Chapter 419: The First Free VR Game?
Su Jinyu thought for a moment and said, "Store owner, this idea is indeed good. But is there really a chance to compete for Game of the Year? As far as I know, Game of the Year usually goes to those open-world games with richer content."
Chen Mo replied, "Don't worry about that. There aren't many particularly competitive VR games in the country this year. Maybe one or two are decent, but I have confidence in 'Overwatch.' Besides, didn't 'Wolf Soul' from Imperial Dynasty Interactive win Game of the Year before? That was also an FPS."
Seeing that no one had further questions, Chen Mo continued explaining the rest of the concept draft, including the game modes, hero designs, world background, map designs, derivative gameplay, monetization model, and so on.
Everyone grew increasingly excited as they listened, because this concept draft maintained Chen Mo's consistent style—highly polished. In particular, the various heroes and their backstories piqued everyone's interest.
However, when it came to the monetization model, considerable controversy arose.
"Completely free? Just relying on value-added services for revenue like 'League of Legends'?"
"Isn't that a bit risky? After all, this is a VR game, with much higher investment than a PC game. If it's free, can we even recoup the costs?"
Chen Mo said, "Don't worry about the cost issue. I've already considered it. The development cost for 'Overwatch' is indeed higher than for PC games, but it's still within an acceptable range. Moreover, the free-to-play model is the best choice for this type of competitive game. It can attract the largest player base and ensure the game's vitality."
"Also, I'm planning to make 'Overwatch' the first free VR game in the country."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was stunned.
The first free VR game?
Although VR games had been developing for several years, they had always been priced at a premium. Even the cheapest VR games cost at least a few dozen yuan, and the more expensive ones could reach several hundred yuan. No company had ever dared to make a VR game completely free.
This was because VR game development costs were high, and the player base was relatively small. If the game was free, it would be very difficult to recoup the investment.
But Chen Mo had his own considerations.
"Actually, the free-to-play model is not as scary as everyone thinks. 'League of Legends' has proven that free games can be very profitable. As long as the game is good enough and the player base is large enough, the revenue from value-added services can far exceed that of selling game copies."
"Moreover, the VR market is currently in a growth phase, and the number of players is increasing. If we can seize this opportunity and establish 'Overwatch' as a benchmark VR game, the future returns will be immeasurable."
Hearing Chen Mo's explanation, everyone gradually calmed down. Although they still had some concerns, they had to admit that Chen Mo's judgment had always been accurate.
Chen Mo continued, "Also, I want to emphasize one point: 'Overwatch' is not a traditional MOBA game. It's a new type of game that combines FPS and MOBA elements. We call it a 'hero shooter.'"
"Hero shooter?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"Yes, hero shooter. Players choose different heroes, each with unique skills and positioning. The core gameplay is team-based shooting combat, but it also incorporates MOBA-style skill mechanics and tactical coordination."
Chen Mo paused and then added, "In fact, many people in the industry have tried to make first-person MOBA games before, but they all failed. The most famous example is 'Soul Chronicle,' which was released two years ago."
Speaking of this game, everyone showed expressions of understanding.
"Soul Chronicle" was a first-person MOBA game developed by a small company. At the time, they wanted to break away from the third-person god's-eye view of traditional MOBA games and switch to a first-person perspective to explore another possibility.
But the result was an unsurprising failure. Many players hadn't even heard of the game.
In fact, when "League of Legends" first emerged, many designers had considered this question: Could MOBA games be adapted to a first-person perspective?
After carefully evaluating this change, many designers abandoned the idea. This was also the main reason why big companies like Imperial Dynasty Interactive and Zen Interactive hadn't developed "first-person MOBA" games.
The small company that made "Soul Chronicle" clearly took a gamble, hoping to try it out, but they failed without a doubt.
This was because one of the most important factors in MOBA games was that players needed a very clear view of the entire battlefield. They had to know exactly where their teammates were and what they were doing, and they also had to know the positions of enemy heroes to make correct judgments.
Switching from a third-person god's-eye view to a first-person perspective directly led to severely limited vision for players, causing them to misjudge the battlefield situation.
Moreover, when casting area-of-effect skills, it was difficult to judge the actual range of the skill indicator under the first-person perspective. Some full-map skills were very hard to implement, and players often misjudged distances.
All these issues severely damaged the core fun of MOBA games. Coupled with the game's mediocre production quality, it didn't make any waves and quickly died out.
This game further reinforced the mainstream belief in the gaming industry: MOBA games couldn't be made in first-person, let alone as VR games.
Genius remembers this site's address in one second: