Hawk2zer0

The #AzurLane lore video is out! It's been a long project, but I've had so much fun working on it and learned a lot. Hope you enjoy it! youtube.com/watch?v=2YkWZm… Feel free to ask questions here if need be! I'll try to answer them as quickly as I can.

@YuudachiFR @megatonton You talking the AL lore? Yeah, even as a lore guy...their execution hasn't been the best. timeline helped, but not as much as it could.

@hawk2zer0 @megatonton Normal quand tu n’as pas d’histoire logique. Ça toujours était n’importe quoi

This is not me defending Nexon, or gacha gaming/live services companies in general. But I've noticed that most games of the type lasts for a few years, five if we are being generous, until earnings take a dive. Which is normal; you can't continue to drive up hype for any game continuously. The systems will start feeling same-y, the story beats become predictable, and the same characters get featured again, and again. Unfortunately, any gaming company seeing that dip will do their best to turn the ship around, which is to monetize their game heavily. The formerly 'generous' free-to-play gacha shave off a few free rolls, sell and resell skins, and even tweak their gacha system to make people spend more. Anything to see 'line go up', as is natural in a capitalistic system. This had not been a problem when the gaming industry was still in its growth phase: games had a finite life. A game realistically has 40-60 hours in its lifespan, some shooters even go for a 10-hour campaign. Just the same, some of them became massive successes. Where am I going with this? The sad fact is that gacha games trying to maintain a game well beyond its lifespan will do its best to survive, and that will require heavy monetization to do so. That's why I've always been wary of Nikke's supposed '20-year plan'. No gaming franchise, no anime franchise had lived that long without things devolving to the lowest common denominator. I wish it didn't, but that's the fate of all franchises. Let games end, and let it end with enough of its dignity intact.

@YuudachiFR @megatonton That's kind of going into the point of this post. In reality, Azur Lane had 5 years post Chapter 5 Operation Siren to try to maintain its players. The stagnation hasn't been helping it even with the skins. It's just a game trying to slow its bleed.

@hawk2zer0 @megatonton Après 9 ans, il fallait s’attendre à cette situation. Il fallait proposer un nouveau jeu. Mais au vue du flop de l’anime et du jeu sur ps4, il y’aura jamais rien d’autre je penses

@YuudachiFR @megatonton Sure, but this doesn't change the point that AL is just not a good example for this. It heavily monetized itself and finds itself in this stagnation.

@hawk2zer0 @megatonton Mais tout le monde son fous du gameplay, personne joue à azur Lane pour le gameplay du jeu de base. Même quand j’ai commencé le jeu y’a 9 ans j’ai lancé pour obtenir des personnages, le gameplay reste ultra naze et aujourd’hui mal veilli.

@YuudachiFR @megatonton But the lack of gameplay has been draining the game of its audience too. It's why even with the spikes in revenue for events, it's been a constant downhill trend. This post literally explains the point: "Anything to see 'line go up'". AL's just been a storefront, barely a game

@hawk2zer0 @megatonton C’est pas ça qui fera revenir d’ancien joueur ou on avoir des nouvelles. Se qui ont fait prouve se que les gens souhaite avoir

@YuudachiFR @megatonton Op Siren's subsystems could be utilized to make events more interesting in side modes that could be used to farm points with different minigames. Of course keeping the original method around for those that don't want to engage. (I can expand on this if needed).

@YuudachiFR @megatonton Well, we have several Arbiters that could have been added into the monthly arbiter fights to diversify the monthly Arbiter grind instead of the same 3 we've had for years. (There's at least 7 they could implement).

@megatonton Increasing monetization may raise profits, but bad player retention renders that monetization moot.

@megatonton I feel this is a common trend among both Gacha and its cousin the modern GaaS. The long lasting ones are ones that design their games well or find ways to innovate to make things last.

@YuudachiFR @megatonton I wouldn't use Azur Lane as an example here. Azur Lane hard ramped up monetization. Everything they've added has monetization to it (Island Planner and Private dorm both have paywalls or, in Island Planner's case, harsher gacha). This came at the cost of gameplay improvements.

@megatonton surtout que, au vue des stats, le jeu remonté la pente ses derniers temps, bien que celui-ci ne soit plus a son apogé après le chapitre final. mais c'est pas une raison pour tout détruire se qui ont construit pendant longtemps. nexon peux, encore faire machine arrière.

Woah....this is interesting.

@R3kT4MnY45 My point isn't that AL is financially failing, but more that they likely are more restricted financially than you expect. This is due moreso to both developers having AL for their only revenue source while funding new IPs.

@R3kT4MnY45 I do investing as a side hobby, when you run the numbers with expected income for Manjuu and Yongshi considering revenue pie cuts for each party, the maintenance costs for AL, and the necessary budget for AP or Yongshi's other IPs it doesn't look good.

I feel people need to understand Azur Lane's developer ecosystem to realize that a PC client is likely a pipe dream that will not come true. For those that don't know, Azur Lane has two developers: Yongshi (code) and Manjuu (art/story).

@FranklinTu27019 I was more just using the "it's published by its developer meaning no middle man to take cuts or anything from revenue." Nothing else.

@hawk2zer0 This is the first time I’ve heard anyone cite Snowbreak as an example. To be honest, it’s just a shoddy product marketed under the guise of the culture war, and it has all but ceased operations in China (thanks to the CPC’s complete intolerance of this rubbish—thank God).

@Di5a5terp13ce I'm sure it's a good emulator, but I think a lot of users don't really want to use an emulator for a game even if it's endorsed by a developer. Personally, I'm going to be glad that Arknights (my real last reason for an emulator) is getting its PC client.

@hawk2zer0 I started using Mumu player when I saw Manjuu endorse it. Emulator was so good, I ended up installing other games on it. Runs Azur lane perfectly.

@slytheninja13 @Zahylon If you don't mind me asking, was that 150gb size the figure for the CBT? That's crazy if so. I think Endfield's was like 40-70 for its three tests.

@Zahylon @hawk2zer0 Generalizing all AL fans into not wanting promilia is big stretch. A lot of azur lane players I see on twitter and some I talk to in a discord im in all seem to want it to release soon and want to play it. My biggest gripe with it is the sheer size of its download was 150gb

@XLWZ2 I can understand that perspective. I do believe even if they did get the approval, they lack the capital and developer resources to really develop something of that caliber too. Manjuu has Promilia, and my understanding is that Yongshi has 2-4 other projects in the works.

@hawk2zer0 不，最重要的原因其实是游戏作为出版物，在中国市场增加客户端类型是需要送行政审批的。就普遍认知，碧蓝航线再次送审还能通过的机会比较渺茫，在这个前提下就基本不存在开发pc客户端的动力了。

@smug_diva Standalone launcher, yes. I think steam does take a cut. That is why lots of gachas are trying to make their premium currency top ups on their side. Umamusume has it, I think hoyoverse does too, and I think Yostar pushed its own for all its IPs both published and developed.

@hawk2zer0 But if they put it on steam or had their own launcher like Nikke, they would have a higher revenue cut than on the app stores.

@RadiantCoco The merch scene isn't that much different. You incorporate labor, material costs, logistics, distribution, tariffs (if applicable), etc. It gets messy that way. I'm sure they still make money on it, but I don't think it's as much as we would wish it to be.

@hawk2zer0 Idk, with how much merch sales AL has I'd doubt at least Manjuu would be that hurting for money

Oh heck yeah! Finally glad to see it coming! Really would get tired of the emulator crashing mid IS run or in the middle of a RA mission.

@bored_dude666 That does work. That or "some things are better left unknown"

@hawk2zer0 "Ignorance is bliss" or however the saying goes in english