In other words, what Ba is saying is basically, "We want to make a AAA title"!
Isnāt that worth being shocked about?
Thatās AAA after all!
The ultimate dream for many in the gaming industry, representing the highest standard of games. Who wouldnāt want to give it a try?
But dreams are dreams, and whether Tianba Studio has the foundational conditions and technical capability is key to determining if the plan is feasible.
Just deciding to make a AAA on a whim?
Thatās not commendable bravery, thatās terrifying stupidity. If making AAA games were that easy, the domestic game industry wouldnāt have only a handful of AAA titles by now.
"What, scared already?"
Chen Ba teased, "Lu, werenāt you the one always urging me to make a AAA? Now that Iāve decided, youāre scared?"
"Ba..."
Lu rubbed his hands and said, "In principle, I support all your decisions, but shouldnāt we seriously consider something of AAA level?"
"Consider what?"
"For example, funding, technology, or personnel scheduling and reserves, development timeline planning and so forth..."
Lu listed a lot of concerns.
Chen Ba didnāt interrupt his talk and instead listened seriously, especially to the points Lu raised about Tianba Studioās lack of depth and accumulation.
"As for funding, you donāt need to worry."
"The money weāve earned over the years isnāt much, but we can afford the loss of a failed AAA game, it wonāt leave us begging on the streets." Chen Ba said with a smile.
This is his biggest source of confidence.
With multiple games under its banner, all having sold over a million copies, Tianba Studio has generated substantial revenue.
Especially the professional edition of "Divine Grace Continent," the significant fixed earnings every month and year are not even mentioned, but the major income is the "Divine Grace Animation" toll fees.
With this foundation, actually, funding is the easiest problem to solve.
As he said, the success or failure of an ordinary AAA game wouldnāt really shake Tianba Studioās foundation; there is definitely room for trial and error.
As for the technical accumulation and reserves, which are barriers for many competitors, Chen Ba also has corresponding strategies.
Heās a man with a cheat!
Though the Iron Fool System often causes him trouble, its black technology is undeniable. With such black technology backing, who dares to say Tianba Studio lacks technical reserves and accumulation?
"As for personnel scheduling..."
The issues Lu raised, actually funding and technology are easy to resolve, but manpower indeed is the studioās biggest shortfall at present.
Chen Baās only solution is to split the entire AAA mega-project into countless small sub-projects.
Itās like building a car!
Tianba Studio would be responsible for designing blueprints and key components like engines and transmissions, while parts like windows, seats, and steering wheels would be outsourced to other teams.
Finally, these parts would be transported to Tianba Studio for assembly, testing vehicle performance, and once confirmed without errors, they could build a car maximizing the "division of labor and collaboration."
"This method sounds good..."
Yang Dong nodded and said, "The downside might be that the technical levels of outsourcing teams vary greatly, and it could be more costly than doing it ourselves."
"I told you, money isnāt a problem."
Chen Ba nodded and said, "If the technical levels vary, then we should find teams that have a good reputation and decent strength for collaboration as much as possible."
From imperfections and shortfalls to normal occurrences.
After all, itās Tianba Studioās first time creating such a large-scale game without the corresponding development experience.
"As for the projectās development cycle, letās tentatively set it for one year! This is just a preliminary estimate, and the actual time will depend on whether progress goes smoothly, and it also depends on the gameās theme."
Speaking of this, Chen Ba chuckled and asked, "Any ideas for our first AAA game?"
"Xianxia, it has to be Xianxia!"
Lu was the first to raise his hand, "Iām so tired of those Western fantasy settings of magic and swordplay dragon-slaying."
"Indeed!"
"If weāre going to make a AAA, it should be distinct from those big foreign companies; speaking frankly, Iām also sick of the Western fantasy theme."
Yang Dong wholeheartedly agreed.
Over the years, heās played dozens of foreign AAA games. While the modern-future styles like Cyberpunk and GTA are alright, games with styles like Elder Scrolls, Elden Ring, and God of War have become truly tiresome.
His fatigue isnāt about the gameplay or mechanics but the gameās background...
Western fantasy is a great theme!
But the education and cultural background theyāve received since childhood make Yang Dong and Lu have a special fondness for Xianxia.
The reason they played those Western-style AAA titles is partly out of curiosity, but also because domestic games werenāt competitive and lacked equivalent options.
If they had two choices of AAA at the same price and quality, one with a Western fantasy background and the other with a Xianxia background...
There would be no need to think; Lu and Yang Dong would 100% choose the Xianxia theme!
Donāt ask why, the answer is nostalgia.
For players from the Hua Country, the immersion and engagement of Xianxia games are something ordinary Western fantasy games canāt compare with.
This is ingrained in their bones.
Mages, Dragonborn, Dark Walkers, these are not what they want, only the cultivators who soar through the skies represent the romance envisioned by Hua Country players.
Previously, they didnāt have the conditions.
But now, after learning of Baās decision, Yang Dong and Lu both expressed that the studioās first AAA game must be Xianxia and can only be Xianxia to meet the expectations of AAA.
"I understand what you mean."
"But creating a Xianxia gameās background framework isnāt easy! My thought differs from yours; what about starting with something simpler? A modern urban setting?"
Chen Ba didnāt quite agree with them.
The reason he gave was that while Xianxia is great, Tianba Studio might not be able to create a realistic and immersive Xianxia world.
Instead of making a flawed product, they might as well lower the difficulty and start with the modern city, at least avoiding naĆÆve questions like "how do cultivators walk?"
"Modern urban setting..."
Hearing the end of their Xianxia dreams, Lu felt very discouraged, and at the same time, he was skeptical about Baās suggestion of a modern urban setting.
AAA games have to tell a story!
In a modern urban setting, what kind of story could be told? They surely canāt develop something like GTA 5 in the domestic environment, right?
That would truly be tempting fate!
Needless to say, such a game couldnāt be made; even if it were, it couldnāt be targeted at the domestic market, otherwise, the consequences are well understood.
So, cyberpunk?
But thatās science fiction, futuristic stuff...
"In a modern urban setting, compelling stories are indeed hard to tell, but there are references to draw from."
Chen Ba smiled and said, "Have you heard of Spiritual Qi Revival? Know about National Martial Arts style? Or Gao Wuās Struggle for Dominance?"
Web novels gave him a lot of ideas.
Particularly in the current urban background, under various implicit constraints, the creativity provided by web novels can actually be referenced.
For example, Spiritual Qi Revival!
This theme in web novels is essentially a mix of fantasy/Xianxia plus urban settings.
In the gaming field, itās one of the best alternatives to a Xianxia game!
It has a hint of Xianxia fantasy but takes place in a modern urban setting, offering a wonderfully surreal feeling.
The National Martial Arts Style is also good.
Thereās a stereotype among foreigners that all Hua Country people know martial arts, so why not take this chance to cement the stereotype?
However, making a kung fu game definitely requires gathering some kung fu materials, which for Chen Ba is perhaps the hardest part to solve.
After all, he doesnāt know any kung fu masters, so where would he go to understand these inside stories?
Even if he found a kung fu master, who knows how authentic theyād be? What if theyāre only good at performing flashy moves?