3 6 Ke·2025-07-03 00:19Core Viewpoint - The recent news highlights the dissolution of NetEase's single-player game project "Wanjin Changge: Three Kingdoms," which was initially anticipated to be a significant entry in the domestic 4X game market. The project faced challenges in marketing, gameplay maturity, and market positioning, leading to its cancellation [2][12][17]. Group 1: Project Overview - "Wanjin Changge: Three Kingdoms" was developed by a team with nearly ten years of experience from "Rate of the Land" and aimed to compete with the classic "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series. The project had a development cycle of nearly three years, initially starting with a team of fewer than 20 people and later expanding to under 50 [4][7]. - The game was designed to feature seamless large-map battles and a hybrid gameplay model combining turn-based strategy with real-time combat, which posed significant technical challenges [8][9]. Group 2: Market Context - The cancellation of "Wanjin Changge: Three Kingdoms" reflects the broader challenges faced by major domestic companies in transitioning to single-player games. The high development costs and long return cycles of AAA single-player games, averaging over 150 million yuan, conflict with the quick monetization strategies of traditional mobile game businesses [12][14]. - The single-player strategy game market has been dominated by established titles like "Civilization" and "Total War," making it difficult for new entrants to gain traction without innovative gameplay [14][17]. Group 3: Future Implications - The failure of "Wanjin Changge: Three Kingdoms" may impact NetEase's strategy in the single-player game sector, as the company had aimed to leverage its experience from mobile games to create a differentiated product. The cancellation could hinder its ability to capitalize on the potential user base created by the decline of existing titles in the market [16][17]. - The project’s dissolution also raises questions about the future of the team members, with some being reassigned to other projects while others face layoffs, indicating a potential loss of talent in the industry [12][18].