Chapter 1120: Can Cinematic Games Still Struggle? (First Update)
As "World of Warcraft" swept the globe, it also brought about a very broad impact on the entire gaming industry.
In fact, even before "World of Warcraft" launched, many game companies had already released their VR games on the Matrix Gaming Pod, and sales were quite good.
However, after "World of Warcraft" went live, the sales of games released during the same period all performed poorly.
Because "World of Warcraft," as a time-based subscription game, required a fixed monthly investment. Beyond the monthly card, many players also had to buy gold to cover various in-game expenses—buying purple gear, buying mounts, buying materials... everything required money.
More importantly, "World of Warcraft" severely squeezed players' time.
Although the official recommendation was for everyone to play using sleep mode at night, there were certainly some hardcore players who also spent their daytime hours playing "World of Warcraft."
After all, the content of this game was so rich that even if you were online 24 hours a day, there would always be something to do.
Thus, after being occupied by both time and money, many players couldn't spare the energy to play other games. It was no surprise that games released during the same period met with a cold reception.
Moreover, this was quite different in nature from the games Chen Mo had developed before.
Previous games like "The Last of Us," "The Legend of Zelda," and GTA, while equally excellent, were single-player games. Their popularity generally lasted about two to three months. Once that period passed and players had finished the story, they moved on to other games.
Other game companies could achieve decent sales by simply avoiding the release window of Chen Mo's new games and launching their titles during players' downtime.
However, the popularity of "World of Warcraft" didn't just last two or three months—it could easily last two or three years...
This left other game companies in a very conflicted state. The MMORPG genre, which no one had been optimistic about before, not only became popular but was overwhelmingly successful.
Most importantly, this overturned many designers' concepts.
Although Chen Mo's previous AAA titles had revolutionized concepts like "cinematic games" and "open worlds," they were still within a certain framework. But this time, the impact of "World of Warcraft" on the VR industry felt more like the earlier sensations of "League of Legends" and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds."
This even sparked major discussions among many designers: What exactly was the mainstream direction for the future development of next-generation VR?
"From the Matrix Shopping Center to 'World of Warcraft,' Chen Mo's thinking is clearly focused on the concept of virtual worlds."
"One has to admit that players' need for social interaction always occupies a very important position. The previous dominance of AAA titles may have simply been because our technical level wasn't up to par, presenting a special state during a particular historical phase. But with the advent of sleep mode, players' gaming time has been greatly extended, and the concept of next-generation VR plus virtual worlds will increasingly become the mainstream."
"Moreover, current single-player games have a very fatal flaw: limited content makes it hard to generate sustained revenue over time. Most players, after experiencing the story once, won't consider a second playthrough. The popularity of 'World of Warcraft' very likely represents the return of MMORPGs."
"This return is by no means a simple flash in the pan; it's more like a Renaissance—old content, having gained a new platform, bursting forth with vibrant vitality."
However, many designers also held opposing views.
"The popularity of 'World of Warcraft' is like that of 'League of Legends' and 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.' When 'League of Legends' appeared, how many designers mistakenly believed that MOBA games were the future?"
"Yet even now, there's only one truly successful MOBA game worldwide—'League of Legends.' Those copycat MOBA games didn't even make a splash. Games similar to 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' fared slightly better, but not by much."
"Facts prove that the emergence of such blockbuster hits is the result of a combination of multiple factors. Let's not mince words—who among you has the confidence to create the next 'World of Warcraft'? No one, right? But I believe that through hard work, everyone can create the next 'Uncharted' or 'Dark Souls.' Of course, even if the quality doesn't match, making similar works is possible."
"So, dwelling too much on the current glory of 'World of Warcraft' is meaningless. Even if the future belongs to MMORPGs, most of us designers won't be able to become trendsetters."
The debate was intense.
In fact, this debate wasn't entirely focused on the direction of game development; it was more about a sense of disappointment and loss regarding the traditional single-player game model.
Although many felt this debate was meaningless, for the gaming industry, "how games will develop in the future" is always a topic that people find endlessly fascinating.
When designers saw the popularity of AAA games released during the same period being completely crushed by "World of Warcraft," it was hard not to feel this sense of loss. Some designers even felt that all their years of effort and accumulation had been in vain, which was hard for many to accept.
Many designers were grappling with the question: Could the once-popular "cinematic games" really not sustain their glory on the next-generation VR platform?
After all, the Matrix Gaming Pod had been around for so long, and even Chen Mo himself had no plans to create similar cinematic games.
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The data for "World of Warcraft" continued to climb, with active player numbers and cumulative registered users constantly breaking records.
However, the development of "World of Warcraft" was essentially complete. Although there were still some follow-up tasks, the workload was already very small.
Chen Mo, on the other hand, was considering developing a new game during the downtime of "World of Warcraft."
In fact, many of the things designers were currently thinking about, Chen Mo had always been thinking about.
For the genre of cinematic games, Chen Mo had always had a strong preference. Just like "The Last of Us," cinematic games possessed core advantages that other game types lacked: unparalleled immersion and a sense of presence.
However, on the next-generation VR platform, cinematic games encountered a problem.
Their core advantage had instead become a disadvantage.
Next-generation VR allowed players to soul-transfer into a character's body, gaining a "transmigration" feeling in terms of actions, behavior, and sensations.
But cinematic games often imposed strict restrictions on player actions. Players' combat moves and behaviors were pre-planned, sacrificing freedom in exchange for an unparalleled visual experience. Most importantly, the third-person follow-up camera allowed players to always see the character's cool silhouette and actions.
However, the soul-transfer experience of next-generation VR conflicted with the classic gameplay of cinematic games in many ways.