LogIn"We’ve wanted to make these kinds of games from the beginning."
S-Game
The success of Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong has surely stirred some discussions around the development of Chinese AAA titles. People commonly name Black Myth: Wukong the first triple-A game of China, filling that blanket. Not surprisingly, a few more triple-A titles are on the way following Wukong's step, including S-Game’s Phantom Blade Zero, an upcoming samurai Soulslike with Chinese cultural elements.
Recently, developers from S-Game, including CEO Lian Qiwei and Art Director Michael Chang, have joined an interview with 4Game to share their thoughts about the Chinese console market, how it evolved, and where it will head.
It might differ from what many think that Black Myth: Wukong triggered the Chinese AAA gaming market; the developers in China have been affected by “Japanese and Western console games” and have been wanting to create such titles. “However, in the past, the market and technology were not yet mature, so we just couldn't make them,” says Michael.
“Now that the conditions are in place, we're in a position to make them, both technically and in terms of ability. We were also inspired by Wukong, and I think that there are multiple companies developing console games in that way, and we encourage each other to make good games.” (Translated by Google)
Black Myth: Wukong seems to be a pioneer in this trend, and it fired the first shot of Chinese gaming companies into the 3A game market, encouraging other fellows by showing what it has achieved. Michael Chang added:
“It’s not like Chinese developers got together and decided to release console games at the same time, but rather, we’ve wanted to make these kinds of games from the beginning. It’s just that now, at this exact timing, we’re finally able to release high-quality games like this.” (Translated by Automaton)
S-Game
One thing not to miss when talking about the gaming market in China is the leading market share of mobile games. Chinese gaming giants, such as Tencent, NetEase, and MiHoyo, have leaned more of their efforts in the mobile gaming market and received the majority of revenue from there. But making games is not all about profit, and I can’t agree more with what the CEO holds, which is the subtitle of the 4Game’s interview: “If you have a dream, you probably don't want to develop mobile games endlessly.”
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