Chapter 62: The Azeroth Universe

For card games, the IP is the soul, and the numerical system is the lifeline. Once the numerical system collapses, the entire game will inevitably die.

Conversely, a card game can have a strong vitality if the numerical system is sound.

A good example is a card game from the previous world, "Unleash the Three Kingdoms." Two years after its release, its monthly revenue was still in the tens of millions, an almost unbelievable achievement in the card game industry.

Although it was a card game, "Unleash the Three Kingdoms" had a poor IP, almost as if it had no IP at all. In the domestic market at that time, the Three Kingdoms theme had been overused, with several Three Kingdoms games launching every month. If it relied solely on its IP, "Unleash the Three Kingdoms" could not have stood out.

Successful Three Kingdoms-themed games like "Unleash the Three Kingdoms," "Youth Three Kingdoms," "Coastline of the Empire," and "Battle for the City" gave many players the illusion that the Three Kingdoms IP was quite good.

But if you actually developed a Three Kingdoms game, you would find that this IP is a complete pitfall.

The severe homogenization meant that several Three Kingdoms games launched every month. If the game quality was average, how could it breakthrough?

Popular IPs from Japanese manga or popular novels far surpass the Three Kingdoms IP.

For example, if a "One Piece" mobile game were released, most players would play it. But what about a game titled "XX Three Kingdoms"? Would it attract players?

Many game companies developing Three Kingdoms-themed games deliberately removed the words "Three Kingdoms" from their titles, such as "Rampage Wushuang," "Beat Wei, Shu, Wu," "Coastline of the Empire," "Battle for the City," emphasizing national and city wars to reduce player aversion to the Three Kingdoms theme.

A good IP can make money and create differentiation. For example, with the IP of "One Piece" or "Naruto," you can easily make money even if you lazily reskin a basic card game.

But with the Three Kingdoms theme, a reskinned game wouldn't make money and would fail miserably.

This proves that the Three Kingdoms IP itself adds no value to "Unleash the Three Kingdoms."

So why was "Unleash the Three Kingdoms" successful? Not because of the Three Kingdoms theme but because of its game quality.

"Unleash the Three Kingdoms" had top-notch system functions, gameplay, and numerical settings among all card games. Its success was due to its game quality, not its IP.

Even if it were renamed "Unleash the Water Margin," it would still be popular, though perhaps to a lesser extent.

What if it had the "One Piece" or "Naruto" IP? It might have soared, with monthly revenue increasing by tens of millions.

This is the charm of the card game gameplay that many players overlook.

Why, among so many games, do domestic card games get reskinned repeatedly, with players always buying in?

A later hit, "Onmyoji," was a card game with top-notch visual presentation, but its core gameplay was still that of a card game.

Alex Parker aimed to create a game like "Unleash the Three Kingdoms" and "Youth Three Kingdoms," striving to make "I Am MT" a fun card game even without relying on its IP.

...

Two weeks later.

A month had passed since the official development of "I Am MT" began.

Amy Johnson continued to create game projects and card illustrations. About half of the art resources were completed, and the game rules were mainly finished.

The remaining tasks included constantly fine-tuning the numerical structure, finalizing each card's attributes, and waiting for more art resources.

The game development progressed quickly, as its rules were not complex.

Everyone except Alex showed little interest in the game itself. Amy was only working on the game project as part of her job.

However, interest in the "I Am MT" anime grew.

"I think the 'achievement pop-up' is quite interesting. Imagine doing something, and an achievement box pops up with a 'clang' sound effect—it feels very satisfying."

"Don't you find the world's rule settings intriguing? The characters can die, but they can revive if their souls reach their bodies."

"Yes, it's clever. In other animes, characters can't die. Here, they can die freely, giving more flexibility in handling plots."

"I also like the 'Hearthstone' setting. Using a Hearthstone to return to an inn feels game-like and should appeal to players."

"I actually looked it up. It's based on a European medieval tradition where travellers took a stone from their home fireplace. Looking at the Hearthstone while away eased their homesickness. The anime turning it into a practical tool is fascinating."

"I wonder how the manager came up with these ideas. Wouldn't they work better in a game?"

"I'm not sure about the manager's thoughts, but this world is so large. It might require an A-level or even an S-level designer to handle it. Maybe that's why the manager is focusing on a mobile game instead."

"But it's clear the manager put more thought into the anime and world than the game."

"What is the manager's strategy? Even if the anime is well-made, how does it relate to the game? Will people who like the anime buy the game?"

"Who knows... but I'd love to see the Azeroth world made into a VR game. Imagine being a tauren running across the prairie..."

Alex was constantly observing everyone's reactions.

Initially, everyone watched the anime for its novelty. Now, they were becoming curious about the world behind it.

In Azeroth, many exciting settings, like using Hearthstones to return to inns, riding wyverns or griffins for travel, reviving near their bodies, levelling up by completing quests, and earning achievements for special events, were game-like but easy to understand for gamers.

Alex's latest task was to build the Azeroth universe.