Why does the Chinese hand swim like "Monument Valley"?

As one of the most acclaimed mobile games in the 2014, Monument Valley has become an object of concern to many people in the circle. In the past year, Monument Valley has earned nearly 6 million dollars from 2.4 million individual App sales, gaining acclaim from many players at home and abroad. As a result, insiders have raised the question: can people develop a game like Monument Valley? In the knowledge of this problem has aroused the enthusiastic participation of many friends, and most of the friends say "can't". This article has been informed by the Director of the author Huang's authorization, citing his answer.

Domestic game market "money" is not a problem

The first thing we need to pay attention to is the research and development costs behind the 6 million dollar sales of Monument Valley: the original version developed for 55 weeks and the development cost is as high as 852,000 dollars. The expansion pack "forgotten Shores" took 29 weeks of development time, spending up to 549,000 dollars on pay and other transactions. Such time and money-cost inputs are rare in the gaming world, which is eager to become a part of the game.

"Monument Valley" download up to 2.4 million, the revenue of nearly 6 million U.S. dollars

Now, with the domestic hand tour market prosperity, especially the end of the manufacturers come in, hand tour research and development costs are also "rising."

According to reports, "Tianlong eight 3D" research and development cycle of a full year, only research and development costs in more than tens of millions. In addition, according to incomplete statistics, 2014 Capital market and game-related large-scale mergers and acquisitions case more than 38, the first 8 months of mergers and acquisitions have reached 19.6 billion yuan. In terms of money alone, developing a game like Monument Valley "money" is not a problem.

Feelings can't change the investors ' notes

While the Chinese gaming market is well-funded, the key problem is that there are not many people willing to invest in game projects like Monument Valley. This is also related to the whole domestic game market environment.

Because now do a "good" online games (regardless of the end of the tour tour) can be rich and famous, and "Good (Zhuan)" Online games, a set of their own model, this model and "feelings" and the "quality" of the player's eyes is not lap.

From the user's consumption habits, players can invest a lot of money in the free game props, also not willing to spend dozens of yuan buyout fee game. In China, if someone wants to do a game like Monument Valley, it's not just a matter of more than a year and nearly 5 million yuan. Pre-preparation and producer accumulation is an incalculable cost. A feeling of production, in China it is difficult to find a person to give you a big money to do a piece of income unknown stand-alone or internal purchase game.

And the strong domestic game developers, more is the choice of market mainstream types of products, they have obtained the market to verify the rapid profitability, funds are generally used to develop such products, and then through their own technical personnel and other aspects of the strength, improve the game quality, sound effects and other elements, so as to attract users, such as "Monument Valley" Such games are not an area of concern for big domestic companies.

In addition to creativity, but also to understand the promotion

In terms of talent, now the domestic producers and planning is mostly the process of origin, these producers or programs generally pay attention to implementation, lack of imagination, the development of a type of existing or can be referred to the game is often not a problem, but want to make innovative, unique style of the game is not so simple.

As for independent producers, in addition to game research and development capabilities, business negotiations, marketing, financial management and how to deal with investors and other aspects of the lack of experience is also currently unable to develop such as "Monument Valley" game. Many independent players in the country are enthusiastic, but beyond that, how to promote the game and how to communicate with the player, domestic independent gamers may rarely consider these issues.

In stark contrast, independent game producers abroad, especially from Europe and the United States. These foreign independent game peers pay more attention to self marketing, most of the European and American developers from the game began to develop in Facebook, Tumblr and other social networking sites to update the entire research and development process, and actively interact with the players, but also the initiative to edit the game site to send mail. You want editors or players to give some advice, or to do some testing, and most of the independent game developers in China have not considered these things.

Incomplete domestic independent game industry chain

Another problem we can find is that the world's best game makers are relying on a game and a game to accumulate experience and finally make a masterpiece. Many of our domestic young producers, early on feelings and hobbies to make a game, such a game is often the quality of the general, this time the difference between home and abroad came out. In foreign countries, you can continue to do stand-alone games, not make a few money but the problem is not enough to feed themselves, and then you can do the next one better, until you make a masterpiece. At home, you can not feed their own, if the producer has the ability, may soon be unable to bear the temptation of domestic online games, to do online games.

In the previous gamejam of the game, we can still see some creative very good game. But a year later, the game is still an unfinished demo, and finally nothing. It should be said that the domestic independent game is missing is a can help these independent game producers to put those ideas into practice, complete the game works and eventually to the market of the industrial chain link.

Whether from the market environment, or the situation of the practitioners themselves, domestic and foreign game development environment are still different. Abroad, in addition to Monument Valley, there are many similar companies doing similar games, they may not be lucky enough to produce a game like Monument Valley, but they still have the opportunity to continue to try, the existence of these companies may be the real difference.