Xishanju 20 years: the development of China's game industry

Jinshan Zhuhai Building in front of the knight bronze statue

Trying to understand the development and reform of China's game industry, Xishanju is undoubtedly the best target. From the earliest game studio in China to an independent company today, Xishanju is the only classic game brand that has never been broken down and is still active.

In the single game, online games, page games, mobile games, the Chinese game industry in the past, many have led the trend of game developers are now sadly out of the stage of history, except Xishanju witnessed and involved in all aspects of the development of the Chinese game industry. In this sense, Xishanju is the microcosm of the entire Chinese game industry over the past 20 years.

To some extent, this game brand reveals an all-encompassing and correct way from beginning to end, which I call "Xia." A kind of unobserved, yet effective, consistent and evolving methodology is also the root of Xishanju's breakthrough in the past 20 years and its continuous breakthrough.

Perhaps, this is where the current outlet or facing the transformation of the game manufacturers need to learn from.

Emerging! New carrier of national culture

In 1996, Xishanju released the first commercial game in China, "Revelation of Zhongguancun". From the game type, "Zhongguancun Apocalypse" regarded as the entire game industry is an antelope hanging serious game, enlightenment, education is the biggest characteristic of such games.

As far as the works are concerned, "Zhongguancun Apocalypse" contains the first batch of IT people Qiu Bojun, Lei Jun and other modern business awareness and thinking through the simulation of a Zhongguancun enterprises to tell the players the trap on the mall, the risk , And based on this, to teach them practice, concise after coping strategies to inspire players for the modern business awareness and thinking.

It is not difficult to see that in the face of the unknown game field, Xishanju at this time is more inclined to understand the game as a serious entertainment such as Go, she should not only recreate, relax purely entertainment, but also should combine the wisdom of traditional culture To actually solve the problems confronting the modern society, and to explore and think in some practical fields, that is, the clichés of "edutainment."

And this also laid the keynote of Xishanju's theme for the past 20 years afterwards - a new carrier of national culture.

In all fairness, "Zhongguancun Apocalypse" this game has not achieved commercial success, but can not deny her Xishanju and the entire gaming industry to explore the historic role of market response. As the first commercial game in the world, there is not enough benchmark in the market to refer to. Xishanju can quickly test the market by exploring the Revelation of Zhongguancun and explore the underlying law. It is not easy for us to pave the way for the follow-up works.

Jinshan that swordsman!

In 1997, Xishan Habitat masterpiece "JX Love" issue, a generation of players in mind the classic.

After the first piece of work temper, at this time Qiu Bojun and other "Xishan layman" has realized that in the prevailing market environment, serious game is difficult to meet the player's appetite. If you can not get a large area of ​​player support, so they placed the game "entertaining" mission will be impossible. The game needs a more perfect, more popular way to blend traditional culture.

Xishanju chose to integrate traditional culture into the "martial arts game," just as Mr. Jin Yong put traditional culture into his writing "martial arts novel."

Combined with the backdrop of the Western Hills, this work is worth pondering the deeper meaning.

From the main line of the game point of view, "Swordsman Love" to tell the protagonist is to help Yue Fei plot to destroy foreign enemies, martial arts stories that reflect national righteousness and love of children. However, it is noteworthy that there is a hidden ultimate fate in "The Swordsman Love". The protagonist won the "Swordsman Love" CD given by Xishan Guru (head for Qiu Bojun), finally eliminating Qin Hui and recovering the mountains and rivers.

At that time, Xishanju is still Jinshan's studio, Jinshan met Microsoft's great challenge, Pangu components Pei word processing market, the collapse of the entire Jinshan face. In the end, Qiu Bojun sold the villa, BMW, in exchange for funding to support the development of the company, choose the next year and Microsoft desperate. The following year Jinshan WPS97 release, on behalf of the national software in the face of Microsoft's fight against the commercial Word, the same year, Xishanju "JX Love" release.

In a sense, "JX" is Jinshan internal and external problems, in despair depiction, but also the miniature of the Battle of Jinshan and Microsoft, by the ancient metaphysical expression Qiu Bojun and other Jinshan people's ambitions, on behalf of national software to fight Overseas giants. The final finale can be seen as Xishanju good wishes for the future of the Jinshan, that is, under the guidance of Qiu Bojun "to recover the mountains and rivers"

It is also from the beginning of this time, Xishanju even the entire Jinshan can be seen as "heroes" incarnation, and "heroes" attitude operating the business.

Unfortunately, the real ending is strikingly similar to the historical one. The Song dynasty was destroyed by Qin Hui and finally the mountains and rivers were lost. After a few years the Jinshan lost piracy and had to survive.

Dusk brilliant

In 2000, the first year of online games in China, Xishanju could have chosen to continue to lead the gaming industry. It issued the first real online game King of Kings, but in the end Xishanju chose to stick to stand-alone games and continue "JX series" deep plowing.

Xishanju understanding of the game began relatively pure, but not willing to put aside this accumulated years of game research and development, the focus shifted to the agency online games, this year, Jinshan goal is to become a world-class game production company.

In the following two years, Xishanju successively released 3 "Swordsman Series" works - "Swordsman Love 2", "Moon Legend", "New JX Love". A change in the practice of traditional martial arts RPG, three works using real-time combat mode to reflect the martial arts swordsmanship, technical standards reached the same period, the top European and American production company's technical level.

Among them, "The Swordsman Love 2" to 200,000 sales hit the highest sales record of domestic games, known as the culmination of domestic games for the dusk of the domestic stand-alone game market, leaving a touch of color.

Even so, it is not fruitful to welcome Xishanju on the contrary, it is the most difficult period. In Lei Jun's words, "Because of the double pressure of Microsoft in the face of piracy, Jinshan quickly closed.

This is the price of keeping faith in the harsh environment of rampant piracy in the domestic stand-alone game market.

Throughout the era of stand-alone Xishanju, practicing the "great man for the country for the people" concept, one side in the game into the excellent traditional culture, to create a positive world of virtual games, while provoking people Industry banner, and overseas forces rival.

Xishanju during this period, with "Guo Jing" to describe is not an excuse.

Swordsman Guo Feng "Pickles" and "Hamburg" caught in the quintessence

From 2003 to 2008, the game industry ushered in the Golden Age of the best environment, many game manufacturers have been established, of which several agents of South Korean online game manufacturers quickly rise, the momentum of the moment, independent research and development at home was also seen as a violation of the industry Market trend of choice.

"Heroes" has always been well-justified, since they have stunts, since when to accomplish something, in this emotional package and infection, Xishanju is the case.

Xishanju long enjoyed a good reputation in the face of the entire Jinshan, and even the industry placed their own hopes of rejuvenating the national game, Xishan Juyiwudang embarked on a tortuous path of independent research and development.

But "everyone, including me, has greatly underestimated the difficulty of doing online games," Qiu Xin, head of Xishanju in 2003, said in an interview. In order to devote more research and development efforts to online games, Lei Jun will Jinshan other R & D project leaders are temporarily transferred to Zhuhai, he also pro-project manager, more than 100 research and development team in Zhuhai bulkhead developed for six months time.

After the first half passed, Lei Jun transferred Zou Tao, who is in charge of General Software, to Xishan as Chief Operating Officer. According to Zou Tao's own words, "At that time, I was really ignorant and bite the bullet." At that time, Zou Tao was responsible for day-to-day Management, network management at night, keep the server. "

In relentless exploration, Xishanju "Sword Network Trilogy" have come out - "Online Love", "Swordsman Love Online Version 2", "Swordsman Love Online Version 3" (hereinafter referred to as "Jian Wang 1", " With years of research and development strength and elaborately carved details of the game, Xishanju once represented the nation's top game research and development strength and was hailed as "Blizzard of China".

However, there is bound to exist independent research and development time costs, "Jian Wang Trilogy" did not catch up with the launch of the best time, there are both Sheng Yu, He Shengliang embarrassment. "Jian Wang 1" suffered a whopping "legend", which took 6 years to develop "Jian Wang 3" is a time of "World of Warcraft."

Although sweat and hard work did not come in for the top spot, it has become the game industry benchmark, but also won the support of millions of fans. Xishanju many times to the original martial arts online games "Jian Wang series" as an opportunity to launch a market battle, hoping to make a game for the domestic game 'sword of hatred', but in the "Warcraft first, swordsman second?" Under the slogan, Quite a moment of emotion.

Lei Jun has joked: "I can not have great achievements are obstacles to traditional education," In other words, the reason why Xishanju Dacheng, probably also attached to the pride of being a nation, this may be the fate of "heroes."

Homeopathy

Jin Yong's understanding of "knight" can be roughly divided into three stages: "Guo Jing" - "Linghu Chong" - "Wei Xiaobao". Xishanju is similar to "Xia" practice. After years of unsuccessful attempts, Xishanju began to seek new Breakthrough.

After the baptism of the market and its own review, Xishanju no longer rigidly adhere to the so-called great cause of the country, with a more relaxed attitude, return to the arena of the game, with the players to build "pure martial arts, real arena."

In 2010, Xishanju launched "Jian Wang 3" Sang Jian Shan expansion pack, Little Lori modeling characters also homeopathic launch, and the player completely mixed together.

Xishanju move to obtain the support of many new and old players, and the frequency of interaction with players also increased significantly, and one after another with the needs of players to initiate various types of interactive activities. Eventually, Xishanju together with the players to create a "Jian Wang 3" as the core, set games, comic books, video, Cos and other peripheral games around the community, "pure martial arts, real rivers and lakes," the game began to show the charm.

Put down the concept of shy, after a lot of Xishanju rapid performance, the continuous decline in market share in the terminal environment, "Jian Wang 3" for 11 consecutive quarters of contrarian growth, completed their magnificent turn, called miracle.

At this point of the Xishanju already out of the high heroes Guo Jing transformed into a mixed-race gamer Shaoxing Linghu red.

Do not do China's Blizzard to be the world's Xishanju

Years of experience and calm the heart of the Xishanju no hurried restless, confident, calmly a lot, no longer shouting beyond who, but to do their best.

In January 2011, Xishanju completed MBO.

In October 2011, Xishanju set up a mobile R & D department in Beijing and formally entered the mobile Internet.

May 2012, Xishanju exclusive operating company World Tour Technology was officially established, Xishanju "R & D integration" into a substantive stage.

In 2013, Xishan hand tour team set up one after another.

Earlier this year, Xishanju dual engine strategy announced, in addition to ensuring 100% growth in end-travel, focusing on mobile games, research and development, agency distribution, operations in one, full into hand tour, goal to create monthly revenues of billions of hand travel Boutique.

Product level, Xishanju has won a variety of hand-travel agency rights and plans to launch 12 boutique hand tour, covering the martial arts, Journey to the West, the three countries, four magic, in addition to the already exposed "Three Kingdoms", "Knight Rule" "God's Remains" and other new products, there is news that "JX version" mobile version has also been included in the schedule.

Among them, the first mobile game "God of Three Kingdoms" has been determined in the June 17 closed beta, released from the IC packaging and testing data, "Ares" performance reached the level of first-class games.

It is noteworthy that Xishanju Millet received 20 million US dollars investment shares, has been involved in the construction of millet from hardware to software and then to the game content industry chain loop. With the release of the "Knight Law" TV game version, Xishanju has drawn much attention in the industry in the layout of its video games. Together with numerous older Jinshan brothers, the future of Xishanju is full of expectations.

Looking at Xishanju 20 years, different opinions. Some people say that Xishanju is a technology-driven game team, whose research and development strength and production level have been standing firm in the forefront for many years. Some people say that under the circumstance of drastic changes in the gaming market, Xishanju does not conform to the historical trend and is carving for the sword. Others say that Xishanju does not work in the manner of a businessman, but works in a programmer's way. I think, from the establishment of Xishanju so far, are using the "man" approach to management, different periods have different understandings, but remain the same, evolving.

In the past, Xishanju clinging to gathering nationalities, cultures, games and one, to forge ahead with overseas game rivals, is Guo Jing's "Xia." Now, Xishanju is more rivers and lakes atmosphere, and brothers go hand in hand, pay attention not only fast break, happy, is Linghu-type "Xia."

"Xia" level of the state, the size of the sub-structure, but not the so-called right or wrong, Xishanju is their own "Xia" Road walking rivers and lakes, and constantly self-breakthrough in the near future, Xishanju may really Swordsman.

Ps: Compared to other game manufacturers, there is also a long-term "road" that runs through their own development?