Game Maker: Starting by Healing the Players

One month after BioShock was released.

New games from major game developers were also launched one after another.

However, they weren't directly copying BioShock.

No need for major game companies to do market research or anything.

Because BioShock was incredibly unique.

Its distinct art style, its background setting, and the story it told.

All these factors gave BioShock a truly special identity.

After all, in terms of gameplay, BioShock didn't exactly revolutionize the industry.

It wasn't like games such as Dark Souls, Warcraft, or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which made groundbreaking innovations.

BioShock's core appeal lay in its art and story.

And these aspects are actually the most difficult part of game development.

However, while few game companies paid attention to games similar to BioShock.

World of Warcraft, on the other hand, was closely watched by many game developers.

And many similar MMORPGs were launched.

They avoided the peak popularity of World of Warcraft because it's an MMORPG, a game meant for long-term operation.

So, many game developers waited until after the initial hype died down and World of Warcraft entered a stable period between updates to try and get a piece of the pie.

After all, World of Warcraft's success was too tempting to ignore.

Even though it was a time-based subscription game, its massive player base made it a gold mine.

With different themes, buy-to-play models, free-to-play with item shop purchases, or even cheaper time cards.

Game developers threw everything they had at it, but these games barely shook World of Warcraft's position, not even causing much of a ripple.

The reason is simple: they could replicate World of Warcraft's gameplay, but it was hard to replicate its intellectual property (IP) and disrupt its already stable player base.

For MMORPGs, being first to market offers a huge advantage.

To even compete with, let alone surpass, the original, a game would need to excel in at least one aspect, such as gameplay, graphics, IP, or player count.

Remember how in the previous life, under Blizzard's questionable decisions, World of Warcraft went downhill fast.

The story became unacceptable, gameplay changed, it started to feel more like Diablo, and they kept adding small annoyances for players.

Things like the term "green skins" being removed and changed, and more Black characters being added to Stormwind.

But even with all that, and despite Final Fantasy XIV's critically acclaimed expansions, World of Warcraft was still a "thin camel is bigger than a horse." It even sold 3.7 million copies on its first day for a new expansion, and that's not counting regions that don't need to buy expansions.

This is also the nature of MMORPGs: players are incredibly loyal.

While World of Warcraft has only been out for a few months now and can't compare to over a decade in its previous life.

Its current updates and gameplay, along with its visual presentation, are considered state-of-the-art.

And on top of that, there's the nostalgia factor from Warcraft.

World of Warcraft's immense popularity is something other games simply can't replicate.

Furthermore, MMORPGs have a strong social element; the more people play, the more a network effect is created.

For other game companies, with World of Warcraft already a global hit, how to promote their own MMORPGs is an almost insurmountable challenge.

At this point, it can't be said that they've conquered the entire MMORPG market, but it's almost impossible for other games to shake World of Warcraft's foundation.

...

Lucas didn't even pay much attention to the MMORPGs released by other game companies.

With such a massive first-mover advantage, World of Warcraft could only be described as rock-solid.

He was currently in his office, looking at relevant game development plans.

Nebula Games has grown to include many sub-studios in addition to its direct departments.

These studios work on developing various other projects. Lucas generally doesn't interfere with the quality of these games, as long as they pass the required reviews.

They just need to be submitted to him for approval. Of course, if they pass internal cross-reviews, their quality is generally not too bad.

By the time they reach him, it's usually just a formality.

"Hutu... 'Ghost Warrior,' sword and blade style, hack and slash?"

Seeing one of the projects, Lucas couldn't help but pause slightly.

Based on the project description, it seemed like a relatively small project.

The gameplay direction was mainly an action game with hack-and-slash elements.

However, the novel aspect was the incorporation of a sword-and-blade film style.

In reality, games like this aren't uncommon, not just from Nebula Games' first-party studios but from third-party developers as well.

And Hutu is a relatively new game designer within Nebula Games over the past couple of years.

But compared to typical game designers, his works tend to be niche and unconventional.

Before this project, he made a game based on the theme of 'Fang Xiang Shi' (a type of exorcist in ancient China). It didn't sell well, not even in the domestic market, let alone the global market, but the media reviews were excellent.

This time, he's shifted his focus to games with ninja and samurai themes, in the style of sword-and-blade films.

But this sword-and-blade style, along with ninjas and samurai, reminded Lucas of a game.

After thinking for a moment, Lucas had his office notify Hutu.

...

Upon receiving Lucas's notice, Hutu immediately contacted Lucas via video call using the provided contact information.

After all, Hutu's office was not located within Nebula Games.

"Boss Lucas!" Hutu exclaimed excitedly as the video connected.

Lucas didn't waste time with pleasantries, offering a few brief remarks with a smile before getting straight to the point.

"I've seen your concept for 'Ghost Warrior.' You want to create a game with a sword-and-blade style, set in the Warring States period of Japan?" Lucas said with a smile.

"That's right, Boss Lucas," Hutu nodded.

"Do you have the basic game framework and background setting prepared?" Lucas asked.

"Um... Boss Lucas..." Hutu seemed to realize something.

"I have some ideas for this theme and direction. If you're interested, you can come to the headquarters studio and join us. Of course, don't feel pressured to agree immediately, because in my plan, besides the sword-and-blade style, the game's direction and background will be different."

"During the Tang Dynasty, Baekje, along with Goguryeo, obstructed Silla's tribute and exchanges with the Tang. After repeated admonishments from Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Silla's petition for Tang intervention, Emperor Gaozong dispatched a joint naval and land force of 100,000 troops to attack Baekje. The two sides engaged in a decisive battle outside the city of Sabi."

"Baekje mobilized its entire nation for the battle, and even its guardian dragon participated, but it was still easily defeated. The Tang army won a great victory, killing over 10,000 Baekje soldiers. After this battle, Baekje surrendered."

"After Baekje surrendered, its guardian dragon, being of a benevolent nature, was not killed but expelled."

"Later, the injured dragon arrived in the Ashina region within the land of Japan during the Heian period. The first people to encounter the dragon worshipped it as a deity, discovering its divine artifact-like ability to grant immortality. Thus, they revered it as the 'Sakura Dragon' and began researching how to extract the Sakura Dragon's power to achieve immortality."

"Subsequently, people discovered that there were two ways to achieve immortality through the Sakura Dragon. One was bestowed by the Sakura Dragon directly upon a human, with only one individual per era, known as the 'Dragon Tainted' (Ryūin) holder. They could be immortal themselves and could also share the Dragon Tainted power with others. The other way was passive: the area where the Sakura Dragon resided would emit energy, influencing surrounding creatures. Creatures affected by this energy would gain a portion of immortality, but its effect was weak, even pathological. The further away from the Sakura Dragon's本体, the weaker the influence."

"Upon learning this information, people built a grand palace where the Sakura Dragon had taken root, allowing the Sakura Dragon's lost power to pour into the palace's lake. They sustained their immortality by drawing from the immortality in the lake water, proudly calling this palace the 'Fountainhead Palace' (Miyako no Minamoto), meaning the source of blessings."

"But everything comes at a cost. The inhabitants of the Fountainhead Palace, due to prolonged exposure to the power of immortality, had become something between human and ghost, needing to absorb the vital energy of others to survive. They called themselves Umi-bozu (water spirits)."

"Furthermore, through research into eels, the Umi-bozu mastered the skill of manipulating lightning, claiming that the power of lightning originated from the Dragon God."

"And as the population grew, the Umi-bozu needed more vital energy to prolong their lives. Thus, the Umi-bozu initiated a prolonged war. To survive, factions like Ashina and Senpou Temple became involved in the conflict, a war that later became known as the War of the State's Protection."

Lucas briefly explained the in-game background and setting.

However, listening to Lucas, Hutu on the other end of the video was completely bewildered.

What did this have to do with sword-and-blade films?

And dragons, immortality, why did it feel like mythology?

Sensing Hutu's confusion, Lucas smiled: "This is the background setting for a core gameplay mechanic in the game. For the complete story, you can learn more at the meeting if you're interested."

(End of Chapter)

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