP's Rohan, Gondor, Dwarves and other forces, and presents the grand and magical tone of "The Lord of the Rings" through many original elements in terms of overall style and details. At the gameplay level, it follows the classic rate-like framework, and on this basis, it combines IP to add combat units that are rare in similar SLGs such as orcs, dwarves, and magical creatures, as well as air force units such as griffin cavalry, expanding the freedom and strategic depth of battle.
Let's go! Muffin: Heartbeat this year's blockbuster
Heart-warming self-developed idle RPG "Let's Go! Muffin has also achieved quite good results in overseas regions, and the doubling of the stock price at the beginning of the year may also be related to the excellent performance of this product. After the game was launched in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other regions at the end of January this year, it has settled at the top of the best-selling list. Taking Taiwan as an example, "Muffin" has quickly topped the best-selling list since its launch at the end of January and has remained in the top three for a long time.
The game uses cartoon-style art and auto-placement combat gameplay to allow light casual players to have a very good experience in the early and middle stages of the game; In the middle and later stages, lightweight MMO dungeon gameplay and social networking are used to screen out medium and heavy players to achieve retention. The player attributes and market environment of Hong Kong and Taiwan are relatively close to those in China. "Muffin" may not be difficult to find opportunities in the domestic placement track.
"Blazing Sky": Earn $200 million a year from the plot
Unlike the previous products, which are more driven by gameplay, "Blazing Sky" represented by Station B is a two-dimensional product that completely wins with plot content. After the game was launched in Japan in 2022, it quickly became the best-selling list, earning $230 million in turnover in the first year. After it was launched in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, it also quickly came to the top of the best-selling list.
The story framework of "Blazing Sky" is still the common way to save a girl from the apocalypse, but the game slowly shapes the characters from the details through a huge amount of text, detailed plot performances, and daily gameplay foreshadowing, combined with just the right music, presenting a story experience that can touch the player's heart. According to the listing information of APPStore, "Blazing Sky" may be launched on June 30. If "Blazing Sky" can achieve good results in China, it may give birth to a number of second-game products that also focus more on the plot.
Sword & Crusade: Departure: Break the boundaries of card placement
Since Lilith's "Sword and Expedition: Departure" (referred to as "AFK2") was launched overseas on March 27 this year, it has been on the top 1 of the free list of 10 countries, mainly in Europe and the United States, and among the top 10 of the list of nearly 60 regions.
The game rarely combines card gameplay with a 3D world, and uses picture-book style art to get close to players' preferences; At the gameplay level, Lilith tried to dig deep into the "strategy" in the placement gameplay, adding the fusion gameplay of "placement + auto-chess", and giving the game a strategic space that surpasses the fixed combination of the two front and three rear of "AFK" through the 16-square grid free arrangement, and the existence of the grid also makes the battle more readable, and each skill and Buff range can be marked with the number of grids. At present, the game is expected to be launched in the summer, and with the design that breaks the conventional card performance, "AFK2" may be able to cause a lot of impact in the domestic card market.
"Winning the Peak": A new challenger to the MOBA track
As a national-level mobile game in Southeast Asia and other regions, Mu Tong's MOBA mobile game "Decisive Peak" must not need too much introduction. It is worth mentioning that in terms of the content of the national server, Mutong has also launched a special social system called "Guangqi Square" according to the characteristics of players. Specifically, Kuang-Chi Plaza has two main functions, one is the "Team Mode", where players can drive vehicles to recruit teammates in the square, and can choose their favorite recruitment voice;
The second is the unique SOLO gameplay of the ring match. The system will randomly provide 10 heroes for both sides to choose from, and the player who is the first to defeat the opponent twice, destroy the enemy tower, or take the lead in the total gold at the end of the match time will win. After successfully defending in a row, players can not only earn exclusive titles, but also climb the main podium and be observed by other players.
This more interactive social gameplay is undoubtedly different from the list socialization of regular MOBAs. According to the App Store, the game may be launched on August 27. At present, the domestic MOBA mobile game market has been carved up by "Honor of Kings" and "LOL Mobile Game", can the entry of "Winning the Peak" change this pattern? Let's wait for August to come.
03
This summer, who will kill the deer?
Although there are many products this summer, we can also see that there are a few tracks that are particularly hot. There will even be a hot scene of several large manufacturers "getting together" to compete head-on on the same track, even if they are in the same track but aiming at products in different subdivisions, as long as the schedule is similar, it will also attract the attention of core users and pan-users, further "stirring up" the heat of this year's summer file.
One of the representatives is naturally the SLG circuit. Tencent and NetEase have three big IP products, "Heroes of Might and Magic: Lords of Battle", "World Qiyuan" and "Lord of the Rings: Strife", and Station B also took out "Three Kingdoms: Conquer the World" to target light and moderate users. At the same time, the animal-themed SLG "Beast Lords: New World" developed by JINGHE Interactive Entertainment is also shown on the App Store and will be launched on June 6. A variety of products with different themes have been launched, and the fierce competition in the SLG track this year can be imagined.
In addition, the shooting track is also highly competitive. NetEase alone has two tactical competitive products with different gameplay of "Firefly Assault" and "Operation Apocalypse", which are expected to be launched around July, and another PVE shooting "Shattered Land" has not yet been finalized, but it has also obtained a version number; Tencent's PC version of "Dark Zone Breakout" has also recently started testing overseas.
Finally, there is the two-dimensional track that has to be mentioned. Although the number of two-dimensional products this summer is not as good as last summer's file, "Jeopardy Zero", "Singing Tide" and "Blazing Sky Dome" are all heavyweights, although from the perspective of "label", most of them will be more optimistic about miHoYo, but the differentiation direction of these three and even the market pain points they aim at are different, so it is still unknown what the outcome of these three products will be.
And more importantly, behind the grand occasion of this summer's products gathering and competing for the deer is the gradual stabilization of the distribution of edition numbers in the past two years, so manufacturers from all walks of life have also successively obtained admission tickets for their main products. In the case of the overall slowdown of the industry, these new main products also need to take on the important task of "opening up the situation", which refers not only to the growth of revenue, but also to the exploration and attempt of market and industry growth and change.
There's no doubt that the competition in the gaming industry as a whole remains high this summer. I believe that no major manufacturer has absolute confidence in asserting that its products can survive in such a Shura field. In the end, no one can say who will die, but it is certain that this summer smash will be very exciting.