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Today, Game Science has released its latest Lunar New Year video.

Frankly, I was a bit surprised. As a single-player buyout game with a hammer deal, it is easy to understand that these warm-up videos were released before the release, but they will continue to be updated after the release, and it may also be made into a fixed window to communicate with players in the future. It can only show that the ambition of game science is far more than selling one or two stand-alone products, but to build a real long-term IP brand.

In fact, in this Chinese New Year short film, the official derivative brand of Black Myth IP - Black Myth BLACKMYTH was mentioned.

This derivative brand currently showcases multiple categories such as clothing (sweaters, t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks), badges, rugs, bags, plush toys, and more. At the same time, MINISO's "Black Myth: Wukong" theme store also opened in Beijing.

According to the official introduction, the brand's goal is to combine the interests and expressions of the Youke team and the Black Myth series, and the internal team is directly responsible for the design and operation, which is 100% self-produced by Game Science, and is responsible for the design and supervision of production throughout the process, rather than outsourcing authorization.

The team plans to spend many years slowly building a derivative brand belonging to the game IP, and build a unified brand design and product experience, not just game peripherals. It is hoped that "BLACKMYTH" is not only a derivative of one or several specific games, but can become a quality and tasteful player life brand.

When I read this paragraph, my first reaction was that they were going to learn "Kojima Studio" too? To be an official mall with a high degree of consistency in tonality, taste and products, and become a part of the transmission of IP influence and values.

But I took a closer look at the official introduction and found that this is not the case. The game science gang does this, and it really feels the same as the project "Black Myth: Wukong", which feels very lofty and forced, but in fact, the attitude of the people who do it is very down-to-earth.

For example, the first time I saw this kind of game derivative that is close to the concept of trendy brands and fans, I will say that it focuses on cost performance: the team firmly insists on "bringing down the price", never doing IP premium, and hopes to bring a higher quality experience at a more civilian price.

even emphasizes that he is a popular New Year's product: a derivative that can be talked about as a family, adults and children can have a little pig Bajie doll, and they can also talk about the story behind the yellow eyebrows on the sweater. Make it a normal clothing brand that you can wear out and about, and don't shy away from being a game merchandise.

The team has put a lot of thought into raw materials, craftsmanship, quality control and packaging, and they hope that these things themselves will have a sense of design, high quality and good looks, even if they are separated from the IP itself, they will have enough selling points.

AT PRESENT, GAME SCIENCE IS BUILDING A SPECIAL TEAM TO INDEPENDENTLY TAKE CHARGE OF THE DESIGN, PRODUCTION AND OPERATION OF "BLACKMYTH", AND THE ORIGINAL GAME DEVELOPMENT TEAM WILL NOT BE AFFECTED IN ANY WAY.

You may think that this method of creating derivative IP brands is very common in today's domestic game market, but in fact, most of them are just peripheral stores, and there are very few brands that are really established to operate.

But don't forget, Black Myth: Wukong is a one-time buyout stand-alone product, and Game Science is a game company with a small number of personnel. And the "IP long-term operation" itself consumes a lot of additional mental and material resources, not to mention doing it well and doing it to the extreme.

Of course, the premise for Game Science to be able to do this is that Black Myth: Wukong is successful enough to contribute a lot of profits. It's just that judging from the team's emphasis on derivatives brands, these people are by no means the kind of character who closes their eyes and bets on explosive products when they do a good job.

Stand-alone games do not rely on buying volume, but they are highly dependent on brands, because the business model of buyouts determines that users need to have a strong "a priori" motivation. This can be media evaluation, player word-of-mouth, community public opinion, and of course, more importantly, the impression and cognition of the brand in the hearts of users.

I think Game Science still hopes to connect the black myth IP with the "compelling but down-to-earth" thing in a wider user group, and establish a unique brand tone.

In fact, this tonality has been shown in the company's two founders, Feng Ji and Yang Qi. They occasionally like to pretend to be forced, and occasionally they like to say some earthy witticisms.

Grape Jun had communicated with Yang Qi before, and he gave me the same feeling. If you look at the tonality of his artworks, you will think that he is a master of the mountains, but after a few words, I found that he prefers to be a worldly comer.

And this feeling of "elegance and vulgarity" is what I think is the unique brand tonality that Black Myth IP and even Game Science want - not to shy away from worldly success, nor to give up the pursuit of ideals, not only to stand, but also to make money.

In this short video for the Year of the Snake, there is such a line: "They say that I am in the right place at the right time, and I know that it is obviously an infinite game." ”

In the broader gaming industry, this emphasis on branding is becoming more and more common. Of course, buying volume is still an important source of customer acquisition that cannot be ignored, but I have to admit that buying volume is often working for the platform and making wedding dresses for others. Although the turnover figures of some volume-buying products seem to be large, the real profit is not easy to say.

Therefore, although it is difficult to do branding, and it is not easy to attribute, it does not affect more and more companies to join in, after all, everyone's pursuit of profit margins is real, and everyone wants to pinch their fate in their own hands, without looking at the face of the platform.

Finally, Grape was fortunate to receive an unboxing gift package from Game Science in advance, which contains some of the products that are being sold, and I will show you a simple buyer show here. If you have something you like, you can go directly to official flagship stores such as JD.com and Tmall to buy it; If you don't like it, it's okay, as long as you don't scold the model.

Unboxing:

Six sweatshirts:

Swipe sideways left and right to see the back

Golden Pond Ghost Reversible Sweater:

Swipe sideways left and right to see the back

Yellow Wind Great Sage reversible coat:

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Swipe sideways left and right to see the back

Sock Set:

Shadow God Badge:

Plush Doll Pig Bajie:

Canvas Bag:

Slide sideways left and right

Black Myth Year of the Snake Red Envelope Set and Year of the Snake Couplet:

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