Text/Wang Dan

The beginning of 2025 has drawn an end to the 2024 new tour competition.

In the past two days, Grape Jun has swiped a lot of videos summarizing the results of mobile games in 2024. Just look at the new game launched in 2024, and you will find that under the front and back of big DAU products such as SLG and MMO, "Love and Deep Space", the main content direction, which belongs to the niche track in the eyes of many people, has rushed to the top of the list.

The main data sources of each UP are different, and the flow is different. But judging from the list, "Love and Deep Space" is undoubtedly one of the best-selling new games recognized in China in 2024. See the watermark for the source of the picture, you can click to view the larger picture.

Before this thing is put forward, anyone who looks at it will be shocked to drop their jaws: Can Yiyou be so beautiful? But now, seeing "Love and Deep Space" topped the iOS best-selling list (not the game list, but the overall list) 4 times, I feel used to it. Once or twice to reach the top, we can say that it is a surprise; But three times in a row, four times...... This is probably not accidental, but the normal level of "Love and Deep Space".

Jumping out of the country and looking at the world, it may be more capable than everyone expected. Foreign media PocketGamer.biz summarized the 2024 global mobile game new product flow list, and "Love and Deep Space" ranked second. Correspondingly, according to Sensor Tower, Papergames' global revenue in 2024 will increase by 660% year-on-year, reaching the sum of revenue from 2019 to 2023, and "Love and Deep Space" is undoubtedly one of the driving factors. According to today's official game report, the number of global users of "Love and Deep Space" has exceeded 50 million.

Love & Deepspace is "Love and Deep Space"

Specifically, in Japan, the birthplace of Yiyou, "Love and Deep Space" has rushed to the top 2 best-selling iOS games in Japan, indicating that even the Sakura Girl, who has rich experience in Yiyou, can't withstand its offensive; In the most representative American market in Europe and the United States, "Love and Deep Space" has been frequently entering the top 15 best-selling iOS games in the local market since its launch.

Don't think that such an achievement is rushed by overseas Chinese - visit more domestic and foreign social media, and it is not difficult to find that foreign players really like it. For example, a few days ago, after overseas TikTok users rushed into Xiaohongshu, I swiped a large number of overseas players of "Love and Deep Space", looking for Chinese players to share the posts of Erchuang.

Some of the posts of overseas players of "Love and Deep Space" on Xiaohongshu

Swipe left and right to view

Now, I think it's rude to talk about how well it performed in the female-oriented and B-game tracks - judging from the data, "Love and Deep Space" was one of the most capable T0-level mobile games in the world last year, and it was on par with many general mobile games, and even better than many games in the so-called mass track.

IGN released an interview yesterday, which is also the first time that the producer of "Love and Deep Space" has been interviewed by the media. IGN's positioning for this game is: the top of the world's phenomenal mobile game + love game.

But after so many years of development, why did "Love and Deep Space" become the first and only big hit in the world? We've talked about this product before, and how it has revolutionized the National B track. But combined with yesterday's IGN interview and their updates over the past year, I find myself missing one point:

It may be that from the very beginning, they were not aiming at the cake of mainstream country B, but trying to jump out of this concept and make the cake of the entire female player market bigger.

01

Paperfold's Gamble:

Jump out of the traditional country B

It sounds impossible to make the cake bigger these days – unless someone wants to take a gamble.

According to the producers, their original goal was to create a forward-thinking romance game that would resonate globally. During the design process, she and her team always think about what kind of content is forward-looking and future-oriented. And this goal led them to choose 3D visual effects, an art style with a sense of futuristic sci-fi, and a narrative rhythm.

Of course, for a project with extremely high goals, the development process will not be smooth sailing, and the input cost cannot be low. The producer also said that "Love and Deep Space" is a big gamble for Paperfold, and the bet is a possibility:

“…… When the quality and experience of the game reaches a certain height, it should be able to transcend cultural differences and bring a good experience and feeling to the players who play the game. In this case, the ultimate love experience will make players from all over the world who want to play love games gather here and get what they want. We believe that the experience of love knows no cultural barriers. ”

The paperstacking team, which has been paying attention to women in the market for many years, can use the gamble to describe their feelings, which shows that the game has taken quite a big step. No matter which way you look at it, it is indeed breaking through the limits of B game and going to a blank field that no one has ever touched.

The first is to break through the technical power and gameplay. That is, its 3D technology and the level design that revolves around action combat.

These two points happen to be the stereotypes of many people in the past, and they think that women-oriented games must not be changed - so many B games are 2D paper people, can players like it if they are replaced by 3D modeling? And female players can't play games with operational requirements, you do action battles, who can accept it?

In 2020, when the PV was first released, and when it was first tested the year before, the 3D modeling and combat feel of "Love and Deep Sky" caused controversy, but Papergames did not give up on the project. This may be a disguised illustration that the top management of Paperfold and the team of "Love and Deep Space" think very clearly, and public opinion is mixed, not because there is a problem with the direction, but because they have not made the advantage of the longboard:

3D can create a sense of living and real-life substitution experience, which 2D cannot match; Female players don't care about gameplay as stereotyped, especially when everyone is tired of the customary turn-based card gameplay of "click and finish", action combat provides freshness and playability, and the details of the male protagonist's care for players in the battle also complement the love.

A large number of camera positions and action changes are a strong area for 3D

The national style card launched in September last year can be clicked to view a larger image

The producers explained that at that time, they put a lot of effort into making the longboard to the extreme. For example, an array of more than 50 cameras is used to capture high-precision muscle simulation and shape change data, just to replicate the real skin texture; Traditional engines struggle to handle loose, fluttering fabrics, so they develop their own simulation technology; In order to create a realistic and natural look, they used a performance capture system to record the actors' expressions and movements at a rate of 300 frames per second, and also built a performance editing system in the engine......

The behind-the-scenes article on the production of "Love and Deep Space" issued by Papergames also mentioned that their animators, in order to make the 2-3 demeanor transformations in the interactive performance of Jinsha Sea (one of Qi Yu's card faces) natural, accurate and not deliberately exaggerated, repeatedly adjusted for a long time, and even performed in front of the mirror until his face cramped.

Image source B station

The producers recall that while art and programming often challenge each other in the tugging of extreme performance, Loving and Deep Space has finally achieved a technological breakthrough: it can support up to 800 physical bones on a mobile platform with limited hardware performance, achieving detailed dynamic effects at the level of hair.

From this point of view, "Love and Deep Space", which is supported by technology, may be a doomed result in the reversal of word-of-mouth in the second test.

To this day, "Love and Deep Space" is still widening its gap in technology and gameplay. For example, the 2.0 major version update of the game in July last year, and the 3.0 annual version previewed in January this year, have upgraded the function of the photo gameplay, allowing players to create their own and the male protagonist's exclusive memory moments, this degree of freedom and autonomy, is not given by 2D;

Sight, light, props, costumes, action...... are adjustable

Click on the image to enlarge it

For another example, they launched a new gameplay of the Chaos Deep Web in version 2.0, and now the 3.0 version of the Chaos Deep Web has added more gameplay. According to insiders, "Love and Deep Space" does not rule out the possibility of making a box garden in the future, which shows that Papergames still has the ambition to gamble in broadening the boundaries of the gameplay of B games.

3.0 Chaos Deep Network New Commission

Even platforming + co-op puzzle solving has been added

The second is a more diverse and comprehensive love experience.

Many outsiders may think that "Love and Deep Space" is out of the circle purely by selling scale, but this statement is actually difficult to stand. Previously, I swiped on the Internet that some players said that two-thirds of "Love and Deep Space" are pure love cards in a year; And if you look closely at the card pool corresponding to the game's 4 tops of the best-selling list, you can find that not every card can be linked to a large scale.

Topped the best-selling list 4 times, and the corresponding card pool was updated

Swipe left and right to view

As a game b, its love experience can attract players, perhaps fundamentally because of three differentiated selling points:

The first is the sense of living people mentioned above. With the blessing of 3D technology, the male protagonist of "Love and Deep Space" can convey emotions to players through many subtle interactive actions, expressions, and changes in demeanor. From another point of view, this also means that its gaming experience is more immersive, and it feels more like being in love with a real person.

The 3.0 anniversary version has a new male protagonist, Xia Yiday

Click on the image to enlarge it

The second is a love relationship of equality and mutual respect. Love doesn't have to be the same as protection, sometimes it's respect for the choices of the loved one, recognition of the other person's abilities. In "Love and Deep Space", all the male protagonists are not inferior to the player, but when the player, as a deep space hunter, needs to be on duty to perform dangerous tasks, no male protagonist will try his best to dissuade him, and will only silently participate in his own way and fight side by side with the player.

Zhihu replied with high praise

The third is the sense of companionship between daily couples. Before the game's open beta, the "Love and Deep Space" team had a conversation with Otomate, a veteran Japanese B manufacturer, and the production team mentioned at that time that a special feature of the game's love experience is the sense of companionship. In the past, many mainstream B games were trying to deepen their sense of love by depicting the major moments when feelings warmed up. Of course, there are these moments in the plot of "Love and Deep Space", but in addition to this, they also do a lot of companionship content.

For example, in the dating game, the male protagonist will accompany the player to play the claw machine, or play meow cards; In the main interface of the game, the male protagonist sometimes works or rests, can accompany the player to work or study, will respond to voice and touch screen interactions, and can remember things that the player has rejected before when recommending meals; After the 3.0 anniversary update, the game also launched a new gameplay "Help Me Remember", now the male protagonist can help players write down and remind important events, or make daily reminders, and even calculate menstrual periods......

These intimate interactions interspersed in daily life are not a big deal, but they can fill in the details of the love experience and make the process of warming up the relationship more natural and real. In an interview with IGN, the producer used the metaphor of a puzzle to explain the purpose of the design more vividly: "...... A variety of different narrative methods can allow players to 'feel' the full character of the character in a more three-dimensional way, and a more immersive love experience. So we tried to use a 'puzzle-like' approach to storytelling and characterization based on the game experience. ”

During menstruation, the male protagonist's voice comforts + "massage"

I want to alleviate the physical discomfort of the player

Finally, there is the sense of substitution that breaks through the fourth wall.

From the moment it enters the game, "Love and Deep Space" is erasing the identity boundary between the player and the protagonist of the game: the player pinched his face and chose his voice, rather than using the preset image of the protagonist in the game; The interaction with the male protagonist is also carried out from a first-person perspective, as if the player is talking to the male protagonist face-to-face and touching each other.

In addition to the sense of real substitution in the game, many operational activities outside the game of "Love and Deep Space" are also breaking the separation between reality and virtuality. For example, in this 3.0 anniversary version, they linked up with China National Tourism magazine, Finland National Tourism Administration, French Cultural Center, and British Tourism, so that the male protagonist sent confessional love letters to players from all over the world:

Shen Xing went back to the highest peak in the world, which was the closest place to the Milky Way and the Sea of Stars; Li Shen, who has the ice Evol ability (Evol refers to the superpower in the game setting), went to the Arctic Circle, which is covered in ice and snow; Qi Yu, whose identity background is related to the ocean, went to a French seaside town; Qin Che, whose identity is mysterious and related to dragons, went to England, where many legends have been circulated, including those related to dragons......

These locations are inextricably linked to the male protagonist's identity, ability, and character. Perhaps this is where they are best able to break through the fourth wall and connect with players in the real world.

Swipe left and right to view

Seeing this, some friends may have understood why I think that "Love and Deep Space" was not limited to the traditional national B track at first - in the past, we said that national B mobilized players' emotions, mainly relying on the emotional impact moment of love created by the combination of 2D art + text plot, but "Love and Deep Space" spent considerable effort to do 3D interaction and daily companionship; In the past, we said that female players don't like to operate, but "Love and Deep Space" continues to focus on operation and gameplay.

It can be said that at the beginning of the design, "Love and Deep Space" has jumped out of the concept of cultural travel. And within a year since it was launched, they are still gambling and continue to increase their weight in these new attempts. Perhaps, as the producer put it, "It just so happens that we are all people who like to bet on all the possibilities of the future." ”

02

female-oriented,

It's never been this big

From the perspective of market influence, "Love and Deep Space" is not only impacting the game circle.

It may have subtly changed the way some players see the world. The producer said that she and her team are more proud of the joy the game brings to players than the results and popularity: "I see a lot of girls saying that because of playing Love and Deep Space, they are starting to become confident and feel worthy of love, and because the game has become interested and curious about many things, and has learned more about the world." The greatest value of this game is that it can bring positive change to people, and we are very happy to create a game like this. ”

Source: Little Red Book

It has also made many people re-understand women's emotional appeals and see the previously neglected side. A friend in the industry who pays attention to women told me that after all, Yiyou is fighting for how the team excavates the real needs of women, and "Love and Deep Space" may confirm that female players need more than just dreamlike and vigorous love stories. Companionship like a real boyfriend, and the desire to be a strong partner with your partner, rather than always being protected...... These are real emotional appeals, but they haven't been noticed before.

The most unexpected thing is that after "Love and Deep Space", people from all walks of life in society have become more concerned about the female market. A game strategist mentioned to me when chatting about the new game in 2024: It is difficult to eat profits by grabbing cakes with peers now, but there are some new products in 2024 that choose to make the cake bigger, and the effect is very good, "Love and Deep Space" is one of them. Hearing him say this, I thought about it again, and then I reacted, yes, people from all walks of life are tapping this market.

In the past year, I have found that many non-gaming media outlets have begun to report on women-oriented games and players. I have swiped a lot of software products that use AI to target the female market for companionship functions; Many friends who didn't know about this field before began to ask me about the meaning of words such as feminine, yiyou, dress-up, and commission......

"Love and Deep Space", which has penetrated the best-selling list of games and topped the iOS best-selling list 4 times, is like a time anchor. After it, more people found that the original female orientation was not a niche at all, it was surprisingly large, so big that the heat could overpower the general orientation from time to time.

In that regard, I would even like to hope that Love and Deep Space will keep up with the aggressive update attempts of the past year, and gamble more. Some people may say, how can there be two major versions of B Tour in a year? How can anyone want to try the box garden gameplay? But I don't think it's strange at all that these things are given to this game, but I think they should do it:

A product that makes the cake bigger, a B game that is of epoch-making significance to the women-oriented market, should continue to explore like never before.

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