Why are there no Water Margin games?
In the game market, games with the theme of the Three Kingdoms emerge in endlessly, covering almost all game types, from strategy to action. However, "Water Margin", which is also one of the four famous classics, has few game works. This phenomenon has triggered extensive discussions among players and the industry. This article will analyze this phenomenon from multiple angles, sort out hot topics and hot content in the past 10 days, and explore the reasons for the lack of Water Margin games.
1. Current status of Water Margin-themed games
According to the search data of the entire Internet in the past 10 days, the popularity of Water Margin-themed games is much lower than that of Three Kingdoms-themed games. Here are some statistics on popular topics:
| topic | Search volume (times) | Discussion popularity |
|---|---|---|
| Three Kingdoms Game | 1,200,000 | high |
| Water Margin game | 150,000 | low |
| journey to the west game | 800,000 | in |
| Dream of Red Mansions Game | 50,000 | extremely low |
As can be seen from the table, the search volume and discussion popularity of Water Margin-themed games are much lower than those of Three Kingdoms-themed games, and even lower than Journey to the West. This data intuitively reflects the market status of Water Margin games.
2. Reasons for the lack of Water Margin games
1.The complexity of the subject matter
The main story line of "Water Margin" is the gathering and recruitment of 108 heroes. The plot is complex and the ending is tragic. Different from the Three Kingdoms theme of heroes competing for hegemony, the story of Water Margin focuses more on personal destiny and social criticism, which makes game-based adaptation more difficult.
2.Low character recognition
Although there are 108 generals in Water Margin, most of the characters are less recognizable except for a few characters such as Song Jiang, Wu Song, and Lin Chong. In contrast, characters such as Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, and Cao Cao in Three Kingdoms are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and are more likely to become the selling points of the game.
3.cultural acceptance differences
The Three Kingdoms theme has wide influence in East Asian cultural circles, especially in Japan and South Korea, where Three Kingdoms games are highly accepted by the market. The international influence of the Water Margin theme is relatively weak, which limits its gamification potential.
4.business risk
Due to the poor market performance of Water Margin-themed games, developers are more inclined to choose the Three Kingdoms theme with lower risks. The following is the commercial performance of Water Margin-themed games in the past 10 years:
| Game name | Year of issue | Sales volume (10,000 copies) |
|---|---|---|
| Water Margin: Oath of Destiny | 2015 | 10 |
| Heroes of the Water Margin | 2018 | 5 |
| Water Margin Q Legend | 2020 | 8 |
As can be seen from the table, sales of Water Margin-themed games are generally low, making it difficult to attract investment from large game companies.
3. Players’ expectations for the Water Margin game
Despite the poor market performance of the Water Margin game, there are still a group of players who are looking forward to it. The following are the hot topics discussed by players in the past 10 days:
| discussion topic | Number of participants | Main point |
|---|---|---|
| The potential of the Water Margin theme | 5,000 | Looking to develop an open world Water Margin game |
| The Plasticity of Water Margin Characters | 3,000 | Think that characters such as Wu Song and Lu Zhishen are suitable for action games |
| Adaptation of the Water Margin story | 2,500 | It is recommended to focus on the first half of the story of Liangshan Juyi |
It can be seen from player discussions that the Water Margin theme still has certain market potential, especially if it can focus on the personalization of the characters and the openness of the story.
4. Possibility of future Water Margin games
Although the current market performance of Water Margin games is poor, with the advancement of game technology and the diversification of player needs, there is still hope for a breakthrough in the Water Margin theme. The following points may be the future development direction:
1.open world design
Integrating the story background of Water Margin into the open world, players can freely choose to join different hero camps and experience different plot branches.
2.Character development system
Drawing lessons from games such as "Like a Dragon" and using a rich character development system to improve the recognition of Water Margin characters and player stickiness.
3.Multi-platform linkage
Through the linkage of multiple platforms such as film, television, and animation, the popularity of the Water Margin theme will be enhanced and pave the way for gamification.
In general, the lack of Water Margin games is not due to the lack of charm of the subject matter itself, but due to various factors such as market, culture and business. In the future, if we can find a suitable entry point and innovative gameplay, the Water Margin game may usher in its own spring.
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