Whether a game was interesting or not was largely determined by factors like these. Blizzard might have realized the fatal flaws of 'Overwatch', which was why it adopted a one-time purchase model. Blizzard could not provide 'Overwatch' with rapid content updates, while the monotonous gameplay in its early stages meant that massive player attrition in the middle and later stages was inevitable. But once players had already paid the price of admission, losing them merely reduced the burden on the servers. The money earned was enough to buy Blizzard time to gradually improve the framework of 'Overwatch'.
Another game that had handled this aspect relatively successfully was an immortal monument in the history of Chinese gaming in its previous world—'Dungeon Fighter Online'. The most outstanding thing about the game was the way it balanced player investment and returns. Spend money, and you could become stronger; grind relentlessly, and you could also become stronger. At its core, it was still nothing more than a game about endlessly farming, yet it had firmly grasped its own defining characteristics and remained standing in the Chinese gaming industry for more than a decade.
Over that long span of time, mainstream FPS games had gone from CS to all kinds of AAA titles. Countless beautifully rendered 3D online games had risen and fallen, yet 'Dungeon Fighter Online', with its distinctive game framework and unapologetically pixelated graphics, remained standing.
The framework Kamiyā Yuu designed for 'Throne of Heroes' drew upon the wealth of experience accumulated by the game industry in his previous world. Its impeccable PvE gameplay fed back into the PvP side, meaning that in a certain sense, the game already stood at the pinnacle of its genre. Even 'Warship Girls Collection' fell somewhat short if one set aside the appeal of its theme.
After all, only part of the 'Throne of Heroes' game project had been announced. What drew even more attention were actually the 'Heroic Spirit Completion' project and the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection'. The two complemented one another and were inseparable.
The 'Heroic Spirit Completion' project, built upon the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection', was absolutely a major innovation in Japan's ACG scene. The moment it was announced, it sparked intense discussion among players.
Viewers interested in 'Fate/Zero', fans following the manga created by the three well-known manga artists, and readers interested in Kirigami Ruri's novel 'Gate of Mystery'—as long as someone belonged to the enormous community Kamiyā Yuu had built, they were part of the target audience for this project.
The portrayal of Heroic Spirits in the 'Fate/Zero' anime had fascinated viewers. Based on the concept of Heroic Spirits, many people naturally wondered what kind of plot would unfold if a different Heroic Spirit appeared in the anime, or what kind of abilities famous figures from history and legend would display if they became Heroic Spirits.
What would happen if Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi from Japan's Sengoku period met again?
Who would win in a swordsmanship duel between the Sword Saint Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō?
What would Heroic Spirits from different countries actually look like when materialized?
This curiosity stirred a powerful desire to create among the audience themselves.
Creating one's own Heroic Spirit was not difficult. By following the conditions laid out in the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' for determining a Heroic Spirit's strength, one could create a Heroic Spirit character card in less than an hour.
The basic format was roughly:
Heroic Spirit Name:
Identity:
Class:
Traits:
Story:
Attributes:
Wish:
Noble Phantasm:
...
If a Heroic Spirit character card received official recognition, the creator would receive a reward from the company, and official character artwork would be commissioned. The completed Heroic Spirit character card would be permanently archived on [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio's official website for public viewing, and there was also a chance that it could be turned into various kinds of merchandise.
Those points alone were enough to imagine just how popular the project would be among enthusiasts.
Not only Heroic Spirit character cards, but also epics or fan-written stories centered on the Heroic Spirits themselves, as well as manga, could all be uploaded to [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio's official website.
Every month, [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio would select the top ten entries in different categories based on player votes and develop them further as part of the series.
This was an official channel for fan creation!
No—this was the best opportunity to create official material for the Type-Moon World!
Not everyone could create manga or write novels, but as long as someone had some understanding of a historical or legendary figure and the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection', they could easily create the Heroic Spirit of their dreams.
That was exactly the effect Kamiyā Yuu wanted.
It catered to enthusiasts without imposing unnecessary creative restrictions. Within only a few days of the completion project being announced, participation had already become extraordinarily enthusiastic.
October 6.
At [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio, the previously relaxed atmosphere had vanished. Everyone was overwhelmed with their own responsibilities.
The response to the 'Throne of Heroes' project had been enormous.
Its popularity directly fed back into the company itself. A few days earlier, Mizuhara Raiko had issued an uncompromising order to the game development department, and every member had been working day and night to finish the game's framework as quickly as possible, leaving enough time to test for bugs.
Meanwhile, the operations department had begun reviewing the numerous Heroic Spirit character cards submitted by enthusiasts, while also dispatching people to contact illustrators and negotiate commissions.
...
Inside the conference room, five or six senior executives of [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio sat around the table, seriously discussing various matters.
Mizuhara Raiko wore a black business suit. Delicate light makeup adorned her face, and combined with her calm, serious expression, it made her seem especially unapproachable.
The moment she rose from her chair, she became the focus of every senior executive in the room.
Turning toward her assistant, Kamiki Yui, she asked, "Yui, how are the negotiations going regarding resident illustrators for the company?"
"Three illustrators have already given definite replies saying they're willing to join us. As for the remaining two, Ashikaga-sensei still hasn't responded, while Kōno-sensei rejected our proposal."
"Why did he reject it?"
Mizuhara Raiko's brows rose slightly, making her resemble an aloof queen of ice.
Kamiki Yui hesitated before answering, "Kōno-sensei was very satisfied with the terms we offered, but he declined because he currently has too many illustration commissions on hand. Should we continue following up with him?"
"No. Just continue contacting other high-level illustrators."
At that moment, one of the company's senior executives looked toward her and spoke proactively.
"President Mizuhara, we've already selected ten relatively complete character cards. We can commission the illustrators to begin drawing them at any time."
"Set the matter of selecting character cards aside for now. The first batch must cater to the creators' preferences, so I want us to be more cautious when choosing them. Once we have more submissions, conduct another round of selection. Give me the new character list next week."
"Uh... understood."
"President Mizuhara, we've discovered vote manipulation involving the character currently ranked third. How should we handle it?"
"From now on, whenever something like that is discovered, ban the account and permanently revoke its right to submit entries."
...
Less than three days after [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio announced the 'Heroic Spirit Completion' project, the website had already received more than two thousand Heroic Spirit character-card submissions, covering historical legends from countries all around the world.
Naturally, [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio could not possibly review every single submission in full, so it adopted a fairly convenient selection method.
Every month, enthusiasts themselves would vote. After review, the top ten entries in the monthly popularity rankings would qualify for official recognition.
In addition to recommendations from enthusiasts, [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio would also randomly select ten high-quality Heroic Spirit character cards.
In theory, twenty Heroic Spirit character cards would be officially recognized each month and enter the Hall of Heroic Spirits.
This number could change depending on circumstances. For example, certain holidays would provide additional slots for particular categories. Christmas would add more places for Western Heroic Spirits, while the Lunar New Year would feature legendary figures connected to the holiday.
Recently, voting for the first batch of Heroic Spirit character cards had officially begun.
In only a few days, the total number of votes had already exceeded ten thousand.
First: Oda Nobunaga, one of the Three Great Unifiers of Japan's Sengoku period, a famous historical figure and one of the historical personalities most beloved by the Japanese public. (1,520 votes)
Second: Prince Shōtoku, a figure from Japan's Asuka period who promoted cultural exchange between Japan and the Sui Dynasty that ruled China at the time, helping introduce Chinese culture to Japan. (1,302 votes)
Third: Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest musicians in the world. (1,109 votes)
Fourth: Albert Einstein, proposer of the theory of relativity and one of the foundational figures in the development of nuclear energy. (1,089 votes)
Fifth: Miyamoto Musashi, the most famous swordsman of the late Sengoku period, revered as Japan's Sword Saint. (989 votes)
Sixth: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the Three Great Unifiers of Japan's Sengoku period and formerly a subordinate of Oda Nobunaga. Because of his unattractive appearance, Oda Nobunaga called him a monkey, leaving him with the enduring nickname "Monkey." (950 votes)
Seventh: Sakamoto Ryōma, a martyr of the Meiji Restoration. (933 votes)
Eighth: Fukuzawa Yukichi, a modern Japanese educator and thinker, as well as the figure printed on the ten-thousand-yen banknote. As a result, the ten-thousand-yen bill was also commonly nicknamed a "Yukichi." (868 votes)
Ninth: Zhuge Liang, a famous military strategist from China's Three Kingdoms period, whose many stories were still widely discussed to this day. (865 votes)
Tenth: Thomas Alva Edison, a modern inventor nicknamed the "King of Inventors," who held more than one thousand technical patents. (784 votes)
Beneath the vote tally post, a crowd of viewers enthusiastically joined in the fun.
[So this is the 'Heroic Spirit Completion' project. The one in first place is actually Lord Demon King! — Akechi Mitsuhide]
[Ooh~ I'm looking forward to seeing the character cards once they have illustrations. — Shimono Imōto]
[The guy who created Toyotomi Hideyoshi must really love the character. He even wrote an entire light novel to explain the background story. But it's only been a few days since the project was announced—how the hell did he write it that fast!? — Chikazuki Ryōji]
[I like Yukichi. In both senses of the word. — Seven Samurai]
[Why isn't Sasaki Kojirō on the rankings!? 'Tsubame Gaeshi' is interesting too! — Samurai Tsuda]
[Since King Arthur is a woman, why not try turning some of them into girls too? — Yuu no Sora]
According to the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection', even if the historical figures in the top ten materialized as Heroic Spirits, their overall strength would not actually be particularly high.
In Japan, creations generally leaned more toward entertainment value.
The quality of these Heroic Spirit character cards was quite good overall, and several even came with background stories exceeding ten thousand words.
However...
Almost none of the top ten had been gender-swapped.
The only gender-swapped entry was Uesugi Kenshin, who ranked twenty-first.
After looking over the rankings, Kamiyā Yuu felt that it might be necessary to make a statement clarifying the standards for creation—and personally draw the character illustration for this gender-swapped Uesugi Kenshin.
Supporting a project like this required an enormous investment.
Taking officially recognized Heroic Spirit character cards alone as an example, a high-quality illustration in Japan could cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yen.
At the same time, the project would require a very long period of accumulation before it could truly show its value.
Novels, anime, manga, radio programs, games, and more...
The larger the project became, the richer its eventual results would naturally be.
If the project succeeded, then the 'Throne of Heroes' project could be said to have created the greatest miracle in the history of Japan's doujin scene.
Even 'Warship Girls Collection', which was already considered something of a miracle within the doujin community, might fall far short by comparison.
...
In just three days, the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' on Yosuganosora Animation Studio's official website had been viewed more than one million times.
Major mainstream ACG media outlets across the internet scrambled to obtain permission to repost it online.
The physical setting collection consisted of three illustrated volumes totaling more than five hundred pages. Each volume was priced at roughly 6,000 yen, meaning all three together cost around 20,000 yen.
For manga, that price was actually quite excessive.
Japan's most famous shōnen manga magazine, 'Weekly Shōnen Jump', cost only around 250 yen per issue, while doujinshi at Comic Market generally sold for roughly 1,000 yen.
The 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' cost more than six times as much as convention doujinshi, which were already considered overpriced.
Would anyone really buy it?
The answer was yes!
The number of people purchasing the setting collection was still increasing explosively!
Up to this point, [Mirror Flower Water Moon] Game Studio and Yosuganosora Animation Studio had jointly received 83,726 preorder reservations, yet not a single person had come forward to criticize or complain about the collection's high price.
Each volume averaged close to 150 pages. Because special materials were used, the books were considerably thicker than ordinary publications with the same number of pages.
Judging solely from the page count and production quality, the price was already justified.
More importantly, however, was the content of the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection'.
More than five hundred pages constructed a complete Type-Moon World. Its enormous amount of information left setting enthusiasts utterly absorbed, making it unquestionably one of the most collectible pieces of merchandise in the anime industry!
The information in the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' was both comprehensive and intricate, and it was available to browse for free in manga-style format on Yosuganosora Animation Studio's official website.
Over the span of several days, countless readers marveled at the imaginative ideas behind the Type-Moon World.
Even the captivating and innovative concepts presented in 'Fate/Zero' seemed to pale beside this complete, internally consistent worldview.
The settings for the two great Counter Forces!
The settings for the True Ancestors!
The settings for magi!
One layer followed another, each link connecting tightly to the next.
Despite being little more than records of information, it was more interesting than any exciting manga. Every reader who browsed the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' could genuinely feel the charm unique to the Type-Moon World.
Since all of the setting collection's content could be viewed for free on Yosuganosora Animation Studio's official website, purchasing the physical 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' was entirely a matter of personal choice for enthusiasts, much like buying anime Blu-rays to support the animation studio.
The astonishing total of more than eighty thousand preorders had already consumed most of the first print run.
It brought Yosuganosora Animation Studio more than one hundred million yen in net profit.
And that terrifying profit figure represented only the results of three days.
Extrapolating from that, the profits from sales of the 'Type-Moon World Setting Collection' alone might be enough to fund the entire 'Heroic Spirit Completion' project—with plenty left over.