Games made in China are gaining popularity around the world and the producer of Phantom Blade Zero believes that cultural differences are working in its favor.
After the multi-million dollar success of Black Myth: Wukong, Phantom Blade Zero is the next Chinese fighter expecting a similar reception around the world. It's an upcoming kung-fu action game with blisteringly fast sword swings reminiscent of Sekiro, expensive sets that would make Nathan Drake blush, and outsized bosses, but despite the superficial similarities, it's not another Soulslike.
But developer S-Game CEO Liang Qiwei doesn't think the game will have to draw on these more familiar sources to be successful with global players. In fact, the opposite could be true.
In an interview with 4Gamers transcribed by Automaton, Qiwei notes that Black Myth: Wukong “had a much bigger hurdle to overcome in terms of culture,” as it was essentially adapting one of the most classic Chinese novels of all time: Journey to the West. , which on paper could have led to “players not understanding the cultural background.”
But Qiwei also thinks that developing a “high-quality” game can turn those cultural differences into “an advantage, not a disadvantage” because “players will perceive unfamiliar topics as something new.”
“The reason we Chinese gamers are familiar with Western and Japanese culture is because we had very entertaining Western and Japanese games as an entry point. Little by little we got used to them,” Qiwei continues. “I doubt Chinese gamers knew much about Japanese samurai at first, and I don't think they were particularly interested in them. But because there were so many good games about them, they're now basically recognized as a pop theme. So, Again, if the game itself is interesting, the feeling that its themes are strange can be an advantage, rather than a barrier. I think it is a very strong advantage that attracts more players.
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