After Lucas left, the team members couldn't help but discuss it.
"Hunting? The new game is about hunting? This type seems pretty niche, right?" Rachel said, sounding puzzled.
Even though the Nebula Games platform is booming right now, and "Minecraft" is very popular.
Lucas had discussed future plans in meetings with them, and it seemed that Nebula Games would focus on bigger games going forward.
Mainly to further increase player loyalty to the platform.
After all, indie games and smaller games from second and third-tier companies are the foundation of a platform.
But big titles that serve as a showcase are also important, and need to keep attracting players.
But hunting games don't seem very good, either in China or abroad.
"Yeah, the best-selling hunting game seems to be 'The Hunter: Call of the Wild' from UA overseas, and this kind of game is also very likely to be opposed by animal protection groups in other countries," Anna agreed.
"Right, Shin, weren't you in charge of optimizing and researching new AI technology? The new game will definitely use it, right?" Edward, remembering something, looked at Hector, who had been silent.
Hearing someone finally ask him, Hector, who had been quiet all along, smiled and cleared his throat twice: "Ahem, of course! The new AI technology will be amazing. Actually, it seems Lucas's initial plan was to make a game with a lot of NPCs."
"But during testing, he found that the technology wasn't quite good enough yet, not even for VR. It could be cut down, but that would remove the best AI performance. So, as a second choice, Lucas came up with a solution: show the AI in specific monsters, so players can enjoy the thrill of hunting. That's how they decided on a hunting game." Hector was excited, recalling his conversation with Lucas in the office.
"I see!" Rachel and the others suddenly understood, and began to imagine all kinds of possibilities.
"The newest AI technology gives players a realistic hunting experience. That does sound interesting," Edward guessed.
"Lions, tigers, or even more, like the extinct saber-toothed tiger, mammoths! Those could all be hunting targets!" Anna suggested boldly.
"But what about the game's story?" Rachel wondered.
"That's easy, a time machine! Like modern poachers, in the future they've invented time machines, but criminals use them to go back in time and hunt rare and extinct animals. But that would cause time paradoxes, making that creature disappear from the future. So, the player's role is to stop these time-traveling poachers," Anna said, full of ideas.
"Anna, that sounds like an action-adventure game! Lucas said it was a hunting game. You can't just break the law to stop poachers, right?" Rachel said.
"Then let the player be a poacher? No, that's not a good message," Anna said, scratching her head.
......
While Rachel and the others were brainstorming in the break room.
In his office, Lucas was finalizing the concept art for the upcoming game.
"Monster Hunter: World," the name of the next game project was on the computer screen.
Before this, thanks to the latest AI technology, Lucas originally wanted to develop other types of games.
Like an open-world game.
Compared to sandbox games, open-world games are another great type.
But they are the opposite of sandbox games.
Both have a common core: to make players feel free.
But they also have completely different points of conflict.
Sandbox games are about creating a world, while open-world games are about designers creating a world and letting players be part of it.
That's why many players confuse sandbox, box garden, and open-world games.
To show players a living, breathing open world, NPCs are necessary.
With the latest AI technology, if the NPCs in the game act more logically, it will greatly improve the player's experience.
A vibrant world is the standard for an open world. Of course, games like Zelda with exploration and puzzles are another direction.
But after testing, Lucas found that the current technology and player hardware weren't good enough to show what he wanted.
But showing AI performance with a few creatures is completely possible.
So, after some testing, Lucas decided to choose Monster Hunter. It fits very well.
As for why he chose "Monster Hunter: World," it's mainly because it's special.
"Monster Hunter: World" is a milestone in the Monster Hunter series.
It saved the dying Monster Hunter series.
The earlier Monster Hunter games were on handheld consoles, but sales kept falling. "Monster Hunter Portable 3rd" sold 5 million copies, but "Monster Hunter XX" didn't even reach 2 million.
So, the series finally decided to make revolutionary breakthroughs: ditch the weak handheld performance and release versions for consoles and PCs.
"Monster Hunter: World" amazed all the players.
It made players feel how grand the dragons they hunted were.
It made players see how beautiful the world was.
There were also some optimizations: no loading screens, and you didn't have to strike a weird pose when using medicine.
While keeping the original fun, it removed many bad parts and made the combat smoother.
The lower difficulty was also a factor. The earlier games had difficulty levels like Super or Level 140.
Compared to those, the "Monster Hunter: World" Arch-Tempered monsters are much easier.
In Super or Level 140 difficulty, our hunters would get sent back to base camp just by touching the dragon's foot, tail, or wing. Normal players couldn't handle that!
With a focus on the new player experience, a flowing open world, a complete and interesting ecosystem, and thrilling hunts.
"Monster Hunter: World" became the best-selling game in the series.
It sold over 7.5 million copies in the first month.
It broke the series' previous sales record in just one month.
(End of The Chapter)
---
Read +100 advanced chapters on my patre*n
patr eon.com/GustinaKamiya
Free Tier can read 3 advanced chapters
---